The Tintometer Limited was founded in 1885 by Joseph Williams Lovibond, the third son of John Locke Lovibond, a prominent brewery owner in Greenwich, London. Lovibond developed the colorimeter as a means of ensuring the high quality of his beer, and by 1893 had continued his research into the properties and applications of colour, writing a number of published papers and books on the subject.

    Tintometer standards were adopted by the Institute of Petroleum, the Massachusetts Board of Health, the International Association of Leather Trade Chemists, the Inter-states Cotton seed Oil Association and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in China, highlighting a wide geographical demography and considerable industrial range of applications for the Lovibond Colour Scale.

    By the time of his death in 1918 Joseph Lovibond had established himself as a pioneer in the field of colour science and his company, The Tintometer Limited was already known throughout the world for its range of instrumentation and expertise in the field of colorimetry. The company continued to grow in strength and as advances were made both in colour science research and in instrument development Lovibond standards became specific for many products worldwide.

    The Tintometer Limited continues as a leader in its field today under the Directorship of Peter W Fawcett. Represented in over 80 countries we manufacture and export products globally via a well-established distributor network. Lovibond colorimeters are used for analysis in industries ranging from chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and medical, to foodstuffs and beverages.

    The Lovibond brand has become the hallmark for colour measurement in refining industries, recognised by major international standardising bodies such as ASTM, ISO and IP, who quote its equipment in their specifications for colour measurement. Tintometers unparalleled knowledge is embodied in the complete range of instruments, from visual comparators for single-scale colour grading through to flexible, full-scale spectrophotometric instruments for objective measurement and data analysis.