Refractometers overview

Bellingham + Stanley Ltd. offer one of the largest choices of digital refractometers in the World today. All refractometers are made to the highest standard and with over 90-years of experience, are directly supported by a team of experts and by a global network of fully trained distributors. If you are unsure on which refractometer to choose, please contact Bellingham + Stanley Ltd.

RFM700 Refractometer

Designed with ultimate simplicity in mind, RFM700 refractometers offer digital automatic technology at low cost. In 2007, new derivatives replace earlier models and feature more scale and temperature compensation options, enabling the instrument to be used not only in the traditional food, sugar, and beverage applications but also some industrial applications.

The new models are particularly suited to wine applications, as industry standard scales such as Baume, Oechsle, and Probable Alcohol (A.P.) can easily be downloaded from this Internet site. As well as wines scales, a new ‘Fuel System Icing Inhibitor’ scale that conforms to ASTM D 5006 can be loaded as well as refractive index (RI).

Physical benefits of the RFM700 include a flat ‘easy clean’ sapphire prism and a ‘no-presser design’ offers rapid cleaning once a measurement has been taken. A programmable measurement delay is also offered.

Full technical specification for RFM700

RFM300+ Refractometer

Launched in 2007, the RFM300+ series of refractometers is the result of a combination of excellence in design and manufacture dictated by customer needs.  Offering a wide measuring range, temperature control of the flat ‘easy clean’ sapphire prism is achieved by Peltier device, eliminating the need for a waterbath whilst offering extremely rapid temperature stabilization of the sample. 

A powerful onboard microprocessor facilitates readout in a number of different scales including RI, °Brix, HFCS etc. and the simple to use secure menu structure can be displayed in a number of different languages. 

Full technical specification for RFM300+

RFM800 Refractometer

The RFM800 series of refractometers comprises four standard models according to measuring range, resolution and accuracy and provides temperature control by Peltier devices between 10 below ambient to 100°C.

A powerful central processor supports the on-board software to provide short measuring times, a friendly user interface in at least four languages and industry standard methods such as for the measurement of alcohol in beer.

The instrument has a wide measurement range (1.30 to 1.70 RI) conforming to US, European and UK Pharmacopoeia and can be formatted to control data in accordance with FDA regulation 21 CFR Part 11. The RFM860 and RFM870 conforms to petroleum test method ‘ASTM 1218’ and may also be used for the measurement of high RI samples such as essential oils, flavours and fragrances.

The instrument also facilitates the use of autosamplers when connected in series with other instruments such as density meters and polarimeters.

Full technical specification for RFM800 range

RFM300 Refractometer

The RFM340refractometer has been deleted. Please refer to other models within our range.

The RFM311 refractometer has been deleted. Please refer to other models within our range of refractometers.

The Abbe Refractometer derives its name from the 19th Century physicist Ernst Abbe (1840-1905). Abbe designed an instrument for measuring the dispersion of light and this became the precursor for the so-called ‘Abbe Refractometer’.

Bellingham + Stanley offer a number of Abbe refractometers and a choice can be made in accordance with the measurement requirement and budget availability.

Launched in 2006, the Abbe 5 offers direct refractive index and Brix readings at a low price and is ideal for academia as well as for general measurement within industry.

Abbe 60 refractometers are manufactured to extremely high standards and come in a variety of scale ranges to suit particular application requirements.

The Abbe 60/95 offers high-resolution readings within the Brix scale (better than ±0.2 Brix) and is used for the measurement of viscous corn syrups and sugars, whilst the Abbe 60/DR offers high refractive index measurement to 1.74 to 4-decimal places.

High accuracy, multiple wavelength versions (Abbe 60/LR and Abbe 60/ED) cover a refractive index range from 1.20 to 1.74 RI and require the use of ‘spectral lamp outfits’. As such, the instruments may also be used for measurements of dispersion over the visible spectrum and can provide results to five decimal places – the highest accuracy available with this type of instrumentation. The Abbe 60ED conforms to test measurement ASTM 1218.

The E-Line Gemological refractometer is a low cost, lightweight measuring instrument used exclusively by jewellers and traders of gemstones.

All Abbe refractometers are particularly suited to the measurement of solids and semi-solids such as thin film polymers, rubber, glass and fibre optics as well as liquid samples.

All instruments* feature a temperature control facility by way of waterbath connection and temperature measurement is made by integral sensor and displayed digitally (LCD).

‘Freeware’ for converting results to other scales and for calculating dispersion is available from this site.

* except gemological