Shipping Scales

Anyone who sends letters, parcels or other shipments often uses shipping scales to determine the weight of the shipment before handing it over to the transport service provider. Often there are even several scales for different weight ranges. This weight check before shipment serves several purposes. On the one hand, the price for the transportation is in many cases calculated according to the weight and once certain weight values are reached, it must be paid more or even a different service provider or shipping method must be chosen. On the other hand, the weight information must be included in the shipping and customs documents. When loading the trucks, it is also in the consignor's interest that the load is well distributed and secured and that the permissible axle and total loads of the vehicle are not exceeded.

Verification Requirements for the Shipping Scales
An important criterion when choosing new shipping scales is whether the scales have to be verified. Every transport service provider who transports letters, parcels or other shipments and sets and charges the price according to the weight must use the verified scales to determine the weight. Also, if the sender of the goods charges his customer a weight-based shipping fee instead of a flat rate, the weight to which this fee relates must be determined with the calibrated shipping scales. The scales used by the consignor to determine the transport weight for his own purposes or to pre-announce the consignments to the carrier are not generally subject to the verification requirement. However, some parcel services contractually agree with their customers that the consignor weighs the consignments himself using the verified shipping scales and provides the weights for the calculation of the charge.

The requirement to use the verified shipping scales not only limits the choice, but also leads to some obligations towards the calibration authority. The operator of the verified scales must register them with the local weights and measures office and have them recalibrated after the calibration period of two or three years has expired.

Designs of the shipping scales
The height of the weight and the dimensions of the packages are decisive factors in determining which type of scales is suitable for the use as the shipping scales. Depending on to which extent the consignments differ in size and maximum weight, several different types are often used. When choosing the shipping scales with a weighing platform, always make sure that the dimensions of the weighing platform match the size of the consignments and that the item to be weighed can be placed there safely in the center. An uneven load that causes the weighing platform to be minimally twisted or displaced can lead not only to incorrect weighing results, but also to the overload of the weighing cells.

The compact scales are ideal as shipping scales for letters and small-format parcels. Inexpensive letters and parcels sent without proof of shipment are often only weighed in order to frank them correctly. The design of the compact scales is characterized by the fact that the weighing platform and the display and control unit are connected by a common housing. If necessary, they can be very easily moved to another location and used there. For the users who only send small consignments, the compact scales with a maximum weight of 10 kilograms and a resolution of 0.2 grams or with a maximum weight of 30 kilograms and a resolution of 0.5 grams should suffice.

In the case of the platform scales, the weighing platform can be placed separately from the display and control unit, for example on the floor, so that the weighing of the large and heavy items is easier to handle. The maximum loads for the shipping scales with a separate platform range from 30 kilograms to several thousand kilograms. For the maximum loads of 300 kilograms or more, there are also versions that can be driven over with the pallet trucks if they are embedded into the floor or provided with the ramps.

The roller conveyor scales are the platform scales integrated into a roller conveyor. The package rolls onto the shipping scales practically automatically and does not have to be lifted for weighing. This simplifies the weighing process considerably.

Special pallet scales are often used as the shipping scales when goods are shipped on pallets. These special forms, which are particularly suitable for pallets, include U-shaped scales, beam scales and pallet truck scales. A pallet truck with integrated scales can be used not only to weigh the pallet prepared for shipping, but also to transport it to the loading area.

Crane scales and truck scales can also be used as the shipping scales. They are particularly useful when very long, large or very heavy parts are to be weighed. With the suitable truck scales, the shipper can also check that the permissible axle loads and the total weight of the loaded vehicle are not exceeded. In case of exceedances or uneven load distribution, reloading can be carried out before the vehicle leaves the premises. This not only reduces the risk of accidents, but also helps to avoid fines and delays caused by the trucks being pulled out of traffic.

Special functions of the shipping scales
For many shippers, it is advantageous if the shipping scales used offer certain calculation functions in addition to the weight determination. One frequently used function is the sum function. With this function, several consecutive weighings can be added together. This helps, for example, not to exceed the maximum weight per pallet and the permitted payload of the vehicles. The limit value function can be used to sort the packages according to the weight classes or to check similar consignments for deviations from the target weight. The percentage function can also be used to check for exceeding or falling below a specified reference weight. The piece counting function is practical if the shipping scales are also used to fill the packaging units with several similar pieces. Other special functions that not all shipping scales have are the adjustable filters. These allow the scales ' electronics to be adapted, for example, to the ambient conditions at the place of use. Some scales models also allow the product data to be stored. There are models available where it is relatively easy to transfer CSV files from the merchandise management system into the device's internal database. If other units for the weight are frequently required in shipping instead of the common SI units of grams and kilograms, the shipping scales should be selected that can immediately display the weighing result in this unit.

Use of interfaces in the shipping scale
Many users of the shipping scales want to log the weighing data as easily as possible and use it for the necessary shipping documents and internal evaluations. In the case of high shipping volumes, the processes can often be optimized by not recording and storing the weighing data several times, but by transferring it via interfaces directly for further processing. If the shipping scales have a suitable interface, the data can be transferred to a receipt or label printer or to a computer immediately after weighing. If the shipping scales are also to receive the data from the computer or scanner, it must be equipped with a bidirectional interface. For parcel and forwarding shipments, the weight from the shipping scales should often be transferred directly to the delivery notes and to the software solutions of the transport service provider. For many scales with the data interface, there is special software that makes it possible to transfer the weighing data directly to the cursor position in the open window of the company-specific ERP programme or the software of DHL, UPS, DPD, GLS or others. This prevents the typing errors during the transfer and speeds up the dispatch processing.