A new colour scale has been advised for estimating haemoglobin levels by matching the blood samples with ten levels of haemoglobin (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 14 g/dl) on the scale. Preliminary results show good correlations with spectrophotometric readings. The new device is being field tested and if the initial promise is confirmed, will provide a simple and reliable method for estimating haemoglobin where laboratory facilities are not available.