The Orion’s colorist team and the coating laboratory have worked for years to develop suitable calibration tools (e.g. a so called black hollow body) and coated panels to create robust measurement results. We have also collaborated with independent testing facilities, as well as measurement equipment companies to optimize their equipment all in the pursuit to show correct undertones that live up to the highest scientific standards.

For innovative coatings with very low reflection (L*<1 for deep black) special attention needs to be paid to both measurement technology and sample preparation.

Get an in-depth look at the procedures and critical elements of measuring deep black coatings in our published articles.

• Deep blacks can be measured objectively, repeatably and reliably with new instrument
• The measurement results obtained in the optimized “jetness mode” correlate perfectly with the visual evaluation of the test panels
• The benchtop spectrophotometer shows excellent repeatability (σ = 0.0001) for deepest blacks (MY > 300; reflectance < 0.1 %)
• The inter-instrument agreement of the three tested instruments was below Y ≤ ± 0.003 in the test series

(OEC Publication, issue 03/2023)

• Obtaining measurements of deep-black coatings that correlate well with optical colour perception requires careful preparation of samples and calibration standards, as well as a suitable measurement geometry.
• Instruments with a d/8° geometry are sufficient for many applications.
• To achieve reproducible measurements for deep-black coatings with the highest colour depths, instruments with a 45°/0° geometry must be used, even if the observed values are lower than those obtained with a d/8° setup.
• Tabletop devices are to be preferred over portable devices

(European Coatings Journal, issue 06/2020)

(Farbe und Lack, Ausgabe 04/2020)

• The measurement of deep-black coatings places great demands on sample preparation as well as the measurement technology and calibration. The use of calibration plates usually does not suffice, as they are not black enough. Instead, a so-called black hollow body, which absorbs virtually all the light, is used. As deep black can only be measured on high-gloss and clean plates, any contaminants must be thoroughly removed. The plates must be absolutely free of scratches and finger prints before measuring.
• If these specifications are followed, replicable measurements of deep-black coatings are possible and information about the blackness/jetness M_Y and undertone dM can be obtained.
• The undertone itself can either reinforce the impression of blackness (in most cases with a blue undertone) or decrease it (in most cases with a brown undertone).

(European Coatings Journal, issue 05/2019)

(Farbe und Lack, Ausgabe 01/2019)