Although there are many hundreds of different types of scales available to buy, it is easy to narrow your choice down to a few possibilities by considering the following points. Do realise however that you cannot have a ‘one scale fits all’ situation, certainly not if the weight ranges are widely differing.

1) What is the basic type of scale you need?

On our homepage, select the section likely to contain a product suited to your basic requirement, e.g. ‘Retail’, ‘Industrial’ or ‘Medical’.

2) Do the scales need to be ‘Trade Approved’?

If the use of the scales is going to be the ‘deciding factor’ in the actual price charged to a customer for the weighed items, the scale must be ‘Trade Approved’, also known as ‘Stamped’, ‘Weights & Measures Approved’ or ’Class III Approved’.
Medical scales as used in Hospitals, Doctors’ surgeries and Pharmacies etc. must be ‘Class III approved’ when used in relation to medication, treatment or diagnosis.

A special case exists in that scales used in the Gold and Jewellery trade MUST have 'Class II Approval'.

3) What is the heaviest amount that the scales will have to weigh?

There is no point buying a scale having a much greater capacity than you actually need, but it is sensible to allow a fair margin of extra capacity, possibly around 40%.

4) What accuracy do you need?

Accuracy in scales is called their ‘division size’, and this is the minimum weight ‘difference’ that the scale can display as the weight on the pan increases. A division size of 100 grams for instance means the weight will be displayed to the nearest 100 grams. This is fine for weighing heavy parcels for despatch, but useless for letters! You should pick a scale with a division size small enough to suit your intended use.

5) What size of weigh-pan will be required?

The weigh-pan should obviously be large enough to accommodate anything that the scale is required to weigh of course, although a reasonable amount of ‘overhang’ is perfectly OK if the item being weighed does not touch anything except the weigh-pan.

6) Do you require ‘Certification’ of the scales?

In certain circumstances, i.e. if your company is ISO accredited for instance, you will probably be required to have your scales certificated. We can provide the necessary official printed certificate stating that they have been calibrated using weights traceable to national standards.

7) Do you need to weigh in units other than Grams and Kilograms?

If a scale is ‘Trade Approved’ (See point 2 above) current law states that it can only display the weight in Grams and Kilograms. If not, many scales allow you to select different ‘units’ to weigh in, most commonly Stones, Pounds and Ounces. There is a wide range of other weighing units that can be selected on some scales, mainly electronic precision balances. Click Here for information on weighing units.

We hope this page helps you to choose the right scale for your requirements. We are always available if you need more information or advice, so please feel free to call us on 01773 763555 if you need any further help.