Purpose – The purpose of this study is to prepare core-shell ferrites/kaolin pigments and compare their efficiency in protecting metal substrates to original ferrites. The new pigments are based on precipitating a shell of different ferrites that comprise only 10-20 per cent of the whole pigment on kaolin (core), which is a cheap and abundant ore comprising 80-90 per cent of the prepared pigment. These new pigments combine the properties of both its core and shell counter-parts, exhibiting improved corrosion protection properties. Furthermore, the pigments are represented as efficient, economically feasible and eco-friendly with comparable efficiency to that of original ferrites in protecting steel substrates. Design/methodology/approach – The new pigments were characterized using different analytical and spectrophotometric techniques, e.g. transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray fluorescence. The pigments were then incorporated in epoxy-based paint formulations. The physico-mechanical properties of dry films and their corrosion properties were tested using accelerated laboratory tests in 3.5 per cent NaCl for 28 days. Findings – The results of this study revealed that ferrite/kaolin core-shell pigments performance was almost close to that of the ferrite pigments in the protection of steel, and, at the same time, they confirmed good physico-mechanical properties. Practical implications – These pigments can be applied in other polymer composites, e.g. rubber and plastics, as fillers and reinforcing agents. Originality/value – Ferrite and ferrite/kaolin are environmentally friendly pigments, and they can impart high anticorrosive behavior to paint films with concomitant cost savings.