Permacolor
Rosco Permacolor.
Dichroic glass colour filters that deliver intensely saturated, precisely repeatable colour and correction — and hold it, under heat, for the life of the installation. Colour as a permanent architectural material, not a consumable that fades.
Colour made of glass
Permacolor is dichroic glass: colour created by microscopically thin coatings that reflect the wavelengths you don’t want rather than absorbing them. Because the unwanted light is reflected away, the filter stays cooler and the colour stays saturated — and, crucially, it doesn’t fade.
That makes it the right tool wherever colour has to be permanent and consistent: a specified hue reads the same across every fixture, and the same in five years as on opening night. It’s the difference between colour you install once and colour someone has to keep replacing.
Why the colour lasts
Dichroic, not absorptive
Thin-film coatings reflect unwanted wavelengths — so colour stays saturated and the glass stays cool and stable.
Stable & repeatable
A specified hue reads consistently across fixtures and holds true over years, unlike gels that drift and fade.
Saturation & correction
Deep saturated colours through to precise colour-temperature correction — a permanent-grade palette.
Colour on a 90-ft ring
Montreal’s L’Anneau uses custom Permacolor dichroic filters — amber, pink and Mediterranean blue — with custom glass gobos, lighting only the ring’s inner contour.
A permanent public artwork where the colour has to look immaculate every night, for years: exactly the duty dichroic glass is built for.
What we confirm with you
CFATS can supply Permacolor references and confirm fit for your fixtures before commitment.
Permacolor offers a defined range of saturated colours and corrections; we confirm the hue against the intent.
Dichroic glass is cut and held to suit the luminaire; we confirm size, holder and compatibility.
Dichroic colour can shift slightly with incidence angle — worth understanding for your sightlines.
Glass tolerates heat far better than gel; we confirm suitability for permanent, high-duty use.
Need colour that stays true?
Tell us the hue and the fixtures, and we’ll confirm the right Permacolor specification and supply it in Australia.