Abstract: Coloring pigment of comparable quality to, and cheaper than, pigments products by chemical precipitation, is made from synthetic magnetite produced by oxidation of ferrous mill scale and reduced to a particle size such that preferably at least 85% of the product does not exceed 10 microns and 95% does not exceed 20 microns. The smaller the particle size the greater the tinting strength of the pigment. The pigment may be black or, by calcination of the synthetic magnetite, it may be red. For best quality the black pigment should contain 95-99.5% iron oxides, typically, and the magnetite should have a molecular ratio of 0.9 to 1.1:1. The shade and hue of red is dependent upon the calcination temperature and final size and shape of the particles. Reduction to the required particle size for the red coloring pigment may be done before and/or after calcination.