Industrial scales: which ones to choose and why are they so important for your business?

Industrial scales are one of the key measuring tools in companies where weight is directly related to production, logistics, accounting or quality control. Whether a company works with raw materials, bulk products, transportation or warehousing - properly selected industrial scales can significantly increase work efficiency, reduce the risk of errors and help ensure correct accounting data.

In this article, we review the main types of industrial scales, their advantages, and the most important nuances when choosing.

Why are industrial scales so important?

In industrial companies, weighing is often not just a simple operation – it is a critical part of the process that has a direct impact on:

production quantity and cost price,
for raw material accounting,
customer payments,
logistics and warehousing,
production quality,
for traceability and auditing.

Accurate weight means accurate results. Mistakes can cost hundreds or even thousands of euros per day.

Main types of industrial scales

1. Car scales

Designed for weighing trucks, dump trucks, tractors and other large vehicles.
Suitable for:

for agriculture,
for construction,
logistics parks,
processing companies.

They are usually installed with 6–10 sensors, and can be with ramp modules or flush with the road surface.

2. Platform (floor) scales

Used in warehouses, production lines, loading areas.
Suitable for weighing boxes, containers, pallets.
Advantages:

simple operation,
high accuracy,
easy to integrate with conveyors or packaging systems.

3. Conveyor scales

Designed for material flow control.
Used:

in quarries,
in grain elevators,
sorting lines,
in industry where it is important to measure the product during movement.

Allows you to see flow rates and total volume in real time.

4. Crane scales

Mounted on lifting equipment.
Suitable for:

for the metals industry,
warehouses,
for the timber sector,
for cargo inspection when it is not possible to use platform scales.

5. Weighing of tanks and bunker systems

Used in the process industry:

in food production,
in chemistry,
in feed factories,
in the production of plastic pellets.

The sensors are installed under the containers, so weighing takes place automatically, without human intervention.

How to choose the right industrial scales?

1. Evaluate loads and accuracy

Key questions:

What is the maximum weight?
What accuracy is required?
For example, for platform scales, an accuracy of 0.5–1% is sufficient, while for production, 0.1% may be required.

2. Environment and working conditions

Industrial scales must withstand:

dust,
humidity,
vibrations,
extreme temperatures.

IP and case material are very important here.

3. Sensor type

Analog sensors are cheaper, but more sensitive to interference.
Digital sensors are more accurate, better at diagnosing faults, and more stable in the long term.

4. Software and automation

Modern scales are no longer just mechanical devices.
They have:

self-service terminals,
automatic license plate recognition (LPR),
data synchronization with ERP,
transportation history,
analytics platform.

Automation reduces errors to 0 , eliminates the risk of the human factor, and speeds up processes.

When is it worth upgrading industrial scales?

If:

readings are "jumping",
large deviations occur,
sensors often fail,
the system no longer has spare parts,

Conclusion

Industrial scales are more than equipment – they are part of business management that determines accuracy, quality and process efficiency. Properly selected and maintained scales can last for decades, and together with automation, they can make your weighing process fast, safe and economical.

If you want, I can prepare another article:
✓ about car scales
✓ about sensors
✓ about installing scales
✓ about automation (Scale Expert)
✓ about foundations and installation errors