How to Choose the Best Pallet Scale for Your Warehouse (6 Questions to Ask Before You Buy)

When you’re looking to purchase the best pallet scale, the right questions have to run through your mind to help you make the right decision. What questions are those? Inscale can help.

1.    What Will You Be Weighing?

If you only weigh pallets, any pallet scale offered on Inscale may do. They’re all designed to accommodate an average pallet or crate. However, they’re also ideal for weighing abnormally sized or shaped objects. For example, Adam’s AELP pallet beams feature two weigh beams connected by a five-metre-long cable. You can set them at any distance apart within the five-metre limit to weigh long pipes, boards or equipment that would otherwise hang off a regular scale.

You’ll also want to consider the average weight of what you typically weigh so you can select a scale with the right capacity.  Inscale offers many high-capacity options up to six Tonnes!

2.    Where Will Your Best Pallet Scale Be Used?

Will you be using your pallet scale indoors or outdoors? Will it need to travel with you? If you’re using your pallet scale outside, you’ll likely prefer one that can stand up to the elements. Kern offers the UFN Stainless Steel Pallet Scale with an IP67 rating for protection against dust and water ingress.

For easy transportation, you can’t beat Adam’s AELP or Kern’s UFA. Both feature lightweight weigh beams with handles. AELP even offers wheels so you can roll each beam behind you!

If you’ll be using your scale here, there and everywhere, consider pallet jack scales like Adam’s PTS. You can move the skids and weigh them at the same time, improving efficiency.

3.    How Will Pallets Be Loaded onto the Scale?

Weigh beams or U-frame scales are particularly useful if you load a pallet on and off with a forklift or pallet jack. Because forklifts and pallet jacks need plenty of space underneath to properly unload the pallet, a weigh-beam style scale can be the most useful. You can drive up right to the weigh beams and lower the load onto the scale easily. Don’t even bother backing up – simply lower the forks and wait for the weighing result to stabilise. This saves you an extra step!

If you’re loading goods in a variety of ways, like a hand-truck or even occasionally by hand, a platform scale like Adam’s PT paired with its ramp accessories may be ideal. This way, you don’t have to worry about repositioning the weigh beams for proper loading with every different item.

4.    How Accurate Does Your Weighing Need to Be?

This question refers to the readability you should be looking for in the best pallet scale. Inscale offers pallet scales with readabilities ranging from 200g to 2kg. Certain readabilities are ideal for certain tasks. For example, the more precise 200g readability will provide results like 235.4kg, while a 2kg readability will drop the decimal and provide results like 236kg. The difference might not seem like much, but if you’re using pallet weight to calculate shipping prices or to prevent overloading equipment, invisible decimals can add up.

For example, let’s say you weigh four pallets on scales with two different readabilities. Their weights would be:

Essentially, you’re losing 2.4kg worth of weight by rounding up or down to the nearest 2kg. This is perfectly fine for high weight projects where a few extra kilograms don’t make much of a difference, but they do add up for smaller projects. This demonstrates why you shouldn’t necessarily invest in a scale with a significantly higher capacity or readability than you truly require!

1.    What Features Will Improve Productivity?

If you want to do more than weigh on your best pallet scale, like parts counting, checkweighing, dynamic weighing, you’ll need to select a pallet scale that can accommodate. 

Checkweighing can be used to determine whether a pallet is within designated weight limits. Adam’s AELP paired with the GK-Plus indicator is designed for regular checkweighing tasks with its full numeric keypad for typing limits and colour-changing backlight.

If you weigh liquids, like barrels of oil or kegs of beer, you’ll want to ensure your pallet scale has a dynamic weighing or a hold function. Both functions allow you to set a span of time from which to collect an average weight, so you don’t necessarily have to wait until the liquid inside is completely still to gain an accurate result. 

Parts counting can be helpful if all the items on your pallet are identical. That way, if you have a set quantity in mind per pallet, you can tare the pallet and continue adding product until the number hits your goal.

2.    How Will You Record Weight Data?

You might not need to record weight data, but if you do, it’s much easier when the tech is on your side. An indicator with compatible interfaces is key – almost all pallet scales on Inscale’s site offer RS-232 interfaces. Some, like Adam’s AELP and PT with GK-S or GK-Plus indicators also boast USB interfaces. This allows you to move beyond recording weights with a pen and paper to a connection with a PC or inventory management system.

Want more help deciding on the best pallet scale for you to invest in? Inscale can help. Contact our team today.