Understanding L*a*b*: How Industries Measure Colour

Colour is not just visual, it is measurable, controllable, and critical to quality. Across industries such as food, plastics, coatings, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and construction materials, even a small colour variation can signal inconsistency, waste, or brand risk. To manage this, industries rely on objective colour measurement systems. Among them, L*a*b* has become the universal language of colour.

Introducing L*a*b*: The Language of Colour

The L*a*b* Colour space is designed to describe Colour the way humans perceive it, using three intuitive axes:

• L* → Lightness

Ranges from black (0) to white (100)

• a* → Red–Green axis

Positive values = red, negative values = green

• b* → Yellow–Blue axis

Positive values = yellow, negative values = blue

Together, these three values fully define a Colour in a three-dimensional Colour space. Any Colour difference between a sample and a standard can be expressed numerically, enabling precise quality decisions.

This opponent-Colour structure is based on how the human eye processes visual information, making L*a*b* both scientifically robust and easy to interpret.

Why L*a*b* Became the Global Standard

L*a*b* is widely adopted because it solves the core challenges of industrial Colour control:

• Objectivity – Eliminates human bias in visual inspection
• Consistency – Enables repeatable measurement across sites and suppliers
• Universality – Applicable to solids, powders, liquids, and surfaces
• Standardization – Referenced in ASTM, ISO, and customer specifications

By converting Colour into data, L*a*b* allows manufacturers to move from “looks right” to meets specification.

HunterLab: The Pioneer Behind Practical L*a*b* While L*a*b* is a Colour space, its success in industry depends on how reliably it can be measured. This is where HunterLab leads.

HunterLab was among the earliest companies to transform Colour science into practical, industrial measurement systems. Long before digital Colour became mainstream, HunterLab introduced L,a,b-based measurement as a tool for quality control—not just research.

Over decades, HunterLab helped:

• Translate L*a*b* theory into usable QC metrics
• Establish delta values (∆L*, ∆a*, ∆b*) for process control
• Enable clear pass/fail tolerances using ∆E*
• Standardize Colour communication across global supply chains

This is why HunterLab is often recognized as the first name in Colour measurement.

How Industries Use L*a*b* with HunterLab

In production environments, L*a*b* values are used to compare a sample against a reference standard.

• ∆L* identifies lightness differences
• ∆a* shows red/green shifts
• ∆b* highlights yellow/blue deviations
• ∆E* summarizes overall Colour difference

HunterLab instruments are designed to deliver repeatable, operator-independent L*a*b* data, making them trusted tools for:

• Food & ingredient Colour control
• Plastic and polymer batch consistency
• Paint and coating shade verification
• Pharmaceutical and cosmetic appearance checks

As manufacturing becomes more data-driven, Colour is no longer a visual checkpoint—it is a measurable quality parameter. L*a*b* remains the foundation of modern Colour control, and HunterLab continues to lead by ensuring that this foundation is accurate, repeatable, and industry-ready.

Discover why manufacturers worldwide trust HunterLab as the true measure of colour together with Dash Asia part of Maha.