Weights and measures

Trade equipment

There are legal regulations about the equipment traders use for weighing and measuring. Equipment must be accurate and suitable for its intended purpose. 

This includes: 

• beer glasses
• petrol pumps
• scales
• tape measures
• weights 

Businesses should only buy government approved equipment to make sure it’s suitable for trade use, 

There are 3 types of approved equipment: 

• European CE marked
• UKCA marked
• UK stamped - equipment marked with a crown 

Site visits

We visit businesses to check equipment is accurate and suitable for the goods being sold or packed. This includes: 

• retailers
• wholesalers
• manufacturers 

We may visit if we receive a complaint about short weight or measure. 

We do not charge for checking equipment during the visit. 

If we find inaccurate equipment, we’ll remove its approval for trade use. The equipment must be tested and re-verified before it can be used again. 

Verification service

We may be able to test and reverify your equipment if your usual supplier cannot do this for you. Email us for a quote at tradingstandards@royalgreenwich.gov.uk. 

Advice for new businesses

If you’re starting a new business that needs to weigh or measure goods, we can advise on the suitability of your equipment. 

Some equipment is suitable for one purpose but not for another. For example, scales used to sell spices are not suitable to sell jewellery.  

Checks businesses can make

Digital weighing machines are usually reliable. But there are checks you can make to keep them in top condition. This helps to avoid complaints. 

If you test using your own weights on a daily or weekly basis, keep a record of these checks. 

Checks include: 

• keeping scales on a solid, level surface
• keeping scales clean
• checking the display shows zero before use 
• making sure consumers can see the weight or price display 

Accountability

We're confident that the weights and measures we use to test equipment are accurate. This is because we regularly test them against weights and measures that are compared with UK primary standards.