Weighing scale

For other uses of the word "scale" see scale (disambiguation)

Electronic scale.

Johannes Vermeer's painting: Woman with a balance.

A weighing scale is a machine made for measuring the weight of an item.

Use

To use a scale, the item which needs to be weighed is put on one side of the scale. Then, weight stones are put on the other side. Once the scale balances (that is the indicator between the two scales is in the middle), the correct weight is chosen.

Types

There are also modern scales, where the item is simply put on the scale. Its weight can then be read from an electronic or analogue display. Scales can be used to count e.g. screws and other small parts in large quantities. These scales are called counting scales.