Black perylene pigments which comprise one of the isomers of the formula Ia or Ib ##STR00001## in which R.sup.1, R.sup.2 are each independently phenylene, naphthylene or pyridylene, each of which may be mono- or polysubstituted by C.sub.1-C.sub.12-alkyl, C.sub.1-C.sub.6-alkoxy, hydroxyl, nitro, and/or halogen; X is halogen; n Is from 0 to 4, or comprises a mixture of both isomers and has a blackness value .gtoreq.210 in an alkyd/melamine baking varnish.