Buying a scale can be a complicated task as there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of different type scales out on the market today.  With a little bit of help and assistance it needn’t be too difficult though.

The first thing you need to do is decide what items or products your scale is going to be weighing.  This involves knowing roughly what your heaviest item is going to be, combined with how small the divisions you need the scale to go up in.  You will also need to know how large the item is that you are going to be weighing.

With this information to hand you can then begin looking at the various different types of scale out there.

One common misconception is that you can have a single scale for weighing absolutely anything.  This, quite simply, is incorrect as we could never recommend using a pallet scale to weigh letters, or vice versa.

Typically a scale weighs to 3000 divisions.  For instance a 3000 gram scale would go up in 1 gram increments, a 6000 gram scale would weigh in 2 gram increments, a 3000Kg scale would weigh in 1Kg increments.  This certainly applies to most scales but isn’t a rule for all.  As an example, the Ultra75 weighs up to 34Kgs but in as small an increment as 5 grams.  This is because it has been designed to cover as many applications as possible giving it a broader user base and therefore making it less expensive.

Scales that are to be used in shops where you will be selling by weight need to be trade approved.  An example of this is when a sweet shop owner sells 100 grams of sweets to his customers.  Because you are declaring that there is a certain amount of product on that scale then you need to prove that it is accurate to a certain standard.  These would normally be sold as Trade Approved, Weights & Measures Approved or Class III Approved.  These all mean the same thing, and that is that they conform to a standard which says that they are accurate enough to be selling on.  Medical scales, generally used in surgeries or hospitals, also need to be Class III approved.

We hope this article was of some use to you and assists you in being able to choose the right scale for you.  However we are always available for more information or advice.  Please feel free to visit ScalesOnline for the latest information and offerings