Fade resistant black coating for roofing granules

A method of producing a coated granule comprising:

• applying a granule coating composition onto an inorganic granule, said coating composition including an amount of an alkali metal silicate binder sufficient to bind the composition to said granule and a plurality of carbon black pigment particles having a mean particle size in the range of about 150 nm to about 500 nm and a surface area per weight of said particles of about 20 m2/g or less;
• and
• heating said composition to a sufficient temperature to form a coating on said granule, said carbon black pigment particles imparting a black color to said coating which exhibits a greater resistance to fade.

A plurality of coated granules, each coated granule comprising:

• an inorganic granule;
• and
• a coating applied onto an outer surface of said granule, said coating including an amount of an alkali metal silicate binder sufficient to bind said coating to said granule, and a plurality of carbon black pigment particles having a mean particle size in the range of about 150 nm to about 500 nm and a surface area per weight of said particles of about 20 m2/g or less, said carbon black pigment particles imparting a black color to said coating which exhibits a greater resistance to fade.

A composition suitable for coating an inorganic substrate, comprising:

• an amount of an inorganic binder sufficient to bind said composition to a substrate;
• and
• a plurality of carbon black pigment particles having a mean particle size in the range of about 150 nm to about 500 nm and a surface area per weight of said particles of about 20 m2/g or less, said carbon black pigment particles imparting a black color to said composition after having been applied and heated to form a coating on a substrate, the black color of the coating exhibiting a greater resistance to fade.