What is a Top Pan Balance Used For?

Sometimes, you need a highly accurate balance without the sensitivity and low capacity that comes along with it. Top pan balances provide you with the versatility you need, but what are they, and what can they be used for? This blog will answer all your questions and recommend our top three top pan balances.

What is a Top Pan Balance?

A top pan balance, also known as a top loading balance, is a balance with a weighing pan that is attached to the top, as opposed to one enclosed by the body of the machine. The lack of a draft shield means the weighing area is not protected from the wind like other high-accuracy precision and analytical balances. However, top pan balances do not usually have the fine readability of analytical balances, and the lack of a draft shield makes it easier to add items to the balance for weighing. Although, should you work in an environment heavily affected by wind, you may choose to use a draft shield anyway.

What is a Top Pan Balance Used For?

Top pan balances are one of the most popular types of balance because they’re useful in a wide variety of industries. The key benefit is that the lack of a draft shield makes it easier to add items to the balance and does not restrict the size of objects you’re weighing.

Many top pan balances offer handy applications such as a hold function and digital filtering, which are ideal for weighing moving objects, as well as parts counting to save time counting small pieces manually. Popular features include rechargeable batteries that make them convenient for environments with unreliable or no electricity and allow the balance to be portable.

These features make top pan balances assets for laboratories, classrooms, and fieldwork, as well as production and manufacturing applications. If a laboratory needs to weigh an item such as a blood bag, top pan balances can handle the size and weight better than an analytical balance, while also providing highly accurate results. These balances are also less sensitive to disturbances such as wind and vibration, which are typically present in warehouses and in the field. Top pan balances are also durable enough to be handled by students on a day-to-day basis.

How Accurate is a Top Pan Balance?

Thanks to their capacities ranging from 60g to 24kg and readabilities ranging from 0.001g to 0.1g, they can measure relatively heavy objects with a high degree of accuracy, though they’re not intended for sub-milligram precision.

Our Three Best Top Balances

Here at Inscale, we want you to have the best, which is why we’re recommending our biggest-selling top pan balances.

Kern 572 Precision Balances

Capacities: 160g – 24kg

Readabilities: 0.001g – 0.1g

Kern’s 572 precision balance is easy to use, with step-by-step user guidance on the display. This range is useful for checking product weight and counting applications, as it includes features such as parts counting and percentage deviation.

Highland HCB 

Capacities: 120g – 6000g

Readabilities: 0.001g – 0.1g

Adam Equipment’s HCB ‘Highland’ Portable Precision Balances have many key features that contribute to their popularity on our site, one of which is that the HCB is uniquely stackable, which saves space during storage and transportation, as does the rechargeable battery. The HCB also features Adam’s patented ShockProtect® which offers excellent protection against shock loading and accidental overload, so one mistake doesn’t mean the end of your machine. The HCB is also the most affordable option on this list. Plus, a draft shield is provided should ever you need it.

Luna Precision Balances (LTB Models)

Capacities for LTB Models: 2600g – 6000g

Readabilities for LTB Models: 0.01g

Out of these three, Adam Equipment's LTB models of its Luna precision balance range are our top-selling top-loading balances. Like the standard LPB and LBB models, which are supplied with a wind chamber, these professional lab balances boast a huge, clear display, USB connectivity for recording data and a sealed keypad for protection against dirt and spills.

Do you have further questions about top pan balances? Get In Touch with the Inscale team.