Linseed oil, also known as
flaxseed oil, is a colourless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the
flax plant (
Linum usitatissimum). The oil is obtained by
pressing, sometimes followed by
solvent extraction. Linseed oil is a
drying oil, meaning it can
polymerize into a solid form. Due to its polymer-forming properties, linseed oil can be used on its own or blended with combinations of other oils,
resins or
solvents as an impregnator, drying oil finish or
varnish in
wood finishing, as a
pigment binder in
oil paints, as a
plasticizer and hardener in
putty, and in the manufacture of
linoleum. Linseed oil use has declined over the past several decades with increased availability of synthetic
alkyd resins—which function similarly but resist yellowing.