Table of Emissivities in Three Popular Spectral Regions

The Table of Emissivity on the INFRAPOINT Messtechnik GmbH website, posted in 2009 (No longer available online) had summary data for a wide variety of materials broken down into three distinct spectral regions for the wavelength regions where the majority of infrared radiation thermometers and Infrared Thermal Imaging cameras operate.

First and second are tables that deal with the narrow spectral bands about 0.9 µm and 1.6 µm, the regions where many Silicon (Si) photovoltaic detectors (peak wavelength response: (0.9 µm) and both Germanium (Ge) and Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) (nominal wavelength region (0.7 - 1.6 µm) are used.

The third table cover the 8 - 14 µm waveband where most "low" (near ambient) temperature IR thermometers and thermal imaging sensors operate.

It has been reproduced here below in the spirit of Internet openness from our archives. We hope there is no problem in doing so and if any heir or assigns of INFRAPOINT Messtechnik GmbH wishes to keep this information secret, obviously against the original intent of INFRAPOINT, please contact us according to our webpage contact information.

		Table of emissivity
	The emissivity ? (radiant emittance factor) is the relationship of the radiated intensity of a body to the intensity of a blackbody of the same temperature. It is the most important factor, in order to determine of an item exactly. If you want to measure the surface temperature with an infrared thermometer the emissivity must be known and correct adjusted on the instrument.
	Material	Emissivity			Material	Emissivity
	Metals	Wavelength 0.9 µm	Wavelength 1.6 µm		Non metals	Wavelength 8 - 14 µm
	Aluminium, bright	0.05 - 0.25	0.05 - 0.25		Asphalt	0.95
	Aluminium, anodized	0.2 - 0.4	0.1 - 0.4		Concrete	0.95
	Chrom, bright	0.28 - 0.32	0.25 - 0.3		Gypsum	0.85 - 0.95
	Iron, oxidised	0.4 - 0.8	0.5 - 0.9		Graphite	0.75 - 0.92
	Iron, not oxidised	0.35	0.1 - 0.3		Glass*, pane	0.80
	Gold, bright	0.02	0.02		Rubber	0.85 - 0.95
	Copper, bright	0.06 - 0.20	0.06 - 0.20		Wood, natural	0.8 - 0.95
	Copper, oxidised	0.5 - 0.8	0.7 - 0.85		Chalk	0.98
	Magnesium	0.03 - 0.8	0.05 - 0.3		Ceramics	0.85 - 0.95
	Brass, bright	0.8 - 0.95	0.01 - 0.05		Plastics	0.85 - 0.95
	Brass, oxidised	0.65 - 0.75	0.65 - 0.75		Masonry	0.85 - 0.95
	Nickel, oxidised	0.8 - 0.9	0.4 - 0.7		Human skin	0.98
	Platinum, black	-	0,95		Oil paints	0.85 - 0.95
	Silver	0.02	0.02		Paper	0.85 - 0.95
	Steel, melted	0.30	0.20 - 0.25		Porcelain	0.85 - 0.95
	Steel, oxidised	0.8 - 0.9	0.8 - 0.9		Quartz	0.8
	Steel, bright	0.40 - 0.45	0.30 - 0.4		Carbon black	0.95
	Titanium, bright	0.5 - 0.75	0.3 - 0.5		Chamotte	0.85 - 0.95
	Titanium, oxidised	-	0.6 - 0.8		Textile, Drapery	0.85 - 0.95
	Zinc, bright	0.6	0.4 - 0.6		Tone	0.95
	Zinc, oxidised	0.5	0.05		Water	0.95
	Tin	0.25	0.1 - 0.3		Cement	0.9

* The emissivity of glass (0.95 - 0.97 µm) is in the range of 4.5 - 7 µm particularly high. Glass has there an absorption band (spectral range, where materials absorb radiation). To measure glass surface temperatures, the best wavelength is at 5.14 µm, because the measurement at this range is not affected by absorption bands such as carbon or hydrogen.