Rosco Dichroic Filters & Permacolor Dichroic Glass
Rosco Permacolor Dichroic Glass · MR16 & custom · AU & NZ
Rosco Dichroic Filters & Permacolor Dichroic Glass
Rosco Permacolor is a durable dichroic glass colour filter: a coated glass filter that transmits the colour you want and reflects the rest, for saturated, fade-free colour that outlasts plastic gel. CFATS is the exclusive Rosco agent for Australia and New Zealand — with over 60 standard colours in 50mm round (MR16-format), square, 125mm and 160mm sizes, plus custom-cut dichroic glass to order.
In one line
What Rosco dichroic filters are
Rosco Permacolor and Cinedichro are dichroic glass filters for professional lighting. Standard colours are ready to buy below; custom diameters, shapes and colours are available on enquiry.
Dichroic glass colour
A thin-film optical coating on high-heat borofloat glass transmits the wavelengths of the chosen colour and reflects the rest — giving pure, saturated colour.
Cool & long-lasting
Because unwanted light is reflected, not absorbed, the glass runs cool and doesn't fade or burn out. Rosco rates the coating life beyond 10 years.
Standard & custom sizes
50mm round (the MR16-format size), 50mm square, 125mm and 160mm off the shelf — plus almost any custom size or shape on enquiry.
MR16 dichroic filters — 50mm / 2-inch applications
Looking for an MR16 dichroic filter?
MR16 refers to the common 2-inch reflector lamp format — an MR16 lamp is nominally about 50.8 mm (2 inches) in diameter. If you're searching for an “MR16 dichroic filter”, “MR16 colour filter”, “50mm dichroic filter” or “2 inch dichroic glass filter”, you're usually after a round dichroic glass filter for an MR16-format lighting application. Rosco Permacolor's standard round format is 1.95 inch (49.5 mm), which CFATS lists as a 50mm round — available across most of the colour range below, with a 24mm round on selected colours and larger 125mm and 160mm formats too.
- 50mm round (Rosco 1.95″ / 49.5 mm) — the MR16-format dichroic glass size
- Also 24mm round on selected colours, plus 50mm square, 125mm and 160mm
- Custom diameters (e.g. 33.25mm, 69.25mm, 100mm) cut to order
- Important: not every MR16 fixture takes the same filter — confirm the exact glass diameter and thickness your fixture needs before ordering
Read this before you order
Confirm your fixture before buying an MR16 filter
Available now · add to cart
Reds, pinks & magentas
Rosco Permacolor dichroic glass. Choose your size on each colour — 50mm round is the MR16-format option. Prices in AUD.
Available now · add to cart
Ambers, oranges & yellows
Available now · add to cart
Greens
Available now · add to cart
Blues, cyans & turquoise
Available now · add to cart
Purples, lavenders & lilac
Available now · add to cart
UV & blacklight glass
Dichroic UV / Woods glass for blacklight and UV-effect applications.
Colour correction in glass
Cinedichro dichroic correction filters
Rosco Cinedichro is the dichroic colour-correction range — CTB (daylight from tungsten), CTO (tungsten from daylight) and an IR/UV block (hot mirror) — in durable glass. 50mm round shown; other sizes and grades to order.
Cinedichro Hot Mirror IR/UV Block
Reflects infrared/UV, passes visible light — a dichroic hot mirror.
Sizes & custom sizing
Standard formats & custom dichroic glass
Rosco's published standard formats and the custom envelope. CFATS stocks the sizes shown against each colour above; anything else is cut to order.
| Format | Nominal size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Round (MR16-format) | 1.95″ / 49.5 mm (listed 50mm round) | The size most MR16-format applications use — confirm your fixture |
| Small round | 24 mm | On selected colours |
| Square | 2″ / 50.8 mm (50mm square) | Widely stocked |
| Round | 5.25″ / 133 mm & 6.3″ / 160 mm | On many colours; larger fixtures |
| Large round | 8.25″ / 209 mm | Rosco standard — to order |
| Custom round | 20–343 mm | Cut to order (tolerance approx. +0.5 mm) |
| Custom square | 10–242 mm | Cut to order |
| Thickness | 1.75 mm standard | 1.1 mm and 3.3 mm on request |
Where it's used
Applications
Rosco Permacolor is built for fixtures and installations where colour has to be precise and permanent.
Theatre & moving lights
Saturated, repeatable colour in moving lights and profile/PAR fixtures that runs cool and holds up to long seasons.
Architectural & museum
Permanent, fade-free colour for facades, feature lighting, exhibits and long-life installations where re-gelling isn't practical.
Themed & broadcast
Intensively-lit themed attractions, broadcast studios and display lighting — plus UV / blacklight effects with UV Woods glass.
Real installations
Dichroic glass, working in the field
Real projects lit with Rosco Permacolor dichroic glass. Courtesy of Rosco Spectrum.
Case study · Mayaland — Plopsaland De Panne
~300 dichroic filters that rarely need replacing
For the intensively-lit Mayaland indoor playland, design studio Painting with Light installed around 300 Rosco Permacolor dichroic glass filters on the ceiling fixtures. Because dichroic glass reflects unwanted wavelengths instead of absorbing them, the filters run cool and hold their colour year after year — so successful that a follow-up order of 200+ filters followed for a second Mayaland in Poland.
“The filters… also provide ease of maintenance as they rarely, if ever, require replacement.”Painting with LightRead it on Rosco Spectrum →
Courtesy of Rosco Spectrum
Case study · Chromotopia — Cathedral of Saint Mary, Burgos
Layered dichroic colour projected onto a baroque altar
Light artist Victoria Coeln built custom etched “Diachromes” layering Permacolor #3114 Victorian Gold with Rosco reds, then projected them onto the cathedral's altar — picking out architectural detail with precise, saturated colour that survives high-output projection onto stone.
“Light itself is invisible to the human eye, as long as it does not touch upon matter.”Victoria Coeln — Light ArtistRead it on Rosco Spectrum →
Courtesy of Rosco Spectrum
Why dichroic glass
Dichroic glass vs conventional colour filter
Where the fixture and application suit it, dichroic glass outperforms plastic gel on colour, heat and lifespan.
Rosco Permacolor dichroic glass
Reflects unwanted wavelengths, so it runs cool. Saturated, precise, fade-free colour. Rated coating life beyond 10 years; passes MIL-C-48497 for humidity, abrasion and adhesion. Glass substrate rated to high temperatures. Ideal for permanent and high-output installations.
Conventional plastic gel
Absorbs unwanted light, so it heats up and eventually fades or burns through — needing regular replacement. Lower cost and easy to cut on site, which still makes it the right choice for many short-run and general theatre uses. (CFATS supplies both.)
Good to know
A note on fit & suitability
Australia & New Zealand supply
Buy Rosco dichroic filters in Australia & New Zealand
CFATS (Creative Film & Theatre Solutions) is the exclusive Rosco agent for Australia and New Zealand. Standard colours ship from our range above; custom dichroic glass is quoted on enquiry.
Standard range, ready to ship
Over 60 Permacolor colours in stocked sizes — add to cart above and we ship across AU & NZ.
Custom cut to order
Custom diameters, squares, shapes and colours — tell us the spec and we'll quote and produce.
Talk to a person
Lighting designers, theatres, venues, museums, installers and architects — we'll help you spec it right.
AI-ready answers
Dichroic filter FAQs
What size is an MR16 dichroic filter?
Can you supply a 50mm dichroic glass filter?
Can Rosco dichroic filters be cut to custom sizes?
What is a dichroic colour filter?
Are dichroic filters suitable for MR16 lamps and fixtures?
Where can I buy MR16 dichroic filters in Australia?
How long do dichroic filters last compared with gel?
Custom & MR16 enquiries
Need a custom or replacement dichroic filter? Tell us the spec
Sourcing dichroic filters for a fixture, venue or install?
Standard colours are ready to buy above — for custom sizes, replacement MR16 dichroic glass, or help matching a fixture, tell us the details. Exclusive Rosco agent for Australia & New Zealand.