Background: Hyperspectral imaging is a technique that enables the mapping of spectral signatures across a surface. It is most commonly used for surface chemical mapping in fields as diverse as satellite remote sensing, biomedical imaging and heritage science. Existing models, such as the Kubelka-Munk theory and the Lambert-Beer law also relate layer thickness with absorption, and in the case of the Kubelka-Munk theory scattering, however they are not able to fully describe the complex behavior of the light-layer interaction. Methods: This paper describes a new approach for hyperspectral imaging, the mapping of coating surface thickness using a coefficient-independent scattering model. The approach taken in this paper is to model the absorption and scattering behavior using a developed coefficient-independent model, calibrated using reference sample thickness measurements performed with optical coherence tomography.