What is a gloss meter? A gloss meter, also known as a gloss meter or photometer, is an instrument that measures the gloss of a material's surface. It usually consists of a light source and a light receiver. Glossimeters determine the gloss of a surface by emitting a beam of light on the surface of a material and then measuring the brightness and directionality of the reflected light. Gloss meters can be used to measure the surface gloss of different types of materials, such as paints, plastics, paper, metals, etc.