Legal Definitions - scale tolerance

Scale Tolerance refers to the expected and acceptable small differences in weight or mass measurements when the exact same item is weighed on different weighing devices. It acknowledges that even properly calibrated scales may not yield identical readings due to minor variations in their design, sensitivity, or environmental factors. These slight discrepancies are considered normal and within an allowable range.

• Example 1: Grocery Store Produce

  Imagine a customer weighing a bag of oranges in the produce section of a supermarket using a self-service scale. The scale displays a weight of 3.50 pounds. When the customer takes the oranges to the checkout counter, the cashier weighs the same bag on a different, commercial-grade scale, which shows 3.52 pounds. The slight difference of 0.02 pounds between the two readings for the identical bag of oranges is an illustration of scale tolerance. This minor variation is typically considered acceptable and within the expected limits for different weighing instruments.

• Example 2: Shipping a Package

  A small business owner weighs a package on their office scale before preparing it for shipment, and the scale reads 2.1 pounds. When they drop off the package at a shipping carrier's facility, the carrier uses a different, certified commercial scale to re-weigh the package, which then registers 2.08 pounds. The difference of 0.02 pounds in the weight of the same package, measured by two different scales, falls within the concept of scale tolerance. It's an expected, minor discrepancy between different weighing systems.

• Example 3: Manufacturing Component Quality Check

  In an aerospace manufacturing facility, a critical engine component is weighed on a production line scale, showing a weight of 15.75 kilograms. As part of the final quality assurance process, the exact same component is then moved to a separate, highly precise inspection laboratory where it is weighed again on a different, more sensitive scale, which registers 15.76 kilograms. The minor difference of 0.01 kilograms between the two measurements of the identical component, taken on two distinct weighing devices, demonstrates scale tolerance. This acceptable variation accounts for the inherent differences between the two scales, despite both being calibrated.