The best bitumen paints, compared.
Top pick: Bird Brand black bitumen paint, 5 litre Best value: Sika Black Jack 901, 2.5 litre – Best value at a value score of 22: about £22.14, 4.6 from 3,348 reviews. Coverage is 12.5 with no unit. Updated October 2026.
Bitumen paint on amazon.co.uk is a cold-applied black coating: bitumen in a petroleum solvent, usually white spirit, brushed onto metal, timber, concrete, brick, or existing felt. UK buyers use it on fence posts, sleepers, gutters, chassis, and small shed roofs. It is not a roof membrane, an interior damp paint, or a creosote substitute. Quality here means a stated coverage in square metres per litre, a touch-dry time, two coats on the instructions, and a named solvent. What to check on the listing is in the [bitumen paint buying guide](/hub/flooring-tools-and-accessories/bitumen-paint/sub/bitumen-paint-buying-guide).
Bitumen paint on amazon.co.uk is a cold-applied black coating: bitumen in a petroleum solvent, usually white spirit, brushed onto metal, timber, concrete, brick, or existing felt.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you coating?
Bird Brand's 5 litre tin, model 416830, is about £31.78, about £6.36 a litre. The bullets match the 1 litre tin: 8–10 m² per litre, white spirit, brick, tin, and steel, and previously certified to BS 3416. Colour fields in the file say the colour is not stated, while the title says black. The star line is 5.0 from 5, and the saved listing contains no review text. Listed weight is 5 kg. The score is 48. A tin with no review text cannot take the best value place.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want 5 litres of Bird Brand and you can live without a review you can read.
Less suitable: You want review text you can read, or the job is timber that the bullets do not name.
Specifications
Common questions
Are there reviews of this 5 litre Bird tin?
The star line is 5.0 from 5. The saved listing has no review text, so there is nothing to quote about how it brushed or how long it lasted.
What does previously certified to BS 3416 mean here?
That is the listing's own wording, including WRc approved in the past tense. The file does not give a current approval number.
How much does a litre cover?
The bullets say 8–10 m² per litre, depending on the surface. They do not give a dry time or a coat count. The shelf price is about £31.78.
This Bartoline pack is two 2.5 litre tins, model BP7600, at about £45.36. That is 5 litres at about £9.07 a litre, dearer per litre than the 5 litre Bitcote tin at about £28.50. The bullets name petroleum solvents, a 4–8 hour touch-dry, and 9–13 m² per litre on steel, timber, concrete, and brick. They do not say two coats. The star line is 5.0 from 3, and the only United Kingdom text says it does what it says on the tin. The score is 63.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want Bartoline in two 2.5 litre tins and you accept the higher price per litre.
Less suitable: You want the lowest price per litre in this set, or you need two coats written on the listing.
Specifications
Common questions
How much paint is in this Bartoline pack?
Two 2.5 litre units. The volume field says 5 litres. The shelf price is about £45.36, about £9.07 a litre, which is more per litre than the single 5 litre Bitcote tin in this set.
Does the listing say to use two coats?
No. It states a 4–8 hour touch-dry and 9–13 m² per litre. It does not say two coats.
What do the reviews say?
The star line is 5.0 from 3. The file has one United Kingdom sentence: it does what it says on the tin.
Bartoline Bitcote BP7530 is a 5 litre tin at about £28.50 on amazon.co.uk, which is £5.70 a litre in this set. The listing states two coats, 9–13 m² per litre, and a 4–8 hour touch-dry, and it names white spirit for spray thinning and cleanup. Across 16 reviews it sits at 4.7. The six United Kingdom texts cover a caravan chassis, a container roof, and a shed, and they complain about mess and smell rather than a failed film. That sample is small beside the Sika tin, so the star line does not stand in for a large review base. The listing does not mention a water tank, and the maker's sheet rules out ordinary paint over the film, tarmacadam, and a surface that can exceed 70°C. The score is 87, the highest here, so this tin is the top pick.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one 5 litre tin for a fence, a shed, or a chassis, and you want the coat count written down.
Less suitable: You only need a litre for a small metal patch, or you want thousands of reviews before you open a 5 litre tin.
Specifications
Common questions
Can you use this Bartoline tin on wood?
The listing names timber as well as steel, iron, concrete, and brick. Two of the six United Kingdom reviews used it on a shed and on buried wood.
How many coats does the listing ask for?
A minimum of two. The second coat goes on at right angles to the first, after the first has dried. Touch-dry is given as 4–8 hours.
Does this listing mention drinking water?
No. The file does not claim a water tank, BS 3416, or a WRAS number.
Sika Black Jack 901 in the 2.5 litre tin is about £22.14 on amazon.co.uk, about £8.86 a litre, with 4.6 from 3,348 reviews. The listing names solvent-based paint, a 4 hour dry time, and a long surface list that includes wood, felt, and metal. The coverage field is only 12.5, with no unit, and the bullets do not say two coats. In the first 50 United Kingdom texts the job is posts, sleepers, and shed roofs. One buyer found it thinner than an older tin, and one received two 1 litre tins instead of 2.5 litres. The value score is 22, the highest on a tin that is not the top pick, so this is the best value.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are coating posts or a small shed roof and you want the tin other UK buyers have already argued about.
Less suitable: You need square metres per litre written on the Amazon listing, or you are lining a drinking-water tank.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this Sika tin a spray can?
The paint-type field says Spray. The container is a tin, the form is liquid, and the included line is 2.5 litres. The bullets describe a solvent-based coating, not an aerosol.
What coverage does the listing give?
The coverage field is the number 12.5, with no unit. The bullets do not add square metres per litre.
Do reviewers use it on fence posts?
Yes. In the first 50 United Kingdom texts, posts, sleepers, planters, and deck joists are the main jobs. The bullets do not state a coat count.
Bird Brand's 1 litre tin is about £14.79, the only 1 litre bitumen paint kept in this set. The bullets give 8–10 m² per litre, white spirit, brick, tin, and steel, and the line previously certified to BS 3416. They do not give a dry time or a coat count. Stars are 4.4 from 27. Five United Kingdom texts are short: a reorder, a water butt, a fast delivery, and a buyer who thought the litre price was too high. The score is 53. Previously certified is not a current drinking-water approval.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You only need a litre for brick, tin, or steel, and you can accept a high price per litre.
Less suitable: You are coating fence posts or timber, or you need a touch-dry time on the listing.
Specifications
Common questions
Why is one litre about £14.79?
That is the shelf price, so £14.79 a litre, the highest rate in this set. One United Kingdom review called nearly £20 a litre a misread of the size.
Is this tin currently approved for drinking water?
The listing says previously certified to BS 3416 (WRc approved). It does not give a current approval number. One review mentions a water butt. That is not an approval.
Does the listing name wood?
A question on the page asks about wood. The bullets name brick, tin, and steel, not timber. Coverage is 8–10 m² per litre. No dry time is stated.
Everbuild 901, part 90105, is a 5 litre listing at about £42.29, about £8.46 a litre, with 4.3 from 83 reviews. The bullets are two lines: fast drying, and suitable for portable drinking water tanks. Coverage, hours, solvent, and surfaces are not stated. Item weight is 2.35 kg, the same figure the 2.5 litre Sika listing gives, which is light for a stated 5 litre fill. Fourteen United Kingdom texts mention sleepers, a shed roof, a flat-roof re-treat, a dented tin, and one order that had not shipped. The score is 41. The drinking-water line is a claim, not an approval, and it conflicts with the current Sika sheet for this family.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already know Everbuild 901 from the can in your hand. This Amazon listing does not tell you how to use it.
Less suitable: You need coverage, a solvent, and a surface list on the listing, or you are treating the drinking-water line as an approval.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing prove it is safe for drinking water?
The bullet says suitable for portable drinking water tanks. The file has no WRAS or DWI number, no standard, and no test. That line is a claim, not an approval. The current Sika sheet for this family says not to use it for potable tanks.
How heavy is the 5 litre tin?
The listing says 2.35 kg. That is the figure in the file. It is the same weight the 2.5 litre Sika listing gives, which is light for a stated 5 litre fill.
How long does it take to dry?
The bullets say fast drying and do not give hours. Coverage, solvent, and surfaces are also absent. Fourteen United Kingdom reviews talk about roofs, sleepers, and fences.
Scores use the six amazon.co.uk listings kept on 19 October 2026, plus the review text in those files. There is no laboratory test. A bitumen tin is not scored as if it were approved for drinking water. The score is 0–100 from three parts that sum to 100. The highest total is the top pick. The best value is the highest value score on a different tin.
Amazon evidence
30%Up to 30 points. Stars contribute the listing rating divided by 5, multiplied by 18, and rounded. Review count then adds points by band, from nothing for a single review up to 8 above 800. Points come off when the file has no review text, when fewer than three comments describe the coating, or when a thin film or a short fill is a repeated complaint. The amazon.co.uk star line is the rating used.
Listing fit
40%Up to 40 points from five listing lines: coverage in square metres per litre, a dry time in hours, named surfaces, two coats written down, and a named solvent. A bare number with no unit scores less than a square-metre figure. Surfaces score when metal, timber, and masonry or concrete are named. Missing lines score nothing.
Value
30%Up to 30 points, ranked by pounds per litre in this set, from 22 for the cheapest rate down to 8 for the dearest. A review count of at least 100 adds 8, and at least 15 adds 4. A file with no review text loses 8 and cannot hold the best value place. Bartoline Bitcote 5 litre scores 87 and is the top pick. Sika Black Jack 901, 2.5 litre, has the next value score, 22, and is the best value.
Bitumen paint in this set is a solvent-borne black tin, not a silicone roof coating and not a creosote treatment. On the six amazon.co.uk listings the shelf price on 19 October 2026 runs from about £14.79 to about £45.36. The useful split is coverage in square metres per litre, a touch-dry time, whether two coats are written down, and a solvent you can name. A water-tank line is not a current approval. There is no laboratory test and no service life in years.
Bitumen paint is a cold-applied black coating: bitumen in a petroleum solvent, usually white spirit, brushed onto metal, timber, concrete, brick, or existing felt. UK buyers in this set use it on fence posts, sleepers, gutters, chassis, and small shed roofs. It is not a roof membrane, an interior damp paint, or a creosote substitute. Silicone roof coatings, MS-polymer leak-stop tubs, interior damp-seal paint, and fence brushes sit in the same Amazon results and are a different product.
Silicone roof coatings, MS-polymer leak-stop tubs, and interior damp-seal paint appear in the same Amazon results. They are a different product. This comparison keeps solvent-based black bitumen paint only.
Porous timber needs the two coats Bartoline writes down, the second at right angles. Ordinary emulsion or gloss over fresh bitumen can bleed through. Bartoline and Sika both warn against painting over the film.
Bird's line is previously certified to BS 3416 (WRc approved). That is past tense. Everbuild's drinking-water bullet has no approval number and conflicts with the current Sika sheet. A water-butt review is not an approval.
Plan the tin from square metres per litre, not from the shelf price alone. Bartoline states 9–13 m² per litre on the listing and on the product page. Bird states 8–10 m² per litre. Sika's UK sheet splits the figure: about 4–6 m² per litre on porous surfaces and about 11 m² on non-porous surfaces. The Sika Amazon field is the number 12.5 with no unit, so you cannot plan a fence run from that line. Everbuild states no coverage at all. Touch-dry is the second check. Bartoline states 4–8 hours.
These tins are solvent-borne. HSE sheet CIS27 says ventilate, prefer a brush to a spray, and treat the job under COSHH when it is work. Bartoline names white spirit for thinning and cleanup, and no more than 10% white spirit if you spray. The twin pack names petroleum solvents and does not name white spirit. Bird says the tin contains white spirit. Sika says solvent-based, and one review names white spirit. Everbuild names no solvent.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want one 5 litre tin and the coat count written on the listing. Bartoline Bitcote is about £28.50, £5.70 a litre, with two coats, 9–13 m² per litre, and a 4–8 hour touch-dry. Stars are 4.7 from 16 reviews. The listing does not mention a water tank.
You are coating posts, sleepers, or a small shed roof and you want the tin other UK buyers have already written about. Sika Black Jack 901, 2.5 litre, is about £22.14, with 4.6 from 3,348 reviews. The coverage field is 12.5 with no unit, and the bullets do not state two coats.
You only need a litre for brick, tin, or steel, and you can accept a high price per litre. Bird Brand 1 litre is about £14.79, so £14.79 a litre, with 8–10 m² per litre and white spirit stated. There is no touch-dry time, and timber is not in the bullets.
The top pick is Bartoline Bitcote 5 litre. It scores 87 because the listing states two coats, 9–13 m² per litre, a 4–8 hour touch-dry, and white spirit, at about £28.50, which is £5.70 a litre, the lowest rate in this set. Stars are 4.7 from 16 reviews, and only six United Kingdom texts are in the file. The best value is Sika Black Jack 901, 2.5 litre, at about £22.14, value score 22, with 4.6 from 3,348 reviews. Its Amazon coverage field is 12.5 with no unit, and the bullets do not state two coats.
Sika Black Jack 901, 2.5 litre
Best value at a value score of 22: about £22.14, 4.6 from 3,348 reviews. Coverage is 12.5 with no unit.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listing lines saved on 19 October 2026. No laboratory test.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars, and review counts are the UK listing lines. We did not run a lab test.
