First it was clear, then it was matte, now it’s a cacophony of colors.

The paint protection film (PPF) industry is starting to enter its final iteration, going from a clear coat that protects vehicles to colored options that offer not only protection but aesthetic versatility. Some industry suppliers are using SEMA to roll the products out.

FlexiShield applied its color PPF to all of its display vehicles.

FlexiShield seems to have a head start. It offers PPF in 85 colors. How did they achieve such a large palette of color options? Domestic sales manager David Richie said sourcing colors is a full-time job.
“It takes a long time to source color PPF. We will sit on colors for a long time and hold them until we can release them as a group,” he said, adding that adoption is starting to pick up.

FlexiShield’s color PPF is dry-applied and Richie said there’s a slight learning curve for installers used to clear, wet-installed PPF due to their product’s high tack.

“My installers tell me it’s like vinyl but behaves like PPF. You don’t stretch and bridge the PPF like vinyl—it has a lot more memory in it. The vinyl guys take to our film a lot better,” he said.

While most companies in the industry now offer PPF and have gotten into matte, color options besides black have yet to be released. But the black is popular.

“People love it—there’s a lot of demand,” said David Korvah, marketing manager for Avery Dennison. “It’s a great accent film and there’s zero orange peel.”

On occasion, companies find niche colors while sourcing others. Legend Paint Protection Film, for example, offers a wet-applied white matte film.

UPPF’s “Magic PPF” adds a two-tone blue-purpple look to a black vehicle.

As for other color rollouts, Korvah said the company is “always looking at other options.”

Filink of Korea is displaying five colors of PPF at the show. KD Yun, U.S. branch manager, said color rollouts may be slow for some companies due to the manufacturing process.

“We have been testing the product for over a year,” he explained. “It is difficult to manufacture colored TPU.”

China-based UPPF seems to have picked that lock. The company is releasing 20 new colors at the SEMA show.

“A lot of people are moving to color,” said Al Fitzpatrick, UPPF national sales manager.

Notable in their repertoire is an eye-catching “Magic PPF,” a two-tone color change option that reflects blue or purple based on the light angle that comes with a 10-year warranty.

Window Film magazine’s coverage of SEMA week will continue. Follow us on media and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.