Driven by Industry 4.0 and the demand for personalized customization, color difference meters, as the core tools for color management, are undergoing significant acceleration in technological iteration. According to data from the International Color Standardization Organization (ICS) in 2025, the global market size of color difference meters has exceeded 3.48 billion US dollars, and the market penetration rate of intelligent devices has exceeded 60%. Based on the latest industry data and feedback from user tests, and combined with the technical characteristics of global color difference meter brands, this article provides an in-depth purchasing guide for different application scenarios.

Konica Minolta (Japan)

Enterprise Background: Founded in 1873, it is a large independent supplier in the field of office imaging equipment, involved in optical imaging, office equipment, medical and industrial equipment, etc.

Product Characteristics: High precision in color difference measurement and strong stability. For example, the CM-5 and CM-3600A series. Its dual xenon lamp switching technology can complete the measurement with or without UV within 0.1 seconds. It is suitable for laboratory and high-end industrial scenarios. However, the four xenon lamp light sources need frequent calibration during long-term use.

X-Rite (USA)

Enterprise Background: Founded in 1958, it is under Danaher Group and has global influence in the field of color management.
Product Characteristics: It provides a full-process digital color management solution. Its flagship product, the Ci7800 integrating sphere color difference meter, can achieve an accuracy of 0.01ΔE*ab. With its three-beam technology and NetProfiler remote calibration system, it is widely used in high-end industries such as automotive coatings and consumer electronics. But it has a high price, with the basic model costing over 100,000 yuan, and an additional color matching module needs to be purchased.

HunterLab (USA)

Enterprise Background: Founded in 1952, it is a color measurement instrument technology company mainly engaged in color measurement and color difference detection, and is an advocate and innovator of global color measurement instruments and color measurement technology.

Product Characteristics: Models such as UltraScan PRO and Agera are famous for their multifunctionality and high precision. It supports near-infrared spectral analysis and is suitable for color detection of complex materials, such as liquid and powder detection in the food and pharmaceutical fields. Its Vista colorimeter meets ASTM standards and is suitable for special scenarios such as acid washing colorimetry.

Threenh（3nh） (China)

Enterprise Background: Founded in 1998, it is a high-tech enterprise serving industrial intelligent manufacturing and a large domestic manufacturer of color difference meters for color measurement.

Product Characteristics: Its products are known for high precision, stability, and ease of use. For example, the spectrophotometric color difference meter CR9 uses a built-in silicon photodiode array (32 groups in two columns) sensor and imported whiteboard, and the repeatability of ΔE*ab can be easily controlled within 0.03. It also takes into account measurement speed and operational convenience, and can be connected to mobile devices via PC software or Bluetooth.

Datacolor (USA)

Enterprise Background: Founded in 1970, it is a globally renowned developer of color management tools and software, with cooperative relationships in more than 100 countries and regions.

Product Characteristics: Focused on the textile and coating industries, it is known for its repeatability and software ecosystem. Its Spectro P series, combined with the ColorReader mobile APP, enables cloud data synchronization and global supply chain color consistency management, with an accuracy of 0.2ΔE*ab. The fluorescent whitening agent compensation algorithm solves the problem of textile color deviation under multiple light sources.

BYK (Germany)

Enterprise Background: Founded in 1873, it is the instrument production department of the Altana Group in Germany, specializing in the manufacture of surface color, gloss, and physical performance testing instruments.

Product Characteristics: With years of experience in the coating and surface treatment fields, its color difference meters combine optical and chemical analysis technologies, providing precise quality control support for industrial production. The DISPERBYK series of additives are linked with the data of color difference meters to optimize the pigment dispersion process. The spectrophotometer supports multi-angle measurement and simulates the metameric effect of metallic paints, playing a significant role in the automotive refinishing paint field.

Caipu (China)

Enterprise Background: Founded in Hangzhou in 2013, it is a well-known manufacturer in the field of color detection in China.

Product Characteristics: Renowned for its high cost-effectiveness and extensive product line, it can achieve a repeatability precision of 0.005 and an inter-instrument difference as low as 0.08. Its portable spectrophotometer DS-700D adopts a dual-light path design and nano-integrated optical devices, supporting the detection of various forms such as liquids and solids, covering the full spectrum from 360 to 780nm. The CS-810 transmission liquid spectrophotometer uses a D/0 measurement structure, integrating full-band light sources, a single-grating optical path  system, ETC real-time calibration, and other technologies, with a resolution of up to 0.0001.

Lovibond (UK)

Enterprise Background: Founded in 1885, it is under the Tintometer company and is a large multinational enterprise mainly engaged in water quality analysis and color measurement, and is a global standard setter for color standards.

Product Characteristics: It has unique advantages in the fields of laboratory water quality analysis and color measurement, and its color difference meters are often used in conjunction with chemical analysis equipment.

Scinco (South Korea)

Enterprise Background: Founded in 1990, it is a professional manufacturer in the field of analytical instruments.

Product Characteristics: Mainly engaged in the research, development, manufacturing, and sales of color difference meters, spectrophotometers, laser particle size analyzers, etc., and is committed to providing high-quality analytical instruments and services.

Nippon Denshoku (Japan)

Enterprise Background: Founded in 1960, it was separated from the color equipment department of the former Suzuki Manufacturing Company and is a professional manufacturer of color measurement equipment.

Product Characteristics: Mainly produces color difference meters, turbidity meters, moisture meters, gloss meters, densitometers, etc. Its products are mainly sold and provided with after-sales service by Shanghai Shouli Industrial Co., Ltd. in China.