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Emissivity in the Infrared
Methods of Calculating Emissivity
Optotherm Thermalyze software has the ability to compensate for emissivity so that accurate temperature
measurements can be made of materials with emissivity below 1.00. The accuracy of the measurement, however, is
determined by the precision to which the emissivity value and ambient temperature are known. Additionally, the
temperature of objects in the environment must be uniform. Radiance from objects that are hotter or colder than the
surroundings can reflect off of the target and affect the accuracy of emissivity compensation.
Small changes in an objects emissivity can result in noticeable affects on measured temperature. A 0.02 reduction in
emissivity, for example, can decrease the measured temperature of an object at 100C by approximately 2C. Likewise,
variations in the ambient temperature can affect measured temperature. An increase in ambient temperature of 5C,
for example, can increase measure temperature of an object at 40C with emissivity of 0.80 by approximately 1C.
In order to compensate for the emissivity of an object, its emissivity must first be determined. There are two basic
approaches to determining surface emissivity; surface treatment or material heating. Surface treatment involves
applying a treatment that is of a known high emissivity (usually tape or paint) to the surface of the object and then
heating the surface. Material heating involves uniformly heating the object to a known steady-state temperature that
is above ambient temperature. During both procedures, best results are achieved when the object is heated to a
temperature close to the temperature at which measurements are to be taken during testing. If performed properly,
correct emissivity values can be obtained using either approach. The chosen method will depend on the
characteristics of the surface and size or shape of the object.

Surface Treatment
This method should be employed when the objects size and shape facilitates applying a small section of masking
tape. Masking tape is the preferred surface treatment for object temperatures below 100C due to its uniform
emissivity (0.95) and thickness. Alternatively, a thin dab of paint or white-out can be used on objects with small or
uneven surfaces where tape cannot be applied. The disadvantages of using paint or white-out are the possibility of
deviations in coating emissivity and thermal diffusion due to variations in application thickness. If care is taken during
the application of the coating, however, uniform results can be obtained.
To determine an objects emissivity using the surface treatment method, follow these steps.
Apply a small section of masking tape to the area of interest making sure to leave a section of the original
surface exposed.
1.
Heat the surface to a temperature that is below 100C. Heating can be accomplished by different methods
including powering the device or heating the surface using a heating plate or hot air gun.
2.
Capture a thermal image of the heated surface. Note: Make sure that the heating source is not reflecting off of
the exposed surface when the image is captured.
3.
Draw a small region enclosing the tape and a second small region enclosing the exposed surface. 4.
Set the emissivity of the region enclosing the tape to 0.95. 5.
Adjust the emissivity of the region enclosing the exposed surface until the temperatures within both regions are
equal. Record the emissivity of the object.
6.

Material Heating
This method should be employed when tape or paint cannot be applied to the surface due to an objects small size or
surface characteristics. Material heating can also be used to determine the emissivity of different materials comprising
a complex object with many different surfaces.
Emissivity
Technology
Links
Planck's Law
What is Emissivity
Physics of Emissivity
Effects of Emissivity
Emissivity Examples
Increasing Emissivity
Calculating Emissivity
Emissivity Tables
Microbolometers
Tutorial Videos
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To determine an objects emissivity using the material heating method, follow these steps.
Heat the object to a known uniform steady-state temperature. One of the most common methods of heating
small and thin objects, such as semiconductors chips, is using a heating plate. A thermal chamber can also be
used provided there is an opening or infrared window on the chamber through which to image the object.
1.
Measure the steady-state temperature of the object by measuring the temperature of a high emissivity area in
the thermal image or by using a contact temperature probe.
2.
Draw a small region enclosing each different surface to be measured. 3.
Adjust the emissivity of each region until the temperatures within the regions are equal to the temperature of
the object measured in step 2. Record the emissivity of each different surface.
4.

A Note about Contact Temperature Probes
If used in appropriate situations and applied correctly, contact temperature probes such as thermocouples,
thermistors, and RTDs can be used to accurately measure surface temperature. Small objects and thin surfaces,
however, may not contain enough thermal mass to accurately measure using these devices. In these cases, contact
probes can act as heat sinks and lower the temperature of the material, creating erroneous readings. Also, a good
thermal bond must exist between the material and contact probe in order to transfer sufficient thermal energy to heat
the probe to the same temperature as the material. In many cases, poor thermal bonding results in erroneous
temperature measurements that are much lower than true temperature. Measurement errors due to low thermal
mass and poor thermal bonding can result in errors as great 10, 20, or even 30C when measuring an object at 60C.
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