FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything procurement and R&D teams ask before switching from imported matting agents — commercial terms, technical behaviour and documentation.
Quick answer
What do procurement and R&D teams need to settle before switching from an imported matting agent?
Commercially: first orders are flexible at 500 kg to 1 ton — not the 5–10 tons or full container multinational suppliers typically require — and a free 2 kg evaluation sample ships before you commit anything. Technically: these are amorphous silica grades, not crystalline, supplied with TDS, SDS and COA. The 22 answers below cover MOQ, lead times, dosage, dispersion equipment, storage stability, UV and 2K systems, customization and after-sales support, plus grade-by-grade selection across all seven Censil products.
What is the minimum order quantity (MOQ)?
Flexible: 500 kg to 1 ton for a first order — not the 5–10 tons or full container that multinational suppliers typically require. Repeat orders can be consolidated by container for the best freight economics.
Can I get a free sample before ordering?
Yes. We ship a free 2 kg evaluation sample of the recommended grade(s), together with a 1:1 physicochemical benchmark sheet against your current import grade and the relevant TDS. Tell us your resin system, target gloss and current grade on the contact form.
Which imported grades can Censil products replace 1:1?
The range is engineered against specific benchmarks: Censil660 and Censil1650A vs Grace SYLOID ED 30, Censil651 vs ED 2, Censil351C vs ED 3, Censil361C vs ED 4, and Censil3851 vs Evonik ACEMATT TS 100. Each replacement is validated by matching particle size (d50), pore volume, surface area and surface treatment.
What is the typical lead time to Vietnam or Malaysia?
2–3 weeks door-to-port in total, with only 3–7 days of sea freight from main Chinese ports to Vietnamese ports — versus 4–8 weeks for European material.
What dosage should I start with?
1–4% on total formulation for most waterborne wood and plastic coatings, depending on target gloss and dry-film thickness. We recommend a dosage ladder (1/2/3/4%) in your production formulation; if a grade needs more than ~5% to hit target gloss, it is the wrong grade — contact us for a re-selection rather than over-dosing.
Do I need special dispersion equipment?
No. All Censil grades disperse fully with high-speed stirring for 15–20 minutes. No bead-milling or grinding is required. Add the matting agent after resin letdown under moderate shear.
Is this crystalline silica? Any health concerns?
No. Censil matting agents are high-purity amorphous precipitated silica (SiO₂ ≥ 99% dry basis) with no crystalline silica content. Standard industrial-hygiene practice for handling fine powders applies; see the SDS for details.
Will the matting agent cause hard sediment in storage?
Censil grades are surface-treated with high-melt PE wax, which produces a soft, stir-back sediment instead of a hard cake. For long storage in low-viscosity systems we recommend pairing with a small dose of fumed silica for thixotropy — we provide this anti-settling combo guidance as part of technical support.
Do the grades work in UV and 2K systems as well as 1K waterborne?
Yes. The lead grades are used in waterborne acrylic, PUD, UV-curable and 2K systems. Grade choice may shift with film thickness and viscosity — send your system details and we'll recommend the right lead + support pairing.
Can you customize particle size or wax treatment?
Yes. d50 is tunable across 3.5–7.0 μm and the wax-coating ratio can be adjusted to your dry-film thickness and touch target — with realistic custom MOQs, unlike the very high thresholds of multinational suppliers.
How is the product packed and shipped?
Standard packing is 20 kg paper-plastic laminated bags, palletized and export-ready for container shipment. Custom packaging is available on request. Shelf life is 24 months in original sealed packaging, stored dry.
How do I evaluate a replacement without risking production?
Run our standard protocol: bench trial at identical dosage against your current grade, ±0.3% fine-tune, a 7-day 50°C storage test, then one production line trial. Most customers complete evaluation in 1–2 weeks with the free 2 kg sample. Keep your current grade dual-sourced during the first quarters if you prefer.
What technical support do you provide after purchase?
Waterborne-specialist formulation support, including anti-settling combos, dosage optimization and troubleshooting (whiting, viscosity, touch). We respond within 24 hours on WhatsApp, Zalo or email.
Which Censil grade should I use for a water-white clear topcoat on dark wood?
Censil660. Its 5.0–5.3 μm d50 is built as a 1:1 drop-in for SYLOID® ED 30 in high-clarity work, giving a matte surface with no visible haze on dark solid wood or wood-grain clears. If you also want a finer hand-feel on semi-matte clears, Censil651 (4.9–5.2 μm, benchmark SYLOID® ED 2) is the alternative. Both sit in the same 1.6–1.8 mL/g pore volume and 250–280 m²/g surface area family, so the switch is a like-for-like dosage comparison.
Censil660 and Censil1650A both benchmark SYLOID® ED 30 — what is the difference?
Particle size and the finish it produces. Censil660 runs 5.0–5.3 μm and is tuned for high-clarity, water-white transparency. Censil1650A runs 6.2–6.5 μm and is tuned for low-gloss deep-matte on high-end plastic coatings and tactile furniture — uniform and scratch-resistant rather than coarse. Choose Censil660 when transparency is the priority, Censil1650A when the target is a deep matte surface.
Which Censil grade replaces ACEMATT® OK 412?
Censil361C. At 5.9–6.2 μm it is the universal workhorse for semi-matte to matte waterborne wood and plastic coatings, and it is the 1:1 reference grade for both SYLOID® ED 4 and ACEMATT® OK 412. It carries the highest matting efficiency in the range with a stable, scalable formulation window, which is why it is the most common first switch for production lines.
Censil651 or Censil351C — how do I choose between them?
Both are fine grades, but they optimize for different things. Censil651 (4.9–5.2 μm, benchmark SYLOID® ED 2) emphasizes transparency, smoothness and fine hand-feel in high-clarity semi/matte clears. Censil351C (4.8–5.1 μm, benchmark SYLOID® ED 3) is the universal fine grade, balancing surface appearance against broad system stability. Pick Censil651 when touch and clarity lead; pick Censil351C when you need one fine grade to behave across several systems.
What is Censil1531D for, and why does it have no import benchmark?
Censil1531D (5.3–5.6 μm) is a cost-optimized transition grade rather than a 1:1 copy of a European product, which is why no benchmark is listed. It is built for first-round substitution, small trials and price-sensitive projects where the goal is to prove that a domestic matting agent behaves stably in your system before committing to a full grade-for-grade switch. It shares the same 1.6–1.8 mL/g pore volume and 250–280 m²/g surface area as the rest of the range.
Which grade suits thin-film plastic coatings at 10–15 μm?
Censil361C. In thin films the matting agent has little room to develop, so particle size control and matting efficiency matter more than raw loading. At 5.9–6.2 μm Censil361C reaches semi-matte to matte targets without the surface roughness a coarser grade would introduce at that film thickness. For 3C and automotive trim work where the target is a deeper matte, move to Censil1650A or Censil3851.
Which grade gives the lowest gloss?
Censil3851, the special-reserve grade at 8.5–9.0 μm, benchmarked against ACEMATT® TS 100. It is reserved for extreme low-gloss cases and hard plastic or high-end industrial surfaces. For premium deep-matte that still needs a fine, scratch-resistant feel — furniture and high-end plastic coatings — Censil1650A at 6.2–6.5 μm is the better choice.
Which grade should I use for premium tactile furniture finishes?
Censil1650A is the lead grade for low-gloss deep-matte tactile surfaces, producing a uniform, fine and scratch-resistant hand-feel rather than a coarse one. Censil361C is the supporting grade when the target is semi-matte to matte with a wider formulation window. Both are supplied in the same 20 kg paper-plastic laminated bags, palletized for container export.
Do all seven grades share the same physicochemical base?
Yes. Every Censil grade is a white amorphous silica powder with SiO₂ ≥ 99% (dry), CAS number 112926-00-8, pH 6.0–8.0 in 5% suspension, loss on drying ≤ 6.0% at 105°C, 325-mesh residue ≤ 0.05%, and tapped bulk density 90–150 g/L. Pore volume is 1.6–1.8 mL/g and surface area 250–280 m²/g across the range. What changes between grades is d50 (4.8 to 9.0 μm) and the grade-dependent organic / PE-wax surface treatment. Recommended starting dosage is 1–4% for all grades.
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