Counting Scale

A counting scale is a fast, easy way to count inventory. It can be used in almost any business for any type of inventory. The concept is so simple, you will say, “Why didn’t I do that years ago?” Instead of counting hundreds of small items, you put one piece in your counting scale and press a button to set the weight per piece. Then you weigh the entire bin of those items and the counting scale tells you how many you have.

This works with clothing, hardware, buttons, bottles of solution, anything that can be weighed. The only limit is the size of your scale and the number of items it will hold. This method of inventory counting is usually used to count small items such as screws and nails because many factories and other businesses have hundreds or thousands of many different sizes and counting them manually would take many hours.

Finding the right counting scale takes some research. The biggest mistake buyers of counting scales make is to buy a scale based only on the scale’s capacity. There are two items to consider here. The first is the total weight you need to weigh. The other item, and it is equally as important, is the accuracy of the counting scale.

The basic rule for scales is: the higher the capacity, the lower the accuracy. Or the reverse, which is the higher the accuracy, the lower the capacity. For example, a 5-pound scale may be accurate to 1/1000 of an ounce while a 50-pound scale might only be accurate to 1/100 of an ounce. The 5-pound scale is much more accurate that the larger scale while the larger scale has 10 times the capacity of the smaller scale.

To decide which counting scale or counting scales you need, you have to carefully consider what you will be weighing and which is more important, accuracy or capacity. With any scale counting system, the actual inventory may vary a little from the inventory number you get from a counting scale. Because of the time saved, most companies consider this slight inaccuracy in inventory acceptable.

The digital counting scale offers many features. Most buyers do not spend enough time using these scale to understand which are important to them in their specialized needs. Some of the features to consider when buying counting scales are design, size, capacity, accuracy, tare feature, power source, price, warranty, removable top and the number of units it can weight at one time.

Size is one of the most important features to consider. Each required use is different, so the counting scale must work for you. The scale’s platform should be large enough to hold the items to be weighed.

Almost all counting scales offer a tare feature. This allows you to place an empty container on the scales and push the tare button. The digital counting scale will automatically readjust itself to zero so that the weight of the container is not included when you weigh your items. When you place the full container on the scale, you will get an accurate weight of the items only.

Price is usually a top consideration when choosing a scale. However, it should come after several other options as the inventory count is only as good as the scale. The required features affect the price. Most counting scales are less than a hundred dollars and are worth the investment in saved man hours alone.

To settle the capacity verses accuracy debate, you only need to figure out what is the heaviest amount you need to weigh and the lest amount you need to weigh. If you buy a counting scale that can handle both of these accurately, you are done.

Many digital counting scales have batteries, which last a long time since the unit takes very little power and shuts itself off when not in use. Some require electricity. A few have both.

If you weigh liquids or powder, a sealed LCD display and buttons offer more protection in case of spills. You want to make sure your counting scale will not be destroyed if it gets some dust or liquid spilled on it.

Most scales sold in the United States are set to pounds and ounces. Some also include kilogram and grams. If you have special needs, check this out before you order. Some scales have removable platforms, which allows for fast clean-up when needed.

Scales come in different styles, designs and colors. The use of the scale outweighs any color choice or design option, especially if you are purchasing the scale for business or industrial use.

Many specialized counting scales are available or can be special ordered to fill a need. A parts counting scale and an industrial counting scale are two examples. Manufactures realize that different industries have different requirements and are willing to try to meet these needs.

For handling inventory issues, a counting scale saves time. This type of digital scale will pay for itself quickly, and grateful employees will be happier because they will have less counting to do at inventory time.