Aqueous coating compositions containing flatting agents and low molecular weight polyethers

An aqueous coating composition useful for imparting to metal coil a low gloss pigmented protective finish having good metal marking resistance, said composition consisting essentially of:

• (a) from about 10 percent to about 50 percent of a water-insoluble film-forming acrylic resin, vinyl resin or mixture thereof;
• (b) from about 0.5 percent to about 7 percent of flatting agent, said agent being water-insoluble agglomerated particulate beads having a gross particle diameter of from about 1 micron to about 60 microns, wherein said beads consist essentially of the reaction product of urea, melamine or phenol and formaldehyde having a molar ratio of the urea to the formaldehyde of from about 1:1 to about 6:1, a molar ratio of the melamine to the formaldehyde of from about 1:1 to about 1:4, and a molar ratio of the phenol to the formaldehyde of from about 1:1 to about 1:3;
• (c) from about 0.5 percent to about 7 percent of polyether having the formula H(OC.sub.x H.sub.2x).sub.n OH, wherein x is from 2 to 4 and n is a number such that the polyether has a weight average molecular weight of from about 300 to about 700;
• (d) from about 5 percent to about 40 percent of pigment;
• and
• (e) the balance water.