Internal Load Checking vs Legal-for-Trade Weighing in the UK

A crane scale used only for an internal warehouse or workshop decision may sit outside controls for particular regulated weighing purposes. If its reading determines a commercial transaction, payment or another legally specified outcome, approved equipment and conformity evidence may be required. The actual use of the reading matters, not the scale's colour, capacity or apparent precision.

Additional manual details: The supplied OCS manual lists kg, lb and N unit selection, Hold, Zero/Tare, display-brightness adjustment, Add/totalisation and Inquiry for the last 10 weighing records. It gives a 3–7 second reading-stabilisation time and a -10°C to 40°C service-temperature range. These are manual-stated operating details; follow the supplied instructions for the exact unit.

This is a procurement screen, not a complete legal test. The Non-automatic Weighing Instruments Regulations 2016, regulation 3, lists several regulated purposes. Confirm uncertain cases with your local Trading Standards service and the person responsible for legal metrology before buying or using equipment.

When is weight only an internal check?

An internal check supports an operational decision without becoming the legally relevant determination for a sale, payment or regulated purpose. Examples may include comparing incoming loads with an internal range or recording a non-contractual process value. The reading is useful, but it is not the quantity on which a customer is charged or paid.

A preliminary check may remain internal where a separate, suitable and authorised instrument makes the final regulated determination. Business Companion's Trading Standards guidance gives production-process weighing and consumer check scales as examples outside the legal-use rules where a further final check is made on authorised, accurate and correctly marked equipment when required.

If staff copy the result onto an invoice, settle an account from it or make it the final declared quantity, it may no longer be merely internal. Record where the number goes, who relies on it and what changes because of it.

When does a transaction create a legal-metrology question?

Weight determining price is a strong red flag, but only an initial screen. Regulation 3 covers mass determination for commercial transactions and for calculating tolls, tariffs, taxes, bonuses, penalties, remuneration, indemnities or similar payments. It also lists legal and court purposes, specified medical uses, making up prescribed medicines and pharmaceutical analyses, direct sales to the public, and making up prepackages.

Therefore, “Do we sell by weight?” is not a complete test. A reading may affect a commercial transaction without appearing as a unit price, or support another regulated payment or statutory purpose. Conversely, recording a weight for internal planning is not automatically trade use merely because it occurs inside a business.

For regulated instruments, regulation 55 restricts putting an instrument into service for listed uses unless the appropriate conformity assessment has established that essential requirements are met. Great Britain also has use-for-trade provisions in Schedule 4. Businesses in Northern Ireland should obtain territory-specific advice rather than transferring a GB answer unchanged.

Use this decision tool before selecting a scale

Run a real workflow through the table and record the evidence. This tool identifies the next action; it does not approve an instrument or decide the law.

Question about the reading	If yes	Next step
Does it set the quantity, price or settlement in a commercial transaction?	Regulated use may apply.	Stop the ordinary purchase route and obtain legal-metrology confirmation and instrument evidence.
Does it calculate a toll, tariff, tax, bonus, penalty, remuneration, indemnity or similar payment?	Regulation 3 expressly lists these purposes.	Ask Trading Standards or the responsible metrology specialist to define the required conformity route.
Is it used for a legal, court, specified medical, pharmacy or prepackage purpose?	Another listed purpose may apply without a sale by weight.	Use sector-specific requirements; do not rely on a general product claim.
Is it a preliminary internal value followed by a final determination on authorised equipment?	It may be an internal process check.	Document the separation and prevent the preliminary value entering the transaction record.
Is the purpose mixed, unclear or likely to change?	The low-risk label cannot be assumed.	Resolve intended uses in writing before purchase or deployment.

Why do CE and 0.5 kg not answer the trade-use question?

The P6 carries a CE mark and a CE certificate has been confirmed. That is not legal-for-trade approval for this model and use. Qualifying equipment involves the relevant construction, conformity process, markings and supporting information. A CE symbol alone cannot establish completion of the legal-metrology route.

The P6 has a stated accuracy of 0.5 kg. This is a performance statement, not proof of an accuracy class, verification scale interval, type-examination certificate or legal approval. Statutory marking information for regulated instruments includes accuracy class, maximum and minimum capacity and verification scale interval; see Schedule 1. A stable reading cannot substitute for these requirements.

Capacity, stated accuracy, CE marking and calibration each answer different questions. None allows the P6 to be advertised as legal for trade without evidence for that exact status and intended application. The P6 is not offered here as a legal-for-trade instrument.

What evidence should you request before purchase?

Write down what is weighed, who owns the goods, whether money or another legal consequence changes, where the result is recorded, the operating territory and whether the reading is preliminary or final. This lets Trading Standards or a metrology specialist assess the process rather than guess from the words “crane scale”.

If regulated use may apply, request evidence tied to the exact model and instrument. Depending on the confirmed route, this may include type-examination information, the applicable declaration of conformity, accuracy class, verification scale interval, required metrology markings, maximum and minimum capacity, serial identification, installation conditions and evidence of initial verification or qualification.

Do not replace this evidence with a generic CE certificate, listing, calibration statement or photograph. Calibration may support an internal quality system, but it is separate from approval for regulated use. Also establish who will maintain, repair, requalify and control the instrument after purchase.

For England, Scotland and Wales, GOV.UK provides a local Trading Standards finder. Retain written advice with procurement records and reassess the route whenever the purpose or transaction flow changes.

Where may the P6 fit?

The P6 may be considered for internal suspended-load checking where the organisation confirms the reading is not used for a regulated purpose and the wider lifting arrangement is suitable. Confirmed specifications include 3,000 kg rated capacity, 0.5 kg stated accuracy, an English backlit LCD, Hold, Tare and Zero functions, kg/lb selection and a remote control up to 20 metres. The remote does not display weight.

This fit is narrow. The total suspended load, including attachments below the scale, must remain within 3,000 kg; Tare does not create capacity. Selection does not replace manufacturer instructions, competent planning, inspection, workplace controls or the suitability of every lifting component.

If weight determines price, payment, contractual quantity or another listed purpose, do not use the P6 on its CE mark or stated accuracy. Obtain the applicable approval requirements first. If the evidence is unavailable for the exact instrument, choose a properly approved alternative.

Frequently asked questions

Is every scale used by a business legal for trade?

No. The purpose of the mass determination is decisive. Some internal process checks can sit outside regulated uses, while commercial transactions and other purposes in regulation 3 can bring requirements into play.

Can the P6 calculate a customer invoice by weight?

Do not assume so. The P6 is not advertised as legal for trade. Where its reading determines price or transaction value, obtain advice on the applicable approval and markings; if these cannot be evidenced, select another scale.

Does a calibration certificate make a scale legal for trade?

Not by itself. Calibration and legal-metrology conformity answer different questions. Required approval, verification, markings and use conditions must be confirmed for the application.

Who should decide an uncertain case?

Give the documented workflow to your local Trading Standards service and your organisation's metrology or compliance lead. Only the courts can authoritatively interpret the law, so retain the advice and do not treat this guide as a legal determination.

Route the decision by risk

For confirmed internal load checking, review the P6 specification and current product information, then verify capacity, fit and workplace controls. Where weight determines price, payment, contractual quantity or another regulated outcome, do not order on the product specification alone: confirm the applicable approval with Trading Standards and choose equipment carrying the required evidence.

Regulatory sources checked 1 September 2026. Guidance can change; verify the current position for the territory and use before acting.