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Glossmeters | Elcometer 480
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Small, robust and ergonomic, the Elcometer 480 range of glossmeters have been designed to exceed the demands of industry today. Combining easy to use, multi-lingual menu structures with exceptional repeatability, reproducibility & accuracy, the Elcometer 480 provides users with best in class hand held gloss measurement.
Using state of the art design and manufacturing techniques provides world leading features and functionality - reliably measuring & recording gloss, percent reflectance & haze, on any material , including paint, plastic, ceramic or metal.
The Elcometer 480's rapid LED technology accurately measures up to 3 angles at the same time at a rate of 10 readings per second. Measurements can be instantly transferred to PC, iPhone, AndroidTM or other mobile devices via USB or Bluetooth®.
Using the ElcoMasterTM software, professional reports for glass and other appearance measurement can be quickly generated. Alternatively gloss readings can be combined with other key measurement parameters such as coating thickness, adhesion and oven temperature profile - within the same software package.
Visual appearance can determine a person’s perception of a product. Perception is subjective. A key measurement parameter used to define and quantify a product’s overall visual quality is gloss.
Gloss is measured by directing a constant intensity light beam, at a fixed angle, on to the test surface and monitoring the amount of reflected light from the same angle. This specular reflectance is measured using a gloss meter.
Different surfaces require different reflective angles.
 High Gloss
Surfaces with brilliant or highly polished finish reflect images clearly. This distinct reflection is caused by the incident light reflecting on the surface in a specular direction.
 Semi & Matt Gloss
Semi and matt surfaces reflect images less distinctly and with reduced intensity.
On semi or matt surface light not only reflects in a specular direction but also is scattered causing the reflected image to appear diffused.
Choosing the Correct Angle for Gloss Measurement
Gloss measurement is based on the amount of light reflected on the surface relative to a polished glass reference standard, measured in Gloss Units (GU). The amount of light that is reflected on the surface is dependent on the angle of incidence and the properties of the surface.
Gloss is categorized as either matt, semi or high gloss. In order to determine the most appropriate measurement angle start with a gloss meter set at 60degree angle of incidence.
If the result is between 10-70GU, the coating is termed ‘semi-gloss’ and should be measured using the 60degree angle. If the result is less than 10GU, the product is ‘low gloss’ and should be measured using the 85degree angle and if it is greater than 70GU, the product is known as ‘high gloss’ and should be measured using the 20degree angle.
| Gloss Range
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60° value
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Measure with
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| High Gloss
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> 70GU
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20°
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| Semi Gloss
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10 - 70GU
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60°
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| Low / Matt
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< 10GU
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85°
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% Reflectance (%)
% Reflectance compares the amount of light energy transmitted and received by a gloss meter and expresses the value as a percentage. The shiner a surface is, the closer the value will be to 100%.
While the Gloss Unit (GU) scale is linear, each angle of incidence has a difference measurement range; 0 – 2000GU (20degree), 0 – 1000GU (60degree), 0 – 160GU (85degree).
%Reflectance displays the measurement value as a percentage relative to the selected angle of incidence. For example, a value of 1000GU at 20degree would be express as 50%20.
Haze (HU)
Haze causes a drop in reflected contrast and causes ‘halos’ to appear around the reflected light sources, dramatically reducing the visual quality.
In accordance with ASTM D4039 haze is defined as the numeric difference between the specular reflectance at 60degree and 20degree.
This is expressed in Haze Units (HU).
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