HunterLab
HunterLab is a privately held U.S. manufacturer, founded in 1952 and based in Reston, Virginia, that designs and sells reference-grade spectrophotometers and colorimeters for quality control across plastics, packaging, pharmaceuticals, coatings, textiles, food, and other industrial verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1952
- HeadquartersReston, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What HunterLab does
HunterLab is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of color measurement instruments founded in 1952 and headquartered in Reston, Virginia. The company designs, builds, and sells spectrophotometers and colorimeters that quantify color for solids, liquids, and powders, serving quality control and product development functions across at least eight verticals including plastics, packaging, pharmaceuticals, coatings, textiles, petrochemicals, food, and paper. Its flagship current product, the Agera L2 (launched January 2026), is a reference-grade spectrophotometer/colorimeter featuring certified Grade A CIE D65 illumination, a sixfold accuracy improvement for samples below 20% reflectance, the industry's largest measurement area, integrated computing, and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance for regulated environments.
The company operates a direct enterprise field sales motion appropriate for high-value precision instruments that require technical specification, installation, and ongoing support. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is described as quote-based. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of the instrument portfolio, with associated measurement services supporting the installed base. The company claims a global footprint and a customer base spanning thousands of companies, though no specific customer logos, revenue figures, or headcount details beyond a 101-250 employee range are disclosed. HunterLab is led by CEO Philip Hunter and appears to be independently owned, with no parent company, institutional investor, or public listing evidenced in the available data. Its competitive positioning rests on longevity in the color science field, optical accuracy, regulatory compliance capability, and a diversified vertical footprint.
HunterLab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HunterLab
- Legal name
- HunterLab
- Website
- https://hunterlab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1952
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- HunterLab is a privately held U.S. manufacturer, founded in 1952 and based in Reston, Virginia, that designs and sells reference-grade spectrophotometers and colorimeters for quality control across plastics, packaging, pharmaceuticals, coatings, textiles, food, and other industrial verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HunterLab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Color Measurement Instruments
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Color Masterbatches & Dispersions (IMAEAHAK)
Keywords
Where HunterLab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
HunterLab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Color Measurement Instruments: Sale of spectrophotometers and colorimeters for color measurement in industrial and laboratory applications. The company manufactures and sells high-value precision instruments for quality control applications across multiple industries.
- Color Measurement Solutions: Provider of color measurement solutions including instruments and associated measurement services for solids, liquids, and powders across demanding industrial applications.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
HunterLab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HunterLab manufactures and sells color measurement instruments, including laboratory spectrophotometers and colorimeters, used to provide quantitative color values for industrial quality control. Its solutions measure solids, liquids, and powders across demanding applications in industries such as plastics, packaging, pharmaceuticals, coatings, textiles, food, petrochemicals, and paper. The portfolio centers on reference-grade instruments that deliver visually aligned color measurements, including built-in regulatory compliance (21 CFR Part 11) for pharmaceutical applications.
Product overview
HunterLab is a leading color measurement spectrophotometer supplier and manufacturer offering high-quality lab colorimeters and spectrophotometers for consistent color measurement results. The company's product portfolio centers on the Agera L2, a reference-grade spectrophotometer/colorimeter launched in January 2026, which provides color measurements aligned with human vision for demanding quality control applications across plastics, packaging, textiles, coatings, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals industries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Agera L2: Reference-grade spectrophotometer/colorimeter designed for visual agreement and tight tolerances, featuring certified Grade A CIE D65 illumination, sixfold accuracy improvement for samples below 20% reflectance, and the industry's largest measurement area with built-in PC power, storage, and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.
Products and services
- Agera L2 Spectrophotometer/Colorimeter Reference-grade spectrophotometer/colorimeter providing visually aligned color measurements for demanding industrial quality control applications. Includes certified Grade A CIE D65 illumination, sixfold accuracy improvement for samples below 20% reflectance, industry's largest measurement area, integrated PC and storage, and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance. Used by enterprise manufacturers in plastics, packaging, pharmaceuticals, coatings, textiles, petrochemicals, and paper industries.
- Color Measurement Solutions Broader offering of spectrophotometers and lab colorimeters for solids, liquids, and powders, providing consistent quantitative color measurement for quality control, biochemical research, and product design. Delivered to enterprise customers across multiple industries globally.
Quantifiable outcome
- Sixfold accuracy improvement for samples below 20% reflectance
Companies that use HunterLab
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
HunterLab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
HunterLab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
HunterLab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- X-Rite (Pantone): X-Rite, now part of Danaher, is the closest direct competitor to HunterLab in benchtop spectrophotometers and colorimeters, with overlapping customer bases in plastics, packaging, coatings, and textiles. Both companies compete head-to-head for reference-grade industrial color QC applications.
- Konica Minolta Sensing: Konica Minolta Sensing manufactures spectrophotometers and colorimeters directly competing with HunterLab's Agera platform across plastics, coatings, and display measurement applications. Both target industrial QC customers with reference-grade instruments.
- BYK-Gardner (ALTANA): BYK-Gardner, a division of ALTANA, supplies color and appearance measurement instruments — including spectrophotometers — that directly compete with HunterLab in coatings, plastics, and automotive appearance applications.
- Datacolor: Datacolor is a direct competitor in color measurement and management solutions, serving textiles, paints, plastics, and coatings with benchtop spectrophotometers that overlap HunterLab's product portfolio.
Emerging players
- ColorLite GmbH: ColorLite is a smaller, niche manufacturer of color measurement spectrophotometers focused on industrial QC applications, representing an emerging direct competitor with partial feature overlap to HunterLab's instruments.
Broad incumbents
- PerkinElmer: PerkinElmer is a broad incumbent in analytical laboratory instruments including spectrometers and color measurement systems. While it spans many categories beyond color QC, its instrumentation overlaps with HunterLab's analytical instrument positioning in regulated labs.
- Agilent Technologies: Agilent manufactures a broad portfolio of analytical laboratory instruments including spectroscopy platforms used in chemical, pharmaceutical, and materials QC labs, placing it in the same industrial instrument category as HunterLab albeit with broader scope.
- Shimadzu Scientific Instruments: Shimadzu produces spectrophotometers and analytical instruments used across pharmaceutical, food, and materials QC labs. It is a broader incumbent whose UV-Vis and color-capable instruments compete partially with HunterLab in regulated lab environments.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher is the largest analytical instrument incumbent, with spectroscopy and lab measurement product lines serving pharmaceutical, food, and industrial QC labs that overlap with HunterLab's customer segments, though color is not its primary focus.
- Hach (Danaher): Hach, part of Danaher alongside X-Rite, manufactures industrial measurement and analytical instruments used in water, chemical, and process QC. Its measurement instrumentation overlaps with HunterLab's industrial QC positioning, though its color measurement exposure is limited.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
HunterLab social profiles
Digital presenceHunterLab compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
HunterLab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HunterLab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
HunterLab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HunterLab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HunterLab
What does HunterLab do?
HunterLab manufactures and sells color measurement instruments, including laboratory spectrophotometers and colorimeters, used to provide quantitative color values for industrial quality control. Its solutions measure solids, liquids, and powders across demanding applications in industries such as plastics, packaging, pharmaceuticals, coatings, textiles, food, petrochemicals, and paper. The portfolio centers on reference-grade instruments that deliver visually aligned color measurements, including built-in regulatory compliance (21 CFR Part 11) for pharmaceutical applications.
Is HunterLab a public or private company?
HunterLab is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was HunterLab founded?
HunterLab was founded in 1952. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is HunterLab based?
HunterLab is headquartered in Reston, United States, in the North America region.
How does HunterLab make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Color Measurement Instruments are the primary driver. The others are color Measurement Solutions.
Who are HunterLab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are X-Rite (Pantone), Konica Minolta Sensing, BYK-Gardner (ALTANA) and Datacolor. ColorLite GmbH is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are PerkinElmer, Agilent Technologies, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Hach (Danaher).
Does HunterLab have an API?
No public API is recorded for HunterLab.
What industry is HunterLab in?
HunterLab's product category is Color Measurement Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEAHAK, Color Masterbatches & Dispersions. Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3823.