Product Overview

Sudan Black is a lipid-sensitive dye used in forensic science to enhance latent fingerprints on a variety of challenging nonporous and semi-porous surfaces, especially those contaminated with grease, oil, or moisture. It reacts with sebaceous (fat-based) residues in fingerprint deposits, producing a blue-black stain that clearly defines ridge detail even in compromised conditions.

Sudan Black is particularly valuable in situations where traditional development methods—such as powders or cyanoacrylate—may be ineffective due to surface contamination or interference from background materials. It performs exceptionally well on items like cans, glassware, candle jars, plastic containers, or surfaces exposed to moisture, and is frequently used as a follow-up reagent after cyanoacrylate fuming to enhance contrast on problematic surfaces.

Available in a ready-to-use solution or concentrate, Sudan Black is a versatile and reliable reagent that delivers consistent results in both field and lab environments.

Key Features:

• Stains lipid and grease-based residues in latent prints
• Produces blue-black ridge detail for high visual contrast
• Ideal for nonporous and semi-porous surfaces: plastic, metal, glass, waxy items
• Effective on wet, oily, or contaminated substrates
• Can be used after cyanoacrylate fuming for enhanced contrast
• Available in pre-mixed or concentrate formats for convenience

Sudan Black is a must-have reagent for forensic professionals seeking to recover latent prints from contaminated or unconventional surfaces, offering a dependable solution where other techniques fall short.