a b s t r a c t Novel environmental-friendly inorganic red pigments, ((Bi 0.72 Er 0.28−x Y x ) 1−y Fe y ) 2 O 3 (0 < x ≤ 0.28, y = 0.20), were successfully synthesized using a conventional solid-state reaction method in order to further enhance the red hue of a ((Bi 0.72 Er 0.28 ) 0.80 Fe 0.20 ) 2 O 3 pigment, which was previously reported by our group. The color of the samples depended on their composition and the most brilliant red hue was obtained for ((Bi 0.72 Er 0.04 Y 0.24 ) 0.80 Fe 0.20 ) 2 O 3 . The a* value corresponding to red chromaticity was +33.1 for ((Bi 0.72 Er 0.04 Y 0.24 ) 0.80 Fe 0.20 ) 2 O 3 , and it was greater than those of previously reported ((Bi 0.72 Er 0.28 ) 0.80 Fe 0.20 ) 2 O 3 (a* = +30.9) and commercial Fe 2 O 3 (a* = +28.9) pigments. Since the ((Bi 0.72 Er 0.04 Y 0.24 ) 0.80 Fe 0.20 ) 2 O 3 pigment is composed of nontoxic elements (Bi, Er, Y, Fe, and O), it should be an attractive alternative to the conventional Fe 2 O 3 pigments.