Gloss meter calibration
A gloss meter (glossmeter) is an instrument which is used to measure specular gloss of a surface. Perceptually, gloss corresponds to the lustre or the shininess of a surface.
There are a handful of Standards used throughout the world governing the design, use and calibration of glossmeters. A gloss Standard is typically aligned with an industry, for example ISO 2813, one of the most widely recognised Standards supports the paint industry and is similar to national standards such as AS 1580 in Australia, DIN 67530 in Germany and ASTM D523 in United States.
Specular gloss is specified in Gloss Units (GU) and is measured by projecting a source beam of light of known intensity at a fixed angle onto a surface and measuring the intensity of the component reflected across the surface normal at the same angle. The geometry of the light path is determined by the Standard, each having one or more defined angles. For example, ISO 2813 defines three: 20°, 60°, 85°.
A gloss meter includes one or more working reference tiles. Prior to use, a working reference suitable for the intended measurements is used to perform a working calibration of the meter. From time to time, a laboratory calibration can be performed to compare the meter response against a known reference tile. The offsets reported by the laboratory calibration are incorporated into future measurements to enable traceability and ensure accuracy.
There are a handful of Standards used throughout the world governing the design, use and calibration of glossmeters. A gloss Standard is typically aligned with an industry, for example ISO 2813, one of the most widely recognised Standards supports the paint industry and is similar to national standards such as AS 1580 in Australia, DIN 67530 in Germany and ASTM D523 in United States.
Specular gloss is specified in Gloss Units (GU) and is measured by projecting a source beam of light of known intensity at a fixed angle onto a surface and measuring the intensity of the component reflected across the surface normal at the same angle. The geometry of the light path is determined by the Standard, each having one or more defined angles. For example, ISO 2813 defines three: 20°, 60°, 85°.
A gloss meter includes one or more working reference tiles. Prior to use, a working reference suitable for the intended measurements is used to perform a working calibration of the meter. From time to time, a laboratory calibration can be performed to compare the meter response against a known reference tile. The offsets reported by the laboratory calibration are incorporated into future measurements to enable traceability and ensure accuracy.
LightLab calibration of gloss meters
LightLab maintains a set of reference tiles to support the calibration of gloss meters. Our accredited reports include the response of the DUT to a set of gloss, semi gloss and zero gloss reference surfaces at geometries supported by the DUT.
