Measurement recommendations
How to measure accurately and with confidence
A set of good practices: how to prepare the gauge, apply the sensor correctly, work with reference plates, calibrate and read the metal indication. Our experience — so you get the right reading on the first go.
Measuring
Preparing to measure
A couple of checks before you start remove most errors and “strange” readings.
- Check that the sensor moves freely and springs back after you press it.
- Turn the gauge on and wait for auto-calibration to finish — dashes appear on the display. Don’t bring the sensor near metal until it’s done.
- Check metal-type detection: measure on ferrous and non-ferrous metal (non-ferrous — “NFe”/“ЦВ.МЕТ”, ferrous — “Fe”/“ЧЕР.МЕТ”).
- Check the readings against the reference plates from the kit.
How to measure
The gauge catches the moment itself — your job is to press it flat and square and not move it until the beep.
Press the gauge to the surface flat and square, and don’t move it until the beep. The gauge waits for a stable signal from the sensor: as soon as it settles, it beeps and shows the result. Then lift it away from the surface.
If the gauge is applied wrong or shakes in your hand, accuracy suffers — though it won’t measure until it settles. It’s a balance of accuracy and speed. In a series of quick readings, lift the gauge at least 3 cm away before the next one.
Hover or tap a panel to see the difference.
- Hold the gauge with your fingers near the sensor — it’s far easier to apply it square.
- If you can’t press it flat (an awkward shape), switch the gauge to continuous mode and settle on a stable reading.
- Orange peel: on textured paint the spread is larger by the height difference — the small sensor tip lands in a dip or on a bump. Even fine orange peel is significant in microns.
Common mistakes
Holding by the tail
You can’t press the gauge flat by its back — hold it with your fingers near the sensor.
Moving before the beep
Movement or tilt during a reading distorts the result or aborts the measurement.
Ignoring orange peel
On textured paint take several readings — a single point may land in a dip or on a bump.
Measuring on reference plates
A gauge measures a spot around the sensor, not a point — so small plates have their own rules.
Measure strictly in the centre of the plate to avoid the edge effect. For convenience the kit includes a centring plate (with a hole). The plate is marked with its nominal thickness and the spread of its own unevenness — that spread is the plate’s, not the gauge’s accuracy tolerance.
Apply the gauge flat and square, don’t move it until the beep. Keep dust out from between the reference plate (or plates) and the metal base — a single speck adds 5 to 10 µm.
A spot, not a point
Toggle the probe position and see what happens near the plate edge.
The measurement spot sits fully on the plate — the reading is correct.
- Hold the plates as a stack in your left hand and the gauge in your right: this presses them together tightly without tilt.
- Don’t lay plates on a table to measure — you can’t hit the same point twice, plates slide apart, and dust gets in from the table.
Common mistakes
Measuring off-centre
Near the edge the edge effect understates the reading. Use the centring plate.
Dust under the plate
A speck between plate and base adds 5–10 µm. Wipe the plates.
Plates on the table
Plates slide and pick up dust — hold them as a stack in your hand.
Calibration
Clearing all calibrations
If you want to be sure old thickness settings won’t interfere, clear the calibrations.
DPM-816
While the display shows dashes, press and hold the “UNIT” button for about 2 seconds. After the reset you can check how the gauge reads thickness with no calibrations.
Avtopodbor
Enter calibration (hold “SET” for 2 seconds until the beep — the display shows “KALIBROVKA”), then hold “SET” once more until the beep. “8888” shows briefly and the gauge returns to measurement.
Setting the thickness (calibration)
You can tune the gauge to your conditions: a single zero point or a full multi-point calibration.
For perfectly accurate readings, calibrate the gauge on a base as close as possible to what you measure (material, shape, roughness). Follow the steps for your gauge:
Step 1 of 6
Press and hold “MODE” for 2 seconds — the gauge enters calibration and the display shows “F-0”.
The labels shown are the export display (F-0, 8888). The Russian-language display uses the same steps with Russian prompts.
DPM-816
- 01
Press and hold “MODE” for 2 seconds — the gauge enters calibration and the display shows “F-0”.
F-0MODE - 02
Measure a known thickness: 0 (bare base) or a reference plate from the kit.
100 - 03
If the reading differs, set the correct thickness with the “MODE” and “UNIT” buttons.
0→100MODEUNIT - 04
Measure again and check; re-adjust if needed.
100 - 05
Repeat on other thicknesses and metal types — the gauge stores, sorts and removes duplicates (1 to 8 points).
250 - 06
Press “on/off” twice — “8888” appears and the gauge returns to measurement.
8888on/off
The labels shown are the export display (F-0, 8888). The Russian-language display uses the same steps with Russian prompts.
Avtopodbor
- 01
Press and hold “SET” for 2 seconds — the display shows “KALIBROVKA” (calibration).
КАЛИБРОВКАSET - 02
Measure a bare base or a reference plate of known thickness (0 to 3500 µm).
1000 - 03
If the reading differs, set the known thickness with the “UP” and “DOWN” buttons.
0→1000UPDOWN - 04
Measure again to check; re-adjust if needed.
1000 - 05
For several points, just keep measuring and adjusting — saving is automatic, order doesn’t matter (up to 10 points).
250 - 06
Press “on/off” or wait 30 seconds — the gauge returns to measurement.
8888on/off
Smart calibration: the gauge stores, sorts and removes duplicates automatically — from 1 to 10 points.
Recommendation
During calibration always check point 0 (bare base) and at least one reference plate. If the readings swing high then low, the measurements are being taken wrong: different spots, tilt, sliding plates. Use the centring plate, wipe the plates of dust, don’t move the gauge until the beep.
Indication
How the gauge shows metal and coatings
Ferrous and non-ferrous metal, galvanising and ferromagnetic filler all display differently — and differ between DPM-816 (export and Russian display) and Avtopodbor. Pick a situation and compare.
Pick a situation
DPM-816 · export display
DPM-816 · Russian display
Avtopodbor
| Situation | Export display | Russian display | Avtopodbor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrous metal | Fe | ЧЕР.МЕТ | ЧЕР.МЕТ |
| Non-ferrous metal | NFe | ЦВ.МЕТ | ЦВ.МЕТ |
| Galvanising (zinc) | FeNFe | ЧЕР.МЕТ + ЦИНК | ЧЕР.МЕТ + ЦИНК |
| Ferromagnetic filler | — (no text)triple beep | МЕТ.ШПАТЛtriple beep | — (no text)triple beepred LED |
Detecting galvanising
The “FeNFe” or “ЧЕР.МЕТ + ЦИНК” indication means ferrous metal with a non-ferrous coating (galvanising). The principle is measuring the surface’s relative electrical conductivity over a ferrous base with eddy currents and software processing. Aluminium, copper and brass conduct better than zinc, steel worse; from this the gauge infers whether galvanising is present. Zinc thickness, scale, roughness, steel grade and alloying additives also affect the result.
The feature is useful for comparing panels: some are galvanised and some aren’t — a sign of a replaced panel. A spot sanded with abrasive paper reads differently in conductivity than a smooth one. Note: “cold galvanising” is a zinc-rich primer, and a “cataphoresis” coating is a variety of it; the gauge treats such coatings as ordinary paint.
The threshold is adjustable — on Avtopodbor
On DPM-816 the sensitivity threshold is fixed (close to maximum, with a margin against false positives). On the Avtopodbor range you can tune it to the task.
Detector trigger threshold
70%
DPM-816 · fixed
Mid threshold — a balance of sensitivity and false-positive protection, close to the fixed DPM-816 setting.
Detecting ferromagnetic filler
Ferromagnetic filler is fine iron powder in a polyester resin. It tries to fool a gauge that measures by magnetic induction, but the eddy-current method — which measures surface conductivity — spots the trick instantly.
DPM-816 gives a triple warning beep; the Russian-display version shows “МЕТ.ШПАТЛ”. The Avtopodbor range gives a triple warning beep and additionally blinks a red LED, and the detector’s sensitivity is adjustable. This filler is very rare.
Next — checking the body
Checking a car’s paintwork
Inspecting a body with a gauge is a topic of its own: where to start, why the roof is the reference, how to compare symmetrical panels and spot repairs. We’ve put it in a separate guide.
How to check paintworkKnowledge base
Read next
Material that carries the topic on: how to check a body, what the gauge does and which one to choose.
Ready to measure with confidence
Pick a gauge for your work, or go back to the rest of the Instructions section.