Weighing equipment in use for trade
(for all nations)
Enter your postcode in the field at the bottom of this page to see if your local authority trading standards department has the full leaflet version available on its website.
All weighing equipment in use for trade must be suitable for its intended purpose and be sufficiently accurate. Non-automatic weighing machines, ie those that require an operator to place and/or remove the items from the scale pan, are either 'passed as fit for use for trade' by an inspector of weights and measures (trading standards officer) or an 'approved verifier' (a person who is officially authorised to carry out the same verification duty of an inspector). If the equipment does not bear the stamp or stickers, it must not be used for trade purposes. It is also an offence to have or use seriously incorrect equipment or to alter equipment that is incorrect after it has been stamped.
Scales that are fully automated to fill a package without the intervention of an operator (automatic weighing machines) are not normally passed as 'fit for use for trade' but are still required to be suitable for the process and sufficiently accurate. Checks should be carried out to ensure the machine is maintained and accurate.
Weights that are in use for trade in conjunction with weighing equipment must be stamped with the crown stamp. There are a number of checks to ensure scales are always working properly including ensuring the scale is on a level surface, correctly balancing it before use, keeping the scale pan clean and keeping a record of checks carried out.
