People who use bathroom scales to measure their weight are always curious about the accuracy of their scale. The scales that we use in homes are much different from the ones used in industries and professional applications. Similarly, there is much difference in the results you see on your home scale and that your doctors tell you.
The scales with your doctor and businesses are more accurate than the one you use at home. Your home scale may tell your weight a few pounds less or more than the results shown by your doctor’s scale. The difference in results can put you in doubt about your weight. So, which scale is more precise, the one at your home or the professional scales.
Inaccuracy of Scales
There are many reasons for the inaccuracy of home scales, and you get different results every time you measure your body weight on your home scale.
The floor or base under the scale
The type of base under your w can affect the readings significantly. If there is a soft base under the weighing scale like a carpet or something else, it can show inaccurate readings. It is always best to place your weighing machine on a hard floor such as tile, hardwood, or marble floor. These floors offer a firm base to the scale, and it provides you the most accurate readings in most cases.
Environmental conditions
The environmental conditions may also affect the results you get on a weighing scale. Conditions like high moisture, extreme temperatures, and winds can show deviation from the actual weight on a scale. Therefore, it is essential to use the home scale in ideal conditions where there is low moisture, no wind, and room temperature.
Time
Most people measure their body weight in the evenings when the stomach is full. Also, the clothing you wear gets to add to your body weight, and you get the inaccurate readings. Therefore, it is best to measure your body weight in the early morning on an empty stomach. Also, you should wear very light clothing and no footwear while weighing yourself on your home scale.
Home scales vs. Professional scales
The professional scales are much expensive but more accurate than home scales. There are many differences in the results or home scales and professional scales. The manufacturing of professional scales is much different, and they take care of all the above factors that affect the accuracy of scales.
Calibration
The components used in the manufacturing of professional scales are of high grade and high quality that are not much affected by the environmental conditions. The weighing scales used by professionals and industries are calibrated and tested against known and accepted standards. The process of calibration involves the analysis and correction of scales to bring accuracy to the accepted standards.
Capacity
The capacity of professional and industrial scales is more than the home scales. Most people buy a home scale to measure body weight with capacity up to 100 kgs. However, a patient visiting a doctor may weight more than 100 kg due to which professional scales are made with high capacity and capability.
The weighing scales in industries are used to measure more heavy objects such as packages and industrial goods that can weight multiple times the weight of the human body. Even a minor inaccuracy can result in inaccurate costs and profits. High-quality load cells are used in the manufacturing of industrial scales that provide accurate measurements when appropriately calibrated.
Digital scales
Most of the present scales are digital and come with wireless weighing indicators. It means you don’t need to connect the display with the main unit. You can keep the display at any place within the range of the weighing scale, where you can see it easily. The digital scales are self-calibrated, which means they are calibrated automatically as soon as you turn on them. Digital scales are more accurate than the analog scales. The home scales also come with digital indicators, which improve the accuracy a lot due to automatic calibration.
Final words
Although home scales are inexpensive for home use, they still offer you a cost-effective solution for measurement of body weight. On the other hand, professional scales are accurate, but you may need to spend thousands of dollars to buy them that are not suitable for home use.
