Infrared Thermometer Emissivity Information

Emissivity is the ratio of the infrared emissions of an object whose temperature is being measured, compared to a theoretical black
colored surface.

(A black colored surface is defined as having an emissivity of 1.0)

Most non-adjustable IR Thermometers have a fixed emissivity of 0.95, which is suitable for a wide variety of measurements.

Emissivity is always less than 1. Adjustable emissivity allows your non-contact IR thermometer to be adjusted to the surface you are
checking in order to make readings more accurate.

Emissivity Factors for Common Materials

Material under test	Emissivity	Material under test	Emissivity
Asphalt	0.90 to 0.98	Cloth (black)	0.98
Concrete	0.94	Skin (human)	0.98
Cement	0.96	Leather	0.75 to 0.80
Sand	0.90	Charcoal (powder)	0.96
Soil	0.92 to 0.96	Lacquer	0.80 to 0.95
Water	0.92 to 0.96	Lacquer (matt)	0.97
Ice	0.96 to 0.98	Rubber (black)	0.94
Snow	0.83	Plastic	0.85 to 0.95
Glass	0.90 to 0.95	Timber	0.90
Ceramic	0.90 to 0.94	Paper	0.70 to 0.94
Marble	0.94	Chromium Oxides	0.81
Plaster	0.80 to 0.90	Copper Oxides	0.78
Mortar	0.89 to 0.91	Iron Oxides	0.78 to 0.82
Brick	0.93 to 0.96	Textiles	0.90