We’re going to discuss something that many folks wonder about the first couple of times they are tasked with buying scales.

What Does it Mean when you see 5000 x 1 on a Scale?

If you’ve done any research at all online for scales, you’ve probably seen something written like 5000 x 1, or perhaps you’ve requested a quote and seen that number written. Either way, you may be wondering what these mean. 5000 x 1 lb, or it could be 60 x 0.02lb or it may have been 3000 g by 0.01g. 120,000 x 20 lb, 500 x 0.1 lb etc….

But what exactly does that mean? It’s actually pretty simple.

In the case of 5000 x 1 lb, this means that the total weighing capacity of the scale is 5000 pounds and the scale increases or decreases in weight by 1 lb increments from zero all the way to 5000 lb.

Some people refer to the 1 lb in this example as the readability or the graduation size. In the 60 x 0.02 lb example, it would be as follows, 60 lb is the capacity and 0.02 lb is the graduation size that the scale increases or decreases by from zero all the way to 60 lb.

Dual Range Capacity for Scales

Now, there are also scenarios where you have what are called dual range scales. With those scales, the graduation size changes after you reach a certain point. For example, the CAS S2000 JR is a popular price computing scale that has dual range built in. The 30 lb capacity has the following capacity listed on the spec sheet:

 0 – 15 x 0.005 lb / 15 – 30 x 0.01 lb.

Now, let’s take a moment to unpack this information. The scale has a max capacity of 30 lb. but instead of just one graduation amount, this scale has two.

So, from 0 to 15 lb, the scale increments up or down in 0.005 lb increments. And, from 15 lb up to 30 lb, the scale increments up or down in 0.01 lb increments.

We hope this has helped you better understand how scale capacity and readability are typically listed online and in scale quotes. If you need some buying assistance or advice, just click the Request a Quote button on our website or give us a call.