What Elcometer Limited does

Elcometer Limited is a privately held UK manufacturer founded in 1947 and headquartered in Manchester, specialising in inspection, measurement, and quality control equipment for the coatings, surface preparation, and non-destructive testing industries. The company organises its offering across five product divisions: Blast Equipment (abrasive blast machines, nozzles, hoses, valves, safety equipment), Spray Equipment (spray guns, airbrushes, air filtration, including the Sagola sub-brand), Coatings Inspection (dry-film thickness gauges, surface profile meters, adhesion testers, dewpoint meters, climate monitors, and physical test instruments), NDT Equipment (ultrasonic thickness gauges, flaw detectors, and bolt tension meters under the DakotaNDT subsidiary), and Concrete Inspection (covermeters, half-cell meters, test hammers). The hardware portfolio is complemented by proprietary data management software — ElcoMaster for coatings inspection reporting and CoverMaster for concrete reinforcement surveys — plus the ElcoCalc mobile viscosity conversion app.

Underlying technical components are predominantly precision electromechanical instrumentation rather than software platforms, with measurement outputs (thickness, adhesion force, gloss, dewpoint, ultrasonic transit time) designed to feed compliance reporting against international standards such as ISO. The company makes money primarily through hardware sales of inspection, blast, spray, physical test, and NDT instruments, distributed through a global network of authorised distributors rather than direct enterprise contracts. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers are directed to distributors for quotes, with multi-year contracts indicated. Elcometer targets industrial end users across protective coatings, industrial finishing, automotive refinishing, concrete inspection, aerospace, oil & gas, and infrastructure.

The company maintains active marketing channels including a corporate LinkedIn page, a YouTube training channel, webinars, a global exhibition calendar, and downloadable product catalogues. The overall go-to-market is channel-partner-led with event-driven engagement and supplementary direct website support for software downloads and service requests. Leadership disclosed includes Joe Walker (Vice President) and Michael Sellars (Managing Director). Ownership is private with no disclosed parent entity, institutional investor, or funding rounds.

Name

Elcometer Limited

Legal name

Elcometer Limited

Website

https://elcometer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Elcometer Limited is a privately held UK manufacturer founded in 1947 that designs and sells inspection, blast, spray, non-destructive testing, and concrete inspection equipment, complemented by proprietary ElcoMaster and CoverMaster data management software, distributed globally to industrial customers in coatings, automotive, aerospace, oil & gas, and infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Inspection Equipment

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Metrology, Inspection & Process Control Equipment (HDAHAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dimensional Inspection Software (GD&T, SPC, Reporting) (IMAAAHAD), Inspection, Checkweighing & Detection Systems (Vision, Metal, X-ray) (IMALAOAH), Corrosion Inspection & Coating/CP Surveys (CUI, CP, DCVG/ACVG) (EUAEAHAF)

Keywords

• Coating thickness gauges
• Non-destructive testing
• Surface profile measurement
• Inspection equipment
• Blast equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Inspection Equipment Sales: Sale of coating thickness gauges, surface profile gauges, adhesion testers, and other inspection equipment for quality control in industrial applications
2. Blast Equipment Sales: Abrasive blast machines, media valves, blast hoses, nozzles, and safety equipment for surface preparation
3. Spray Equipment Sales: Spray guns, airbrushes, air filtration systems, and personal protection equipment for automotive refinishing, industrial finishing, and protective coatings
4. Physical Test Equipment Sales: Laboratory equipment for testing coatings including glossmeters, grindometers, viscosity cups, and abrasion testers
5. NDT Equipment Sales: Non-destructive testing equipment including ultrasonic thickness gauges, flaw detectors, and bolt tension meters through DakotaNDT brand

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Elcometer Limited manufactures and globally distributes inspection, blast, spray, and laboratory/physical test equipment for the protective coatings, industrial finishing, automotive refinishing, and concrete inspection industries. The product portfolio includes coating thickness gauges, surface profile meters, adhesion testers, ultrasonic NDT instruments, abrasive blast machines, spray guns, and physical test instruments such as glossmeters, abrasion testers, and viscosity cups. The hardware is bundled with proprietary data management software (ElcoMaster, CoverMaster) and supported via a worldwide authorized distributor network.

Product overview

Elcometer Limited is a manufacturer of inspection, blast, spray, and physical test equipment organized into five main product divisions: Blast Equipment, Spray Equipment (including SagolaSPRAY sub-brand), Coatings Inspection (with ElcoMaster® data management software), NDT Equipment (via DakotaNDT subsidiary), and Concrete Inspection (with CoverMaster software). The portfolio includes handheld gauges (coating thickness, surface profile, adhesion, gloss), environmental monitors (dewpoint, humidity), ultrasonic thickness gauges and flaw detectors, concrete test hammers and covermeters, and various spray equipment. The products range from standalone instruments to integrated solutions with proprietary data management software for professional inspection reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blast Equipment High-performance abrasive blasting equipment including blast machines, nozzles, hoses, valves, air handling systems, and safety equipment engineered for surface preparation in industrial environments.
• Spray Equipment Spray guns, airbrushes, air filtration systems, air-assisted and airless spray systems, and personal protection equipment for automotive refinishing, wood/fine finish, industrial finishing, automated paint lines, and protective coatings.
• Coatings Inspection Equipment Industry-leading inspection and physical test equipment for the coating process, including dry film thickness gauges, surface profile meters, adhesion testers, climate/dewpoint monitors, and physical test equipment.
• NDT Equipment (DakotaNDT) Non-destructive testing equipment including ultrasonic thickness gauges for corrosion and precision measurement, flaw detectors, bolt tension meters, and transducers/accessories, sold through the DakotaNDT brand.
• Concrete Inspection Equipment Concrete inspection equipment for determining rebar location, depth, diameter, orientation, and corrosion potential, including test hammers, covermeters/half-cell meters, and metal detectors.
• ElcoMaster Software Free proprietary data management software enabling data collection, analysis, and professional inspection report generation from Elcometer inspection instruments.
• CoverMaster Software Proprietary software for covermeter and half-cell meter data — enables reporting and analysis of reinforcement surveys.
• SagolaSPRAY (sub-brand spray equipment) Sagola brand spray guns, airbrushes, compressors, breathing equipment, and ancillary products for professional automotive and industrial finishing applications.
• Elcometer 456 Coating Thickness Gauge Precision digital coating thickness gauge for measuring dry film thickness on both metal and non-metal substrates.
• Elcometer Tornado Airless Pumps Airless sprayers for protective coatings applications.
• Elcometer MTG Ultrasonic Material Thickness Gauges Ultrasonic thickness gauges for measuring material thickness in various industrial applications.
• Digital Inspection Kits Pre-configured inspection kits including Model T and Model B containing essential inspection instruments for coating inspection workflows.
• Sagola 4600 Xtreme Digital Gravity Spray Gun Digital gravity spray gun with precision control for professional finishing applications.
• ElcoCalc Mobile App Mobile viscosity conversion calculator application for coatings professionals.

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SagolacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSagola is a spray equipment brand that operates under Elcometer. Elcometer distributes Sagola products including spray guns, airbrushes, pressure pots, and air filtration systems. The SagolaSPRAY website (sagolaspray.com) is part of the Elcometer portfolio.
• DakotaNDTcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDakotaNDT is the NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) equipment brand under Elcometer. Products include corrosion thickness gauges, precision thickness gauges, flaw detectors, bolt tension meters, and transducers/accessories. Operated through dakotandt.com website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DeFelsko (PosiTest AT-A): DeFelsko's PosiTest AT-A automatic pull-off adhesion tester competes head-to-head with Elcometer's 506/510 adhesion tester family in protective coatings QC applications.
• Sonatest Limited: Sonatest is a UK-based manufacturer of ultrasonic flaw detectors and thickness gauges, competing directly with DakotaNDT in the NDT segment served by oil & gas and industrial inspection customers.
• TQC Sheen (Industrial Physics): TQC Sheen produces coating test equipment including film applicators, viscosity cups, and adhesion testers, overlapping closely with Elcometer's physical test and coatings inspection product ranges.
• Evident (formerly Olympus Industrial): Evident is a leading manufacturer of ultrasonic flaw detectors, thickness gauges, and NDT instruments, directly competing with Elcometer's DakotaNDT portfolio in oil & gas, aerospace, and infrastructure inspection.
• Defelsko: Defelsko is a direct competitor specializing in coating thickness measurement gauges (PosiTector/PosiTest) for industrial inspection; it competes head-to-head with Elcometer's core coatings inspection division across the same customer base.
• BYK-Gardner (ALTANA): BYK-Gardner manufactures color, appearance, and physical test instruments for the coatings industry, directly competing with Elcometer's physical test equipment line (gloss, viscosity, abrasion, fineness of grind).
• Helmut Fischer GmbH: Fischer is a long-established German manufacturer of coating thickness and material analysis measurement instruments, competing directly with Elcometer in coating thickness, XRF, and physical property testing for industrial QC.

Broad incumbents

• Spectris plc: Spectris is a diversified measurement and instrumentation group owning brands in precision measurement and process control; relevant as a broader incumbent whose subsidiaries overlap with Elcometer's industrial metrology and NDT offerings.
• Magnaflux (ITW): Magnaflux, part of Illinois Tool Works, is a major NDT equipment and consumables manufacturer serving aerospace and industrial inspection; competes with DakotaNDT in non-destructive testing but operates within a much broader ITW industrial portfolio.
• AMETEK Inc. AMETEK is a large diversified manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with multiple inspection and process measurement brands, serving as a broad incumbent comparable in scope and industrial customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/elcometerofficialchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/elcometerusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elcometer
• Xx.com/elcometer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elcometer Limited