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Coating Thickness Measurement
Choosing a coating thickness gauge is rarely just picking a model from a spec sheet. The decisions that actually shape the shortlist are which measurement principle suits your substrate and coating system, whether one gauge has to cover both ferrous and non-ferrous work, and how much of the result has to stand up to a formal inspection standard. The guides below take whichever of those is still open the rest of the way.
It is the kind of choice that gets scrutinised when a reading is later challenged — in a coating warranty claim, a structural-steel acceptance inspection or an ISO 19840 audit — rather than when a gauge is first bought. What usually decides it is how the work is split across substrates and how traceable the reported figure has to be: a quick production spot-check, or a documented inspection record an auditor will accept against the governing standard.
1. Common Measurement Scenarios
You are most likely here if one of these sounds like your situation:
- You mainly need to decide between magnetic induction on steel and eddy current on non-ferrous metals, and the substrate split is roughly known up front.
- You work across steel, aluminium, duplex systems or non-metallic substrates, and want the method choice to follow the substrate rather than being forced into one technology.
- You expect formal inspection, calibration or reporting requirements to shape the shortlist as much as the measurement principle — common for marine, oil and gas, rail and infrastructure work.
2. Available Selection Guides
- Magnetic vs Eddy Current Coating Thickness Gauge when the main choice is between the two electromagnetic methods, particularly when the substrate is already known.
- Select a Coating Thickness Gauge by Substrate when substrate and coating build determine which method is valid — typical for duplex systems or multilayer paint stacks.
- Coating Thickness Gauges by Standard when inspection standards drive the purchase, for example ISO 19840 on steelwork or SSPC-PA 2 acceptance sampling.
3. Supporting Knowledge Resources
If you would rather understand the measurement background before deciding, start here:
- Coating Thickness Measurement — main methods and where they fit.
- Magnetic vs Eddy Current: Principles & Differences — background on the method distinction before choosing a guide.
- Ultrasonic Coating Thickness Measurement — for non-metallic substrates and multilayer systems.
- Substrates & Coating Types (Fe / NFe / Duplex) — when substrate and coating build are the real drivers of the buying decision.