Can You Use a Kitchen Scale to Weigh Packages? Why Not?

A kitchen scale is a wonderful tool in the kitchen, particularly for those of us who bake. It has so many advantages.

• No more baking flops because of incorrect quantities. Today’s digital kitchen scales are supremely accurate down to the last gram or ounce.
• They allow you to follow even unfamiliar recipes by measuring ingredients correctly.
• Less washing up because the mixing bowl can be weighed, the scale zeroed, and then the ingredients weighed one at a time in the bowl. No more messing with measuring spoons and cups for each ingredient.
• Today’s scales weigh in metric or imperial units so it’s super easy to switch between the two or use the one you are more familiar with.
• Modern kitchen scales use a highly accurate balance mechanism instead of the old-fashioned spring setup that did not ensure accuracy.

Kitchen scales are perfect for weighing kitchen ingredients but have you ever wondered if you can use them to weigh packages? Read further because we have the answers for you.

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Can You Use a Kitchen Scale to Weigh Packages?

Yes, you can…but…

You might need to weigh packages to prepare them for postage or to pack them into your luggage to take on a flight. We all know how expensive it is to be over the regulated weight at the airport!

Alternatively, perhaps you make up packages of goods to sell and you need to keep them all a certain weight. You may have been tempted to use your kitchen scale to weigh them. Is it advisable?

Perhaps you have an online business and have been wondering if it is really necessary to invest in a postal scale.

Yes, you can use the kitchen scale to weigh small packages. However, you need to be careful about a few factors.

The things that you need to keep in mind while you are working with a kitchen scale and want to weigh those packages on it are the following:

1. Scale Limits

Every scale has a certain weight limit that it can take without being damaged and that is not something that you can ignore. Even bathroom scales usually have a maximum recommended mass of 120 to 150 kilograms.

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Not only will the scale get damaged if you put more weight on it than it can safely take, but it will also mess with the accuracy. So, you will need to ensure that the package you are trying to weigh doesn’t exceed the maximum weighing limits that your kitchen scale has.

You can easily find these limits on the user’s manual that comes in the box. Alternatively, look online for the manual as most of them are available there and are easy to find if you search for the make and model number of your scale.

Most digital kitchen scales can handle a maximum mass of 5 kg or 11 pounds. Most bathroom scales can handle around 150 kg.

There are high-capacity digital kitchen scales available that weigh up to 15 kg so if you have one of these, it will be ideal for weighing your packages provided they are under that mass.

If the package does not, on your initial estimation, seem to be over the limit, you can go ahead and weigh it on your kitchen scale.

2. Hygiene

Another consideration when weighing packages on your kitchen scale is hygiene. Ideally, your kitchen scale should be kept for weighing food only to avoid contamination.

The package should be clean and properly packed. After weighing, you should wipe down the scale with some hand sanitizer or an all-purpose kitchen cleaner.

3. Accuracy

If you need to weigh your package accurately, the kitchen scale will be ideal since these scales are designed to be accurate to the gram.

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4. Packaging

Remember that the packaging material itself has some weight and kitchen scales are sensitive enough to pick it up as well. Keep that in mind when recording the final weight.

5. Fit for Purpose

While you can use a kitchen scale for parcels, if you have an online business, it is highly recommended that you purchase a scale that’s fit for purpose, namely, a postal scale. These come in manual, digital, and USB programmable types.

While a kitchen scale can only weigh your package, a postal scale can figure out the postage charges for you plus add data to your computer’s database for your business records.

These scales have been engineered to save online businesses money on postage costs and are therefore accurate to several decimal points. You are not going to get that level of accuracy out of most kitchen scales.

Another advantage of a postal scale is that it can be connected to a printer and will print out postage labels for you. We bet your kitchen scale can’t do that!

So, if you have a small business selling goods online, you need to invest in a proper postal scale.

To Conclude

You can use your kitchen scale to weigh small packages that do not exceed its mass limit. If you are weighing a once-off parcel, this is the way to go.

However, if you need to weigh multiple parcels on a regular basis for an online business, we recommend using a postal scale instead.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens