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Introduction
If you are a state weights and measures official, scale manufacturer, or any other stakeholder dealing with scales used for commercial transactions, then this article may be of interest to you.
In 1984, an initiative was taken by the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) to harmonize the scale code in section 2.20, Scales, of the NIST Handbook 44 (NIST HB 44) with OIML R 76, the international standard on non-automatic weighing instruments used in legal metrology applications. Although many aspects of OIML R 76 were adopted in NIST HB 44, the exact same wording was not incorporated directly which led to unintended deviations, including the application of “scale division” (d), and the “verification scale division” (e). Furthermore, the current text in NIST HB 44 section 2.20 contains some inconsistencies and contradictions. This has led to confusion by field inspectors and has created non-uniformity in application of NIST HB 44 to scales where the “scale division” (d) differs from the “verification scale division” (e).
There is a current item (SCL-23.3, Verification Scale Division e: Multiple Sections …) on the agenda of the Specifications and Tolerance (S&T) Committee of the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) to amend the scale code, Section 2.20 of NIST HB 44 for the correct implementation of “scale division” (d) and the “verification scale division” (e). This item has prompted much discussion (and some confusion) recently among the weights and measures community.
What are the exact implications of this proposal? What do the “scale division” (d), and “verification scale division” (e) actually represent? And what is wrong with the current language in section 2.20 of NIST HB 44? How did we get here?
Let’s begin by first understanding the differences between “scale division” (d) and the “verification scale division” (e).
What are the differences between the “scale ..
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