Mount Board Standards

Fine Art Trade Guild Mountboard Quality Standards

Fine Art Trade Guild Quality Standards for Mountboard lay down specifications for the composition and performance of mountboards.

All of the mountboard that LION stock meets the revised quality standards set by the Fine Art Trade Guild. Manufacturers LION, Colourmount and Daler are all members of the international FATG Mountboard Group. The manufacturers work with the Guild to maintain and improve mountboard quality standards and to create wider awareness of those standards amongst framers and consumers.

Level 1

• Museum quality mountboard
• 100% cotton fibre, containing no post-consumer waste (i.e. no re-cycled fibre)
• Naturally acid free
• Buffered with calcium carbonate

Level 2

• Conservation quality mountboard
• Containing no post-consumer waste (i.e. no re-cycled fibre)
• Chemically purified to remove all the lignin
• Buffered with calcium carbonate

Level 3

• Often known as ‘White Core’ mountboard
• Wood pulp chemically purified to remove the lignin
• Buffered with calcium carbonate of 7 to 9.5
• The core starts white and stays white

Level 4

• Often known as ‘Cream Core’ or ‘Standard’ mountboard
• Un-treated wood pulp
• Buffered with calcium carbonate of 7 to 9.5
• Contains lignin which can cause the core to turn brown over time

Daler Rowney have been producing a very wide range of quality mountboards in the UK for many years. Careful selection of all the materials and digital control of the manufacturing process ensures that all the boards in their range are of the highest quality.

Daler Conservation - Level 2

  • Meet or exceed FATG standard for conservation
  • Face papers are acid-free, colourfast, resilient and bleed-resistant
  • Cores are alpha-cellulose fibres. Soft natural white will stay white
  • Alkaline-sized, acid-free and calcium carbonate buffered for enhanced durability
  • Conservation boards are lignin-free with no optical brighteners

Daler White Core Plus - Level 3

  • Pure white core giving a clean, crisp, bevel cut
  • Boards are lignin-free, alkaline-size and pH neutral
  • Calcium carbonate buffered to enhance their useful lifespan by minimising the effect of atmospheric pollutants
  • Comprehensive selection of 120 colours and textures

Daler Cream Core - Level 4

  • Face papers are acid-free, colourfast, resilient and bleed-resistant
  • Core is virgin wood pulp with a characteristic pale ivory colour
  • Boards are alkaline-sized and pH neutral
  • Choose from over 100 colours and textures

Daler Black Core

  • Contains carbon black to create a deep black coloured centre
  • When bevel cut it creates a distinctive appearance
  • Alkaline-sized, pH neutral
  • Calcium carbonate buffered to enhance their useful lifespan by minimising the effect of atmospheric pollutants

LION Mountboard we introduced this carefully curated collection of mountboards over 25 years ago and it has been popular with framers and their customers ever since. Made in the UK, it offers Conservation, White Core and Cream Core in a range of just 12 colours which meet a big proportion of any framers’ requirements.

LION Mountboard White Core - Level 3

  • LION White Core mountboard meets FATG Quality Level 3.
  • Face and backing papers are lignin free.
  • Pure white core, free of lignin which removes the risk of acid developing over time.
  • Cores are pH neutral and calcium carbonate buffered to enhance lifespan by minimising the effect of atmospheric pollutants.
  • LION Mountboard is made in the UK.