Color is a key indicator of quality in motor oils and developing a color range is an important part of the refinement process for monitoring contamination and quality control. Consumers rely on color for acceptability, and HunterLab provides just the right color measurement solutions to meet the quality standards of visual perception.
How to Measure the Color of Motor Oil
When producing motor oil, color ensures your product is ready for customer use. Because the human eye can be subjective and impacted by variables like light, a spectrophotometer can help accurately and reliably determine color.
Spectrophotometers can function with opaque and translucent solids and liquids, making them great for oil products that come in various colors. Depending on the sample properties, the spectrophotometer measures reflection or transmission. If the oil is opaque, it will determine the color by measuring how much light reflects back. For translucent oil samples, it will calculate color by measuring how much light shines through them.
Spectrophotometers translate color into a numerical value, making them incredibly accurate and reliable pieces of equipment. They help produce more consistent goods because you can measure standards in numbers, making quality control easier to establish.

Why Measure Motor Oil Color?
Color management is an essential step in motor oil production. It offers several benefits to manufacturers, including:
- Meeting customer expectations: Color measurement and management can help you meet customer expectations, so they remain satisfied with your products. Color often indicates quality, and having consistent visual elements implies your product is safe to use and will deliver the best results.
- Controlling quality: Discoloration or color changes can indicate your product is contaminated or has changed properties. You can provide your customers with the best quality by color testing as a form of quality control.
- Monitoring production processes: Oil products undergo intensive refining processes to produce the right properties and composition for a specific application. Color testing and management can help you understand your processes and what it takes for your products to reach their final stage.
- Strengthening your brand: Color can be a key marketing tool, helping customers associate products with your brand. While oil products often have quality and industry standards determining color, they can also support your branding.
Solution | Vista Spectrophotometer
HunterLab's Vista Spectrophotometer measures color and haze of solid and liquid samples, allowing you to receive accurate and reliable color management results for your motor oil. Some features of the Vista include:
- Meeting industry standards: The Vista complies with industry standards by measuring for specific color charts. These charts help you match your color samples to predetermined values from respected organizations, including APHA, Gardner, Saybolt, and ASTM D1500. With the Vista, you can measure color and report results in your desired path length, and flow through cells available for continuous color and haze measurements.
- Verifying product and process integrity: The Vista simultaneously measures transmission color and haze in a single measurement for quick, comprehensive results.
- Offering all the tools you need: The Vista comes embedded with HunterLab's EasyMatch Essentials quality control (QC) software — no PC required. The software solutions help you store and recall data, so you can compile strong color management reports and analyses. The Vista is also compatible with USB and Ethernet cables for increased data sharing possibilities.
- Simplifying testing operations: The Vista is operator friendly with its one-touch standardization — no accessories required. The touchscreen makes it easy to use and set up, so you can quickly move through your motor oil color management.
Solution | UltraScan VIS Spectrophotometer
HunterLab's UltraScan VIS can measure opaque, translucent and transparent solids and liquids. The UltraScan VIS uses a dual-beam spectrophotometer and has a spectral range of 360-780 nanometers, so it's perfect for measuring the color of motor oil. Other features of the UltraScan VIS include:
- Reliable construction: With a sleek exterior, the UltraScan VIS is built on a rigid ½-inch optical platform that ensures years of reliable use. The construction also includes aircraft-grade stainless fasteners and robust electronic subassemblies.
- Versatile applications: The UltraScan VIS comes with many available sample measurement accessories so you can measure motor oil in a variety of samples. This versatility means measurements can be more accurate and repeatable.
- High performance: The sealed double-beam optics of the UltraScan VIS allows for simultaneous sample measurement. Plus, it contains a long-life Xenon lamp for high-energy illumination that can produce results in less than two seconds.
Related Information

Manage Your Motor Oil Color With HunterLab
When you need precision and reliability in your equipment, HunterLab can offer you the best color measurement tools in the industry. With over 70 years of experience, we understand how to conduct color management across several sectors.
Contact HunterLab today and discover how our tools can assist your motor oil production processes.