Properties and functions of industrial scales: what to look for

An industrial scale does not sit in a kitchen or on a shop counter, but in a warehouse, a production hall, a cold store or a laboratory. It weighs every day, often hundreds of times, and the weight it shows determines what goes out of the door, what goes on a label or what a customer pays. That is why you ask more of it than of an ordinary scale. In this article you will read which types of industrial scale there are, the six properties you choose on and which functions you will actually use in practice. For each property we show where to find it in our range, so that after reading you know not only what you are looking for, but also where it is.

What makes a scale industrial?

Three things. It withstands its environment: knocks from a pallet truck, water during hosing down, dust, grease and temperature changes. It is built for repetition: a load cell that is loaded day in, day out must still read the same after years. And it fits into a work process: the indicator talks to a printer, a labelling machine or your administration system, rather than just showing a number.

That does not necessarily make an industrial scale large. A 3 kg counting scale on an assembly bench is just as much an industrial scale as a 3,000 kg floor scale. The difference from a household or retail scale lies in the construction, the accuracy over its entire service life and the option of having it verified for trade use.

What types of industrial scale are there?

The form follows from what you weigh and how it arrives.

• Floor scales for pallets, roll cages and drums; free-standing on the floor or recessed in a pit frame, so you can drive onto them at floor level. In our range from 3 kg to 8 tonnes.
• Pallet scales in a U-shape or as separate weigh beams, for those who weigh with a pallet truck and have no room for a platform. A pallet truck scale weighs on the move.
• Bench scales up to 30 or 60 kg on a workbench, packing table or in the kitchen of a production company.
• Counting scales that calculate the number of pieces from the weight of a reference quantity; for stock, kitting and goods inwards.
• Crane and hanging scales for loads that hang from a hoist or crane and do not fit on a platform.
• Checkweighing scales that use a limit and a colour to show whether a package is within tolerance; manually or as an automatic checkweigher in the line.
• Axle weighers and weighbridges for vehicles, and load cells under silos and tanks for those who want to see the stock in the tank itself.

Laboratory balances do not belong in this list: they weigh to a milligram in a quiet room and have their own requirements. You can read about them under laboratory balances.

The six properties you choose on

1. Weighing range and readability

The weighing range (Max) is the heaviest load the scale can handle; the readability (d) is the smallest step the display shows. The two are linked: a platform up to 3,000 kg shows steps of 500 g or 1 kg, a bench scale up to 6 kg shows steps of one gram. Take the heaviest thing you will ever weigh, including container or pallet, and add a margin. Then do not go much higher, because every step up in range costs you readability. If in doubt, what accuracy and capacity do I need will help you further.

2. Dual range and triple range

Many industrial scales have two or three weighing ranges in one instrument, dual range or triple range: fine readability for light loads and coarser for heavy ones. This way a floor scale weighs a single parcel in 200 g steps and a full pallet in 500 g steps, without you needing two scales. There are two versions. On a multi-range scale the display switches to the coarse range as soon as the load exceeds the first range, and stays there until the scale returns to zero. On a multi-interval scale the display step depends on the net weight, even after taring; if you tare heavy packaging and weigh something light in it, you keep the fine readability. The product page states which of the two it is.

3. Material

Painted or galvanised steel is the standard and is fine in a dry warehouse. Where water, acid, salt or food is involved, choose stainless steel: the platform, and preferably the frame and indicator too. A stainless steel platform on a steel frame rusts from underneath. Under stainless steel bench scales you will find the models made entirely of stainless steel; in the other categories you will find it as a filter.

4. IP rating

The IP rating tells you how well the electronics are protected against dust and water. IP65 withstands a water jet and is sufficient for a wet floor and cleaning with a cloth. IP67 and IP68 withstand immersion, IP69K a high-pressure cleaner with hot water, as in an abattoir or fish processing plant. Do not choose a higher rating than the environment requires: a higher rating means a more tightly sealed housing and usually a higher price. All floor scales rated IP65 or higher are grouped together under IP65 floor scales.

5. Verifiable or not

If you charge by weight, put the weight on a prepackage or the weight determines what a customer pays, the scale must be verified (legal for trade) and carry the green M mark. Not every model can do this: a verifiable scale is built to the European directive for non-automatic weighing instruments and has a type approval. If you only weigh for your own process, verification is not required, but you will often want a calibration certificate for your quality system. You can read about the difference under verification or calibration. All models that can carry the M mark are listed under verified scales; we supply scales verified from the factory, and the initial verification is carried out by the manufacturer.

6. Power supply and installation

If there is no mains socket nearby, or you move the scale around, choose a version with a rechargeable battery. For a floor scale, installation matters more than you might think: ramps on one or two sides, a pit frame for weighing at floor level, and a column or wall bracket for the indicator so the display is at eye level. Also consider how the platform will be cleaned; some models can be folded up.

Which functions will you actually use?

A modern indicator can do a lot, but in practice it is a handful of functions that make the work faster.

• Tare, including with a preset value: you deduct the weight of a container or pallet without first placing it empty on the scale.
• Counting: you place ten pieces on the platform, the scale calculates the piece weight and then counts the rest. The smaller the pieces, the finer the readability needs to be.
• Checkweighing: you set a lower and upper limit and the display turns green, yellow or red. Indispensable for prepackages and order picking.
• Totalising: adding up successive weighings into a total per order, pallet or day.
• Dosing and formulation: weighing out several ingredients one after the other in the same container, with a signal when the target weight is reached.
• Dynamic weighing: an average over a few seconds for a moving load, such as an animal or a swinging crane load.
• Hold: the weight stays on the display after the load has been removed, useful with a crane scale or a large pallet that blocks the display.

The functions a model has are listed on the product page under the specifications. For counting and checkweighing we have separate categories: counting scales and checkweighing scales.

The indicator and the interfaces

On a floor or pallet scale the indicator is a separate unit connected to the platform. That is an advantage: you choose the indicator for what it needs to do, from a simple display to a terminal with a touchscreen, and you can replace it later without replacing the platform. The reverse also applies: an existing platform with good load cells can often be connected to a new weighing indicator.

With the indicator, pay attention to the interfaces. RS-232 and USB for a printer or a PC, Ethernet or Wi-Fi for a network, and a relay output if the scale needs to control a valve or a signal lamp. An interface is not yet an integration: what to look out for in the protocol is explained in connecting a scale to a PC, PLC or ERP. If you want weighings to go automatically into your administration system, our weighing software links the indicator to your ERP or till system, and with a label printing scale the label comes straight out of the printer.

Safety and legislation

An industrial scale has overload protection, so that an excessively heavy load or a knock from a forklift does not destroy the load cell. A non-slip platform and low ramps prevent a pallet truck from tipping over. Place a floor scale on a level, hard surface; on an uneven floor one of the four load cells carries more than the others and the reading is no longer correct.

If you use the scale for trade purposes, it must be a verified, legal-for-trade scale. We supply such scales verified from the factory, carrying the green M mark; the initial verification is carried out by the manufacturer, and periodic re-verification is arranged through the manufacturer. You can read how this works under verification and calibration.

Maintenance, calibration and re-verification

A scale that is kept clean and stands level stays accurate for a long time. Regularly clear the platform and the space beneath it of dirt and packaging remnants; anything trapped under the platform disturbs the weighing. Check the scale regularly with a check weight of a known class and record the result. If it deviates, it is time for a calibration, in which we measure and record how much the scale deviates, or for adjustment, in which that deviation is corrected.

You may not adjust a verified scale yourself; it receives a new M mark at re-verification, which is arranged through the manufacturer. Cables, batteries and the rubber feet under the platform are wearing parts; replacing them in good time prevents downtime at the wrong moment.

What determines the price, and what does it deliver?

The price of an industrial scale is determined by the range in combination with the readability, the material, the IP rating, whether it can be verified and the indicator. A stainless steel IP68 floor scale in a verified version costs several times as much as a painted platform with a simple display, and rightly so if you need those properties. Do not pay for a property you will not use, but do not cut corners on what determines the work either: a scale that reads more coarsely than your process requires costs you material or margin with every weighing.

You see what it delivers in three places: fewer errors in order picking and packing, less time per weighing because tare and totals are automatic, and the certainty that an invoice or a label is based on a valid weight.

How to choose in five steps

1. How heavy will it be, at its heaviest, including packaging?
2. What difference do you still want to be able to see?
3. Do you charge by weight? Then choose a verified scale.
4. Where will it be placed: dry, wet, outdoors, in a cold store?
5. Which form suits how the load arrives: on a pallet, on a hook, on a table?

The extended version of these questions can be found in our knowledge base under which scale do I need. If you would rather search by workplace, take a look at scales for warehouse and logistics or scales for production. And if you are still not sure after reading this: give us a call. You will speak to someone who works with this equipment every day.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an industrial scale and an ordinary scale?

An industrial scale is built for daily use in a harsh environment, stays accurate for years and can usually be supplied verified. An ordinary scale is built for occasional weighing in a clean room.

Does an industrial scale have to be verified?

Only if the weight determines what someone pays or what appears on a prepackage. If you weigh for your own process, it is not required, but a calibration certificate is often desirable.

What does IP65 mean for a scale?

That the housing is dust-tight and withstands a water jet. For immersion or a high-pressure cleaner you need IP67, IP68 or IP69K.

Can I connect my existing weighing platform to a new indicator?

Usually yes, if the load cells are still in good condition. We check whether the platform and the indicator are compatible and match them to each other; for a verified scale this also requires a new verification, arranged through the manufacturer.