Carbon black types
Two types of carbon black are commonly used by the rubber industry for reinforcing rubber. The first is the so-called hard carbon black which imparts high wear resistance to rubber into which it has been compounded. Hard carbon black is generally used to make vehicular tire treads. Another type of carbon black, which imparts a different set of properties to rubber, is the so-called “soft” carbon black. Soft carbon blacks are generally used to reinforce rubber where a great deal of flexing is expected to be encountered, such as in tire carcasses. Hard carbon blacks are commonly classified as being in the N100, N200, or N300 series. Some carbon blacks are commonly classified as being in the N500, N600, and N700 series. The processes for making soft and hard carbon blacks differ considerably.
A soft carbon black as compared to a hard carbon black is one which, when mixed in a conventional rubber compound and the compound vulcanized, yields a product that is soft, more resilient, more rubbery and yet tough; whereas a hard carbon black in the same compound imparts stiffer, tougher characteristics with low resilience.
Application
In tires, rubber and plastic products as pigments, filtration aids, reinforcing agents for rubbers
Printing inks
coatings, degradation protection from UV radiation and conductivity for coatings.
