Strontium aluminate phosphors produce green and aqua hues, where green gives the highest brightness and aqua the longest glow time. Different aluminates can be used as the host matrix. This influences the wavelength of emission of the europium ion, by its covalent interaction with surrounding oxygens, and crystal field splitting of the 5d orbital energy levels.
The excitation wavelengths for strontium aluminate range from 200 to 450 nm, and the emission wavelengths range from 420 to 520 nm. The wavelength for its green formulation is 520 nm, its aqua, or blue-green, version emits at 505 nm, and its blue emits at 490 nm. Strontium aluminate can be formulated to phosphoresce at longer (yellow to red) wavelengths as well, though such emission is often dimmer than that of more common phosphorescence at shorter wavelengths.
For europium-dysprosium doped aluminates, the peak emission wavelengths are 520 nm for , 480 nm for , and 400 nm for .
 is important as a persistently luminescent phosphor for industrial applications. It can be produced by molten salt assisted process at 900 °C.
The most described type is the stoichiometric green-emitting (approx. 530 nm) .  shows significantly longer afterglow than the europium-only doped material. The Eu dopant shows high afterglow, while Eu has almost none. Polycrystalline  is used as a green phosphor for plasma displays, and when doped with praseodymium or neodymium it can act as a good active laser medium.  is a phosphor emitting at 305 nm, with quantum efficiency of 70%. Several strontium aluminates can be prepared by the sol-gel process.
The wavelengths produced depend on the internal crystal structure of the material. Slight modifications in the manufacturing process (the type of reducing atmosphere, small variations of stoichiometry of the reagents, addition of carbon or rare-earth halides) can significantly influence the emission wavelengths.
Strontium aluminate phosphor is usually fired at about 1250 °C, though higher temperatures are possible. Subsequent exposure to temperatures above 1090 °C is likely to cause loss of its phosphorescent properties. At higher firing temperatures, the  undergoes transformation to .
Cerium and manganese doped strontium aluminate  shows intense narrowband (22 nm wide) phosphorescence at 515 nm when excited by ultraviolet radiation (253.7 nm mercury emission line, to lesser degree 365 nm). It can be used as a phosphor in fluorescent lamps in photocopiers and other devices. A small amount of silicon substituting the aluminium can increase emission intensity by about 5%; the preferred composition of the phosphor is .
However, the material has high hardness, causing abrasion to the machinery used in processing it; manufacturers frequently coat the particles with a suitable lubricant when adding them to a plastic. Coating also prevents the phosphor from water degradation over time. 
The glow intensity depends on the particle size; generally, the bigger the particles, the better the glow.
Strontium aluminate is insoluble in water and has an approximate pH of 8 (very slightly basic).