What type of conductivity meter do you need? When measuring conductivity in the field, pocket conductivity testers and portable conductivity meters may be the right choice for you. Many models have an onboard memory to store and recall conductivity readings taken. If the laboratory is your base, select from benchtop conductivity meters. These types of conductivity meters can include a USB or RS-232 computer interface.
Here are five important features to consider when selecting a conductivity meter:
- Autoranging: Meter automatically selects the most accurate range for the measurement. There is no need to manually change the range.
- TDS conversion factor: When a solution does not have a similar ionic content to natural water or salt water, then a TDS conversion factor is needed to automatically adjust the TDS readings.
- Temperature compensation: A cell with a built-in temperature sensor allows the meter to make adjustments to the conductivity or TDS readings based on changes in the solution temperature.
- Adjustable temperature coefficients: Alcohols and pure water are affected by changes in temperature differently than typical samples. An adjustable temperature coefficient allows the user to compensate for the properties of the measured solution.
- Adjustable cell constant: Adjusts the measurement to reflect the use of a cell with a constant other than K = 1.0. Wide range meters may accept cells between K = 0.01 and 10. See chart below:
| Cell constant (K) | Optimum conductivity range |
| 0.01 | 0.055 to 20 µS |
| 0.1 | 0.5 to 200 µS |
| 1 | 0.01 to 2 mS |
| 10 | 1 to 200 mS |
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