Why can't a spectrophometer read samples with an absorbance higher then 2.98?

A spectrophotometer typically cannot accurately read samples with absorbance values higher than 2.98 due to the limitations of Beer-Lambert Law, which states that absorbance is logarithmically related to concentration. When absorbance exceeds this threshold, most of the light is absorbed, leading to insufficient transmitted light for accurate detection. Additionally, higher absorbance can cause detector saturation, resulting in non-linear responses and unreliable measurements. Thus, samples with absorbance above this limit may require dilution for accurate analysis.