What DeFelsko does

DeFelsko Corporation, founded in 1965 and headquartered at 800 Proctor Avenue, Ogdensburg, New York, manufactures portable coating thickness gages and non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection instruments for industrial quality control. The product portfolio is anchored by the proprietary PosiTector interchangeable probe platform, in which a single gage body accepts multiple measurement probes—coating thickness, surface profile, environmental conditions, hardness, wall thickness, gloss, and soluble salts—and the PosiTest family of adhesion testers, high-voltage holiday detectors, concrete moisture meters, and air leak testers. All instruments are manufactured in the USA with NIST-traceable Long Form Certificates of Calibration and conform to a broad set of international standards (ASTM, ISO, SSPC, NACE, US Navy, IMO, BS EN, AS). Underlying technologies include ultrasonic, magnetic, eddy current, electrical impedance, and conductivity measurement rather than AI/ML-based methods.

The company generates revenue primarily through one-time hardware sales of instruments, accessories, and consumables; one-time software licenses for the PosiSoft suite (Desktop, .net cloud, USB, mobile app, Custom PDF Report Generator); calibration standards; and factory service/recertification. Pricing is quote-based via an 'Add to Instant Quote' system rather than list-priced, consistent with industrial B2B norms. Distribution is dual-channel: a worldwide authorized dealer network plus direct e-commerce through defelsko.com, supported by an 11-language localized website (EN, ES, DE, FR, IT, PT, ZH, JA, NL, AR, KR) and field presence across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. End-user segments span aerospace, oil & gas, automotive, protective coating inspectors, concrete and flooring contractors, and building envelope inspectors.

DeFelsko is a privately held, family-owned company with no disclosed external funding, no subsidiaries, no recorded acquisitions, mergers, or leadership transitions in the available data, and no public listing. The most material recent activity is a coordinated 2025 product launch wave—including the PosiTector DPM L+ dew point logger, PosiTest AT-A automatic adhesion tester, Testex Digital Micrometer, PosiTector GLS gloss meter, the PosiTest CH/DT/PT inspection tools, and 52 pre-configured Inspection Kits—alongside the release of a BLE API enabling data integration into third-party software, drones, ROVs, PLCs, and robotic devices.

Name

DeFelsko

Legal name

DeFelsko Corporation

Website

https://defelsko.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DeFelsko Corporation is a privately held, US-based manufacturer of portable coating thickness gages and non-destructive testing instruments—including the proprietary PosiTector interchangeable probe platform and PosiTest adhesion, holiday, concrete moisture, and air leak testers—serving protective coating inspectors and industrial QA/QC buyers across aerospace, oil & gas, automotive, construction, and infrastructure markets worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Inspection Instruments

NAICS

Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Inspection, Checkweighing & Detection Systems (Vision, Metal, X-ray) (IMALAOAH)

Keywords

• Coating thickness measurement
• Adhesion testing instruments
• Surface profile measurement
• Concrete moisture testing
• Non-destructive inspection

Headquarters

HQ city

Ogdensburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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 Instruments Hardware: Sale of portable inspection instruments including coating thickness gages, adhesion testers, environmental meters, concrete moisture meters, and air leak testers. One-time hardware purchase with accessories and consumables.
2. Software Licenses: PosiSoft software solutions including PosiSoft Desktop, PosiSoft.net cloud application, and PosiTector mobile app for viewing and reporting measurement data.
3. Accessories and Consumables: Replacement parts, calibration standards, test solutions, patches, batteries, and other consumables for their inspection instruments.
4. Service and Calibration: Factory calibration and recertification services for instruments, including NIST-traceable certificates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DeFelsko manufactures and sells portable inspection instruments used for measuring coating thickness, adhesion, surface profile, gloss, environmental conditions, concrete moisture, wall thickness, hardness, and pinhole/holiday detection. The portfolio centers on the PosiTector interchangeable probe platform and the PosiTest family of handheld instruments, complemented by the PosiSoft software suite for data management and reporting. Products are manufactured in the USA and shipped with NIST-traceable calibration certificates for industrial inspectors, coating inspectors, and contractors.

Product overview

DeFelsko is a manufacturer of coating inspection instruments and measurement gages. The product portfolio centers on the PosiTector platform (comprising coating thickness, surface profile, environmental, hardness, wall thickness, gloss, and salt contamination instruments) and the PosiTest family (including adhesion testers, holiday detectors, concrete moisture meters, and air leak testers). Supporting products include PosiSoft Software suite (cloud, desktop, USB, and mobile app), PosiTector SmartLink for mobile connectivity, PosiTrack cloud service, and a comprehensive line of calibration standards. The PosiTector system features an interchangeable probe platform where a single gage body can accept different measurement probes, and the PosiTest AT adhesion testers offer both automatic (AT-A) and manual (AT-M) hydraulic pull-off configurations. Inspection Kits bundle multiple instruments for industry-specific applications. Products are manufactured in the USA with NIST-traceable calibration certificates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PosiTector: Brand of inspection instruments including coating thickness gages, surface profile meters, environmental meters, and other inspection tools.
• PosiTest
• PosiSoft
• Testex
• PosiPatch

Products and services

• PosiTector 6000 Coating thickness gage that measures the thickness of coatings applied to metal and non-metal substrates, used by industrial inspectors and QA personnel.
• PosiTest DFT Coating thickness gage for measuring coating thickness on various substrates, targeted at pipeline and field inspectors.
• PosiTest PG Paint inspection gage using destructive technique to measure thickness of one or multiple layers of coating up to 1,250 µm (50 mils), with 50x microscope and precision optics.
• PosiTest AT-A Automatic pull-off adhesion tester that measures adhesion of coatings to metal, wood, concrete, and other rigid substrates using hydraulic pressure.
• PosiTest AT-M Manual pull-off adhesion tester with manual hydraulic pump for applying smooth and continuous pressure, with pull rate indicator and internal memory for up to 200 pulls.
• PosiTest CH Cross hatch adhesion tester that determines a coating's ability to resist separation from a substrate when a lattice pattern is cut, conforming to ISO 2409 and ASTM D3359.
• PosiTest DT Dust tape test instrument for measuring dust and particle contamination on surfaces.
• PosiTest PT Pencil hardness test instrument for measuring coating hardness.
• PosiTector SPG Surface profile depth micrometer for measuring peak-to-valley surface profile height, used to verify surface preparation before coating.
• Testex Digital Micrometer Digital micrometer designed for measuring replica tape to determine surface profile, with built-in memory for 250 readings, averaging and conversion modes, and PosiSoft compatibility.
• PosiTector DPM / DPM L+ Environmental meter that measures and records climatic conditions including relative humidity, air temperature, surface temperature, dew point temperature, and wet bulb temperature; DPM L+ adds magnetic probe and 600-day battery life with WiFi.
• PosiTector CMM IS In-situ concrete moisture (RH) probes for measuring relative humidity in concrete floor slabs per ASTM F2170, with wireless Bluetooth connectivity and reusable smart probes.
• PosiTest CMM Non-destructive concrete moisture meter using electrical impedance to measure comparative moisture content in the top ¾ inch of concrete slabs per ASTM F2659.
• PosiTector SST Soluble salt tester that measures concentration of soluble salts on metal surfaces using conductivity probe per ISO 8502-6/8502-9 (Bresle Method), used for surface contamination assessment before coating.
• PosiTector GLS Gloss meter for portable gloss measurement of all surface finishes, available in three models (GLS 60, GLS 20/60, GLS 20/60/85) with automatic diagnosis and auto calibration.
• PosiTector SHD Hardness tester for measuring indentation hardness of soft metals, fiberglass, plastics, rubbers, and paint coatings.
• PosiTector UTG Ultrasonic wall thickness gage that measures wall thickness of materials such as steel and plastic using ultrasonic technology.
• PosiTest HHD / HHD C High voltage holiday detector (wand-style, continuous DC) for detecting holidays, pinholes, and discontinuities in coatings on metal and concrete substrates, with Li-ion batteries and ASTM/NACE voltage calculator.
• PosiTest AIR Air barrier leak tester for detecting air and water leaks in building envelopes and rigid air barrier systems, conforming to ASTM E1186.
• PosiTest OTL Oven profile instrument that measures and records oven temperature profiles for powder coating and curing process validation.
• PosiTector SmartLink Wireless platform that connects PosiTector probes to Apple iOS or Android devices for mobile data management, control, and reporting.
• Wet Film Thickness Gage Series Notched wet film thickness gages for measuring thickness of paint, enamels, and other wet films, available in stainless 8-sided, stainless 6-sided, and aluminum 4-sided models.
• Inspection Kits Pre-configured kits for various industries (Steel Structure Painting, Concrete, Pipeline, Powder, Automotive, SmartLink, UT) and custom kit builder allowing selection of instruments and probes.
• PosiSoft Software Integrated software suite including PosiSoft Desktop (PC/Mac), PosiSoft.net (cloud storage), PosiSoft USB (flash-drive mode), PosiTector App (iOS/Android), and Custom PDF Report Generator for viewing, archiving, and reporting measurement data from PosiTector and PosiTest instruments.
• PosiTrack Cloud-based tracking service for managing and backing up instrument data, calibrations, and service records.
• Standards and Calibration Products Verification and calibration standards including Coating Thickness Standards, PosiTest AT Calibrator, Certified UTG Step Block, PosiTest HHD Verifier, Surface Profile Standards, PosiTector RTR Certified Shim Set, SSPC VIS Standards, NACE Visual Weld Comparator, and Certified Conductivity Standard.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250 tests per charge on PosiTest AT-A
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Elcometer: Elcometer is a UK-based direct competitor manufacturing coating thickness gages, adhesion testers, surface profile meters, and inspection instruments. Their product portfolio, target customers (industrial inspectors, coating contractors), and standards-compliance approach directly overlap DeFelsko's PosiTector and PosiTest lines.
• BYK-Gardner (ALTANA): BYK-Gardner manufactures coating thickness, gloss, color, and appearance measurement instruments serving coatings manufacturers, automotive OEMs, and industrial inspectors. Their product portfolio overlaps significantly with DeFelsko's PosiTector coating thickness, gloss, and surface profile offerings.
• Helmut Fischer (Fischer Technology): Fischer Technology is a German manufacturer of coating thickness measurement, material analysis, and nanoindentation instruments. They serve the same industrial QA/inspection customers as DeFelsko with comparable X-ray fluorescence and magnetic induction coating thickness technologies.
• TQC Sheen: TQC Sheen (part of Industrial Physics) manufactures coating thickness gages, adhesion testers, viscosity cups, and surface inspection instruments. Their customer base in protective coatings and industrial QA closely mirrors DeFelsko's inspector and contractor segments.
• Paul N. Gardner Company (Gardco): Paul N. Gardner Company distributes and manufactures coating inspection and physical test instruments for the paint, coatings, and related industries. Their product catalog of gages and testers competes directly with DeFelsko's distribution channels and end-user applications.
• ElektroPhysik (Dr. Steingroever): ElektroPhysik manufactures coating thickness measurement instruments using eddy current, magnetic induction, and ultrasonic methods. Their product range and target markets (industrial QA, automotive, aerospace) directly overlap with DeFelsko's PosiTector 6000 series.
• Kett Instruments: Kett Instruments manufactures coating thickness testers, moisture meters, and composition analyzers serving industrial and agricultural markets. Their handheld coating thickness gages overlap DeFelsko's PosiTector offerings for the same inspector customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Olympus (Evident) Industrial NDT: Olympus/Evident is a large NDT equipment manufacturer offering ultrasonic thickness gauges, flaw detectors, and phased array instruments. While their core NDT portfolio is broader than coating inspection, their UTG products overlap with DeFelsko's PosiTector UTG ultrasonic wall thickness gage.
• Mettler-Toledo (Industrial): Mettler-Toledo is a large diversified precision instrument manufacturer offering moisture analyzers, balances, and process control instruments. Their concrete moisture and process measurement offerings overlap with parts of DeFelsko's PosiTector CMM and DPM product lines.

Regional players

• Zinsser Analytic: Zinsser Analytic distributes laboratory and industrial instrumentation in Europe, including coating thickness gages and inspection instruments. They serve as a regional channel competitor to DeFelsko in European markets where both companies have dealer overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuqf3yEZ24KsrrxtB6au4Ew
• Facebookfacebook.com/DeFelsko
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/defelsko
• Xx.com/DeFelsko

Compliance27 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 DeFelsko