What type of scale do I require?  Answering some of the following questions may help you narrow down the type of scale you are looking for.

• Does the scale need to be “Legal for Trade”?
  
  • *Legal-for-Trade is a designation given to a scale that has been certified by a Measurement Canada accredited company (such as Industrial Scale Ltd.) or by Measurement Canada themselves.  This certification allows you to use your scale to purchase and sell goods and also to determine shipping weights that are cost-based (i.e.: packages, pallets, etc.).  A couple of examples where a scale requires Legal-for-Trade Certification include a retail scale at a deli/market or a truck scale at a fertilizer plant.

• What will you be weighing on the scale?
• Do you want a mechanical scale or an electronic scale?
• What size of platform do you require?  Or do you require a hanging scale?
• What capacity do you need?  (In other words, what is the weight of the heaviest object that would ever be weighed on the scale?)
• What is the weight of the lightest object that would ever be weighed on the scale?
• What graduation size do you require (i.e.: 0.01 grams, 1.0 oz, 1lb, etc.)?
  
  • *Another term for graduation size is “increment”.  The graduation size you require will depend on the material that you are weighing and how crucial accuracy is to your application.  An example of an application where a fine graduation size is required (i.e.: 0.01 grams) is in a dockage application at a grain elevator.

• What unit of measurement will you be weighing in (LB, KG, OZ, etc.)?
• What type of environment will the scale be used in (Indoor/Outdoor, Wet/Dry, Corrosive, Hazardous)?
• Do you require a battery-operated scale or will you have access to a plug-in?
• Do you require scale portability?  (In other words, will you be moving/transporting the scale often, very little, or never?)
• Do you have a budget?