Recent studies have suggested that the heat buildup of construction materials may be significantly reduced, without affecting the material color, by the incorporation of scattering particles. The scattering particles were found to alter the near infrared diffuse reflectance of the material, depending on their refractive index, volume percent, and particle size combination. In addition, a theoretical model was developed and correlated well with the experimentally measured values, accurately predicted increases in diffuse reflectance and drops in temperature. Thus, the model may be effectively used to design dark colored polymeric materials with reduced heat buildup properties. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.