Legal for Trade balances are defined as the type of scales that are intended for use where the application of the product is sold by the weight. Example of such applications include: medical, recreational laundromats, grocery stores, meat departments, jewelry stores, tobacco or smoke shops, coffee and candy stores. As you could of guessed, NTEP or legal for trade scales are more expensive than non-certified scales because of the extensive amount of testing for certification that goes into any given unit. The test for the scales are done at various temperatures and NTEP certifications cost are said to cost north of $50,000 (USD). So whenever someone purchases an NTEP certified scale, the quality is guaranteed as each scale is backed by a Certificate of Conformance.
Legal For Trade Classes
Once a user has established they will require a legal for trade scale, we recommend the customer determine which class of accuracy they will need. NTEP comes in Class I, Class II, Class III, Class IIII. Next, the consumer should determine their state's level of tolerance for the smallest division as well as their verified scale division. States such as Colorado and Washington will accept Class I and Class II balances that are able to read in the division of 0.1 grams for recreational and medical applications. States such as Oregon and California, strictly require scales that read 0.01 grams. Furthermore, Oregon requires manufacturers, distributors, growers, dealers, and packaging facilities to have an NTEP Certified Scale that is subject to random inspections by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, usually the first inspection is done within the first month of registering with the commission.
Don't Settle For Just Any Legal-For-Trade Scale, Instead Get The Correct NTEP Certified Scale
Whether you are weighing in a dispensary, pharmaceuticals pills in a lab, or simply weighing candy for resale. Don't just buy a scale, buy the correct balance that fulfills your specification as well as your respective state's guidelines for weighing. According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, former Chief of NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Weights and Measures division, Henry Opperman says "NTEP issues Certificates of Conformance for vehicle scales, but a vehicle scale cannot be used to weigh a 1-lb. package of hamburger". With that being said, whenever purchasing NTEP certified scales please be 100% certain you are purchasing the correct unit balance for you.
