Black is not a color

Black is not a color – why Liquid Color Measurement can do the job in a better way.

What is black?

Well, before we answer that question, let’s talk about what is color? To keep it simple: When we see colors, it is because parts of the (white) light is taken away from the visible spectrum and the other part is reflected and interpreted with the help of our sensors: The human eye.

Black is the absence of light. Black pigments are best if they absorb as much light as possible. Well, there are nuances and even in blacks, shades are possible. But if we look at the light spectrum, almost no signal is reaching our eye and that’s why we see: Almost nothing.

In color measurement, you measure the spectrum of light and for these instruments, it is a hard job to interpret a signal, that is so low. This is called “signal to noise ratio”. Imagine, you are in a crowded bar and your neighbor is whispering to you. You understand: Nothing. What would you say? “Speak louder, please!”.

That’s what happens with black measurements. All measurement devices have a noise (crowded people in the bar) and that is inevitable. If the signal (“whispering neighbor”) is not high enough, the sensor (human ear) has a very hard time to interpret the signal.

There are ways to boost the signal of the black and that is something what we do with our internal algorithm. We have integrated that already in 2018 and customers are surprised to see, how precise black measurement can be carried out with our Liquid Color Measurement System.

So, what is the advantage against dry measurements? As the sensor is at high alert and even more sensitive than before, even small dust particles on the dry sample significantly influence the measurement result. In our unique setup, no dust particles can interfere with the liquid film.

That’s why Liquid Color Measurement is the perfect way of getting black paint systems, tinting pastes and raw materials under control.

By the way: Did you know, that the color red has a lot of black in it? A significant part of the spectrum has almost no signal. And guess what: We found a way to measure this precisely as well.

Interested to know more or test materials? Contact us or visit us at the European Coatings Show 2023, Booth 4-171.

If you would like even more information on the topic, feel free to read our technical article in American Caotings Tech, which you can access here.