carbon black

American  

noun

1. any of various finely divided forms of amorphous carbon prepared by the partial combustion of hydrocarbons, as of natural gas, or by charring wood, bones, or other plant or animal tissues: used in pigments, as reinforcing agents in the manufacture of rubber products, and as clarifying or filtering agents.

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carbon black British  

noun

1. a black finely divided form of amorphous carbon produced by incomplete combustion of natural gas or petroleum: used to reinforce rubber and in the manufacture of pigments and ink

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Etymology

Origin of carbon black

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

carbon black

The research also revealed that the pigments Reynolds used contained lead as well as vermilion, carbon black and one or more iron-earth pigments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Despite being used for nearly a century and supporting a global tire industry worth about $260 billion, scientists have never fully understood why it becomes so strong when mixed with carbon black particles.

From Science Daily ● May 13, 2026

Benton had taken particular note of a plant making a petroleum product called carbon black, which “burnt thousands of cubic feet of gas every minute, a great, wasteful, extravagant burning of resources for momentary profit.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

Steel and small amounts of oil are extracted, as well as carbon black - a powder or pellet that can be used in various industries.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2025

Ammu was made to send him back to their father, who had by then resigned his lonely tea- estate job in Assam and moved to Calcutta to work for a company that made carbon black.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy