We are proud winners of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, in both 2019 and 2022.
Coltraco Ultrasonics is a UK-sovereign high-exporting manufacturer, of ultrasonic and acoustic instrumentation to customers in over 120 countries worldwide, and the provider of a range of engineering, scientific and artificial intelligence services.
Making the inaudible visible; scientific precision with real-world usability; seeing the sounds that others cannot hear across:
A twice winning Queen’s Award for Enterprise company, our heritage is in the design and manufacture of dual-use ultrasonic and acoustic technologies deployed across more than 20 industrial sectors, and exported to 120 countries annually.
Coltraco has a rich tradition of developing Safeship™ technologies at sea, and Safesite™ technologies on land.
We build specialist instrumentation, sensors, and systems with the ability to rapidly scale-up production, serving dual-use applications across civil and security sectors.
We are an integrated research-to-manufacturing organisation, comprising the company, its national research institute, the Durham Institute of Research, Development, and
Invention (DIRDI) and several specialised research centres, led by the Centre for Underwater Acoustic Analysis (CUAA) for the Royal Navy. We are developing a strategic sensor development capability across:
Including quantum sensing technologies, supported by AI-enabled instrumentation science and advanced signal processing.
For Coltraco Ultrasonics to be the world-leader across our 120 export country markets in the design, manufacture and support of specific scientific instrumentation, systems and technologies using ultrasound, acoustics, electro-magnetism and information engineering through research and development conducted at the Durham Institute of Research, Development & Invention in an innovative private sector, public service-led, national endeavor.
To “see the sounds that others cannot hear”, enable people to live safer lives and secure critical national infrastructure on land and at sea by designing and manufacturing world-leading technologies, systems and instrumentation solutions operating in safety-critical environments in the maritime naval, energy, laboratory, built environment, medical and safety-engineering market sectors.
Coming to 40+ years of experience in 2027!
As a high-exporting British manufacturer, Coltraco specialises in ultrasonic and acoustic systems and instrumentation. We are an advanced scientific instrument manufacturer who serve 25 diverse market sectors, from shipping and fire safety engineering to offshore energy, renewables, and the built environment.
We work with you at every stage of your enquiry as an integrated technical partner, providing you with the solution you require. We are committed to offering through-life engineering, maintenance and training support with every instrument you purchase from us. This is what sets us apart from the rest.
At Coltraco, 90% of our manufactured products are exported, with 40% going to Asia, 10% to the Middle East, 15% to Europe, and 17% to the USA, our largest single national market. The remaining products reach customers and distributors in South America and Africa.
We are committed to uphold the Safeship™ and Safesite™ principles:
Our instruments are installed on 17% of the world’s 60,000 ships, safeguarding against catastrophic failures by monitoring watertight integrity and ensuring the safe containment of fire-extinguishing gases like CO2. These principles underpin our status as a Safeship™ company in the maritime sector.
Serving over 20 market sectors, our instruments ensure that safety-critical systems—such as gaseous fire suppression systems, sprinkler systems, and process control equipment in high-value assets—function effectively. In the Built Environment, our technology identifies airtightness and energy loss. This commitment makes us a Safesite™ company on land.
DIRDI is a research institute comprising of scientists at every stage of their careers, from undergraduates to Professors, Emeritus Professors and Senior Industrial Scientists. It brings together academics and industry professionals across disciplines, including Physicists, Engineers, Mathematicians, Bioscientists, Earth Scientists, and Computer Scientists.
Learn more about our connections with DIRDI here!
Our ultrasonic Safesite™ technologies monitor the contents of complex, high pressure, liquefied (Portalevel ®) and non-liquefied (Portagas®), fire extinguishing systems, and the compartment and room integrity of the space into which the extinguishing gas is actuated (Portascanner®).
Founded by Mr. EC Hunter and his son, Dr. CSP Hunter, the company introduced its first product, the Portalevel®, in 1987. Since then, we have expanded our product range with 28 innovations like the Portascanner®, developed in 1993 to complement our liquid-level measurement technologies.
Coltraco Ultrasonics have now grown to be part of a wider organisation:
Coltraco has proudly won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2019 and 2022, along with numerous awards in maritime safety, safety engineering, and fire safety. Our commitment to excellence extends to through-life global support and calibration of equipment types manufactured over 20 years ago.
UK Sovereign integration. Built on high-exporting UK Manufacturing. Working in partnership with world-leading academics in UK Science, UK Engineering, UK AI & UK Geostrategy
In Scientific research, we deliver scientific insight, interdisciplinary collaboration, and end-to-end research services to Government and industry.
Serving dual-use applications across civil and security sectors. From shipping and naval, to safety engineering, from process control to mining, from offshore energy to renewables, from healthcare to the built environment.
Our ultrasonic solutions support safe and efficient operations across maritime and offshore environments, where reliability is essential. From verifying watertight integrity to monitoring critical systems, our instruments help crews, surveyors, and operators maintain compliance, reduce risk, and protect vessels and offshore assets in challenging conditions.
We work closely with the fire safety sector to provide non-invasive ultrasonic testing solutions that enable accurate inspection and maintenance of fire suppression systems. Our products help engineers and service providers verify system readiness, support regulatory compliance, and ensure life-saving equipment performs as intended when needed most.
Trusted by defence and naval organisations worldwide, our ultrasonic technologies support mission-critical testing, inspection, and assurance. Designed for demanding operational environments, our solutions help maintain structural integrity, system performance, and safety across naval vessels and defence infrastructure.
In power generation environments, precision and reliability are essential to maintaining performance and safety. Our ultrasonic testing solutions support the inspection and monitoring of critical systems across conventional and renewable energy facilities, helping operators optimise efficiency, reduce downtime, and meet stringent regulatory standards.
Our ultrasonic technologies support professionals responsible for the safety and performance of buildings and infrastructure. From integrity testing to system verification, our solutions help facilities managers, consultants, and engineers maintain compliance, protect occupants, and ensure long-term asset reliability across the built environment.
We provide ultrasonic testing solutions for accurate, non-invasive assessment of fluid systems across industrial applications. By enabling precise measurement and verification without system disruption, our instruments help engineers improve system performance, identify issues early, and maintain confidence in fluid handling operations.
