An industrial scale is a heavy-duty weighing device for the shop floor, warehouse or plant, and choosing one comes down to three questions: is the weighing trade under Canadian law, what capacity and readability can you actually use, and how hard is the environment on the equipment. This guide answers them with Measurement Canada's own numbers and applies them to the 49 Ohaus products (379 model rows, 0.44 to 5,000 lb) in ERE's Industrial Scales collection, and it says so where a product record is silent.
In this guide
- What is an industrial scale, and which types does ERE list?
- Does your weighing need Measurement Canada approval?
- How do capacity, readability and intervals work on an approved scale?
- What is the smallest load you can weigh on a trade scale?
- Which type of industrial scale fits your application?
- When do you need a washdown scale, and what do IP ratings mean?
- How do you choose an industrial scale, step by step?
What Is an Industrial Scale, and Which Types Does ERE List?
An industrial scale is built for shop-floor, warehouse and plant use rather than the laboratory bench: heavier capacity, tougher construction and, on many models, approval for use in trade. ERE's Industrial Scales collection holds 49 Ohaus products and 379 model rows. The table groups them by type. Capacity and readability are the ranges in the product records, and the last column counts the model rows that list Measurement Canada approval.
| Type | Ohaus families | Capacity | Headline readability | Rows listing Measurement Canada approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact bench scales | Valor™ 1000, Valor™ 2000, Valor™ 3000, Valor™ 4000, Valor™ 7000, Ranger™ 3000, Ranger™ 4000, Ranger™ 7000 | 0.44–150 lb | 0.00002–0.01 lb | 26 of 61 |
| Counting scales | Ranger™ Count 3000, Ranger™ Count 4000 | 3–60 lb | 0.0001–0.002 lb | 0 of 9 (no approval field) |
| Heavy-duty bench scales and bases | Defender™ 3000, Defender™ 3000 Hybrid, Defender™ 3000 Base, Defender™ 5000 D52, Defender™ 5000 Base, Defender™ 5000 Stainless Steel Base, Defender™ 6000 Hybrid, Defender™ 3000 Field Test | 5–1,200 lb | 0.0002–0.2 lb | 159 of 169 |
| Washdown bench scales and bases | Defender™ 6000 Washdown, Defender™ 6000 Washdown Base, Defender™ 5000 Washdown, Defender™ 3000 Washdown, Defender™ 3000 Washdown Base | 5–1,000 lb | 0.0002–0.1 lb | 63 of 71 |
| Floor scales and platforms | Defender™ 3000 Floor Scales, Defender™ 3000 Floor Scale Platforms, Defender™ 5000 Floor Scales, plus washdown versions | 2,500–5,000 lb | 0.5–1 lb | 0 of 30 (NTEP Certified only) |
| Drum scales | Defender™ 2500 Drum Scales | 500–2,500 lb | 0.1–0.5 lb | 0 of 5 (record says No) |
| Shipping scales | Courier™ 1000, Courier™ 3000, Courier™ 5000, Courier™ 7000 | 12–400 lb | 0.005–0.2 lb | 5 of 21 (Courier 7000 only) |
A bench or floor scale is a platform or base plus an indicator. The indicators list resolution in counts rather than pounds: the TD52, T72, i-DT61, i-DT33 and i-DT25 run from 30,000 to 75,000 counts, and all but the i-DT61 also list a lower certified resolution: 10,000 counts on the TD52, T72 and i-DT25, and 6,000 on the i-DT33. For laboratory-grade balances that read to milligrams, see our laboratory balance guide and the Scales & Balances collection.
Does Your Weighing Need Measurement Canada Approval?
Only if the weighing is trade. GEN-41 says devices used in trade require type approval and inspection, unless section 4 of the Weights and Measures Regulations exempts them, and devices not used in trade require neither. It defines trade as selling, purchasing, exchanging, consigning, leasing or providing a commodity, right, facility or service on the basis of measure.
- Trade: determining the quantity of an individually measured commodity, or an adjustment to that quantity; determining the quantity of a service; and weighing samples before and after cleaning or drying to adjust the amount bought, which the bulletin calls dockage. It also deems weighing picked produce to set a wage to be trade.
- Not trade: determining quality or grade, including a measurement that affects only the price and not the amount; batching ingredients in production; and portion control, such as weighing ground beef for patties.
- Trade, but exempt: weighing standard-quantity commodities, when the device is used only for that.
The Specifications add two rules for buyers. Section 61 says a device must suit its intended use, including its maximum capacity, verification scale interval, number of intervals, minimum net load and computing capability. Section 55 says it must be installed and used according to the manufacturer's instructions and the parameters, restrictions and limitations in its notice of approval.
ERE's Ohaus records use five wordings in the Legal for Trade field. "NTEP Certified;Measurement Canada Approved" appears on 253 model rows and "NTEP Certified" on its own on 34; "No" appears on 21, "Not Applicable" on 39, one row shows a dash, and 31 rows (the counting scales, the Ranger 7000 and the indicators) have no such field. A record that lists NTEP alone does not state Measurement Canada approval: that covers all 30 floor-scale rows and 4 Valor 3000 rows. Ask ERE to confirm the approval, and the exact base-and-indicator pairing, before you order for trade use.
How Do Capacity, Readability and Intervals Work on an Approved Scale?
The Specifications judge an approved scale by three numbers: the verification scale interval e (the step used to classify and inspect the scale), the number of intervals, defined as Max ÷ e, and the class. For Class III ("Medium"), a step of 0.01 lb (5 g) or more must give 500 to 10,000 intervals, and a step of 0.1 to 2 g gives 100 to 10,000. Class IIII ("Ordinary") allows 100 to 1,200 intervals, and Class IIIHD, for steps of 5 lb (2 kg) or more, needs at least 2,000. Error limits are counted in steps too: for Class III the in-service limit is ±1 e up to 500 intervals, ±2 e to 2,000, ±3 e to 4,000 and ±5 e to 10,000.
On the Ohaus records, that step is the "Readability (Certified)" column, and it is usually coarser than the headline "Readability". Of the 278 rows that list both, 32 have the same step, 84 are 2× coarser, 45 are 4×, 84 are 5× and 33 are 10×. Four rows show the pattern; the Valor 7000 is 10× coarser on every one of its rows.
| Model row | Capacity | Headline readability | Certified readability | Coarser by | Approval on the record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V71P30T (Valor 7000) | 60 lb | 0.002 lb (30,000 counts) | 0.02 lb (3,000 intervals) | 10× | NTEP + Measurement Canada |
| D52P500RQV3 (Defender 5000 D52, 24 in × 24 in) | 1,000 lb | 0.05 lb (20,000 counts) | 0.2 lb (5,000 intervals) | 4× | NTEP + Measurement Canada |
| D61PW150K1L7 (Defender 6000 washdown) | 300 lb | 0.02 lb (15,000 counts) | 0.1 lb (3,000 intervals) | 5× | NTEP + Measurement Canada |
| I-DF33P5000B1L (Defender 3000 floor scale, 4 ft × 4 ft) | 5,000 lb | 1 lb (5,000 counts) | 1 lb (5,000 intervals) | 1× | NTEP only |
Divide capacity by the certified step and you get intervals. The 210 Measurement Canada-listed rows that give a certified readability run from 2,000 to 5,000 intervals, all inside the Class III window, so the certified column is the one to size against. Treat it as the step for any trade use, and confirm it with ERE for the exact model.
What Is the Smallest Load You Can Weigh on a Trade Scale?
Section 62 of the Specifications sets a minimum net load: the step multiplied by a factor that depends on the application, on a scale of Class III or better. For weighing to set postal, transportation or shipping charges (except on a device of 4,000 kg / 10,000 lb capacity or more) the factor is 10 for a step up to 50 g and 20 above that. For any other application it is 20 for steps of 0.1 to 2 g and for 5 g, 50 between 5 g and 50 g, and 100 from 50 g up.
| Verification scale interval e | Any other application | Postal, transportation or shipping charges |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 g to 2 g | e × 20 | e × 10 |
| 5 g | e × 20 | e × 10 |
| Over 5 g and under 50 g | e × 50 | e × 10 |
| 50 g | e × 100 | e × 10 |
| Over 50 g | e × 100 | e × 20 |
Worked through four rows from the Ohaus records:
| Model row | Capacity | Certified step e | Intervals | Minimum net load, general use | Minimum net load, shipping charges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V71P1502T (Valor 7000) | 3 lb | 0.001 lb (0.5 g) | 3,000 | 0.02 lb (× 20) | 0.01 lb (× 10) |
| V71P30T (Valor 7000) | 60 lb | 0.02 lb (10 g) | 3,000 | 1 lb (× 50) | 0.2 lb (× 10) |
| D52P500RQV3 (Defender 5000 D52) | 1,000 lb | 0.2 lb (100 g) | 5,000 | 20 lb (× 100) | 4 lb (× 20) |
| I-DF33P5000B1L (Defender 3000 floor scale, NTEP only) | 5,000 lb | 1 lb (0.5 kg) | 5,000 | 100 lb (× 100) | 20 lb (× 20) |
That is our arithmetic applied to Measurement Canada's rule, not a Measurement Canada table: we take the certified readability as e, and the actual e and class are on the device's notice of approval. The practical point is that the minimum load grows with capacity. A 1,000 lb scale certified to 0.2 lb should not be used to weigh a 10 lb item in general trade use, while a 60 lb scale certified to 0.02 lb handles it, so choose the lowest capacity that covers your heaviest load, not the biggest available.
Which Type of Industrial Scale Fits Your Application?
Match the type to what you weigh, then check the approval column for that family.
- Compact bench scales (0.44–150 lb). Parts, packaging and small batches. Valor 4000, Valor 7000, Ranger 3000 and Ranger 4000 list Measurement Canada approval on every row, Valor 1000 on 4 of 8, Valor 2000 and Valor 3000 on none, and Ranger 7000 has no approval field.
- Counting scales (3–60 lb). The Ranger Count 3000 and 4000 add parts counting, check-weighing and accumulation, and the 3000 record lists a 30-item library. The records carry no approval field, so confirm before you count or weigh for trade.
- Heavy-duty bench scales and bases (5–1,200 lb). The Defender 3000, 5000 and 6000 Hybrid lines cover the widest range: 159 of 169 rows list Measurement Canada approval, and the Defender 3000 Base and Field Test list Not Applicable. The Defender 5000 Base is a base for an indicator: its record lists an EasyConnect cable for instant configuration with Defender 5000 (TD52) indicators, IP67, and NTEP and Measurement Canada approval.
- Washdown scales (5–1,000 lb). For cleaning with water or chemicals; see the next section. 63 of 71 rows list Measurement Canada approval.
- Floor scales and platforms (2,500–5,000 lb). The Defender 3000 floor scales use painted carbon-steel treaded decks in 3 × 3, 4 × 4 and 5 × 5 ft sizes, sold as scales with an indicator or as platforms. All 30 rows list NTEP certification only, so ask ERE before trade use.
- Drum scales (500–2,500 lb). The Defender 2500 is a portable floor scale with front and back access ramps and integrated wheels for rolling drums and pallet loads. The record lists Legal for Trade: No on all 5 rows, so it is not a trade scale on the record.
- Shipping scales (12–400 lb). The Courier 5000 and 7000 records list UPS connectivity (and FedEx on the 7000) and a weight-alert mode. Only the Courier 7000 lists Measurement Canada approval (5 of 5 rows); the Courier 1000, 3000 and 5000 list No. Because the Specifications give weighing for shipping charges its own Class III minimum-load rule, confirm the model's approval before you bill a customer from its reading.
When Do You Need a Washdown Scale, and What Do IP Ratings Mean?
When the scale is cleaned with water or chemicals, or sits where it gets splashed. The IEC's IP code has two numerals: the first (0 to 6) rates protection against solids, up to 6 for no ingress of dust, and the second (0 to 9) rates protection against liquids, up to 9 for high-pressure hot water from different angles. IEC 60529 gives the full description and test conditions. These are the ratings on ERE's Ohaus records:
| Component (Ohaus record) | Protection rating listed | Model rows |
|---|---|---|
| Defender™ 6000 Washdown Base | IP69K / IP68 | 5 |
| i-DT61 indicators | IP69K / IP68 | 3 |
| Defender™ 3000 Washdown Floor Platforms | IP68 | 5 |
| TD52XW indicator | IP68 | 2 |
| Defender™ 5000 Base and Stainless Steel Base | IP67 | 34 |
| Defender™ 3000 Washdown Base | IP67 | 7 |
| T72XW and i-DT33XW indicators | IP66 | 4 |
| Defender™ 3000 Floor Scale Platforms | IP65 | 5 |
| Defender 3000 Base, Defender 2500 drum scales, TD52P, i-DT33P and i-DT25P | Not Applicable | 18 |
Read the rating for the part that gets wet. A scale is a base plus an indicator, and each record lists its own rating, so a washdown base under an indicator with no rating is only as protected as the indicator. The records differ in material too: the Defender 6000 washdown record lists a 316 stainless steel platform and frame, a hermetically sealed stainless steel load cell and IP68 immersion / IP69K washdown protection, while the Defender 5000 Base lists a 304-grade stainless steel platform on a powder-coated steel frame. The records do not state the test conditions behind IP69K, so ask for the manufacturer's documentation if your cleaning uses hot, high-pressure spray or aggressive chemicals.
How Do You Choose an Industrial Scale, Step by Step?
Work from the use to the scale: trade or not, then loads, capacity, step, minimum load and environment.
- Decide whether the weighing is trade. Check your use against GEN-41: the quantity sold, a dockage or moisture adjustment or a service measured by weight is trade; batching, grading and portion control are not. If it is trade, shortlist only rows that list Measurement Canada approval.
- Write down your heaviest and lightest loads. Include the container or pallet in the heaviest load, and use the net weight for the lightest.
- Pick the lowest capacity that covers the heaviest load. A lower capacity gives a finer step and a lower minimum net load.
- Check the certified step and the intervals. Divide capacity by the certified readability. For Class III with a step of 0.01 lb (5 g) or more, the answer must fall between 500 and 10,000.
- Check the minimum net load. Multiply the certified step by the factor for your use, 10 to 100. Your lightest net load must be at least that.
- Match the type and environment, then confirm the approval. Choose bench, floor, drum, counting, washdown or shipping, check the IP rating of the part that gets wet, and ask ERE to confirm the approval and the base-and-indicator pairing in the notice of approval before you order.
Send us your heaviest and lightest loads, the tolerance, whether the weighing is trade and how the scale is cleaned, and we will match a model from the Industrial Scales collection.
Need help choosing an industrial scale?
ERE Inc. has been Canada's environmental equipment specialist for 30+ years. Tell us your heaviest and lightest loads, whether the weighing is trade and how the scale is cleaned, and we will match the Ohaus scale, indicator and approval.
→ Request a Quote | 1-888-287-EREC | Browse Industrial Scales | sales@ereinc.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Measurement Canada-approved scale?
Only if the weighing is trade. GEN-41 says devices used in trade require type approval and inspection unless exempt, and devices not used in trade do not. The quantity sold, a dockage or moisture adjustment and a service measured by weight are trade; batching, grading quality and portion control are not.
What is the difference between headline and certified readability?
On ERE's Ohaus records, headline readability is the finer step the record lists and certified readability is the step it lists for certified use. Of the 278 rows that list both, 246 have a certified step 2 to 10 times coarser than the headline one; on the Valor 7000 it is 0.0001 to 0.002 lb against 0.001 to 0.02 lb.
What is the smallest load I can weigh on an approved scale?
The certified step times a factor from section 62 of Measurement Canada's Specifications, 10 to 100 depending on the application. On a 1,000 lb scale certified to 0.2 lb that is 20 lb for general use (factor 100) and 4 lb for shipping charges (factor 20). Lower capacities give lower minimums.
Are Ohaus floor scales approved for trade in Canada?
On ERE's product records, all 30 Defender floor-scale rows (2,500 to 5,000 lb) list NTEP certification only, with no Measurement Canada approval. Confirm the approval status of your exact model with ERE before you buy a floor scale for trade use.
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