Letter Scales

Mail Scales for precise weighing of letters and parcels

Here on the page you will find our selection of mail scales that provide you with an accurate weight of your letters and parcels, so you can avoid underpaying for postage and thus incurring expensive additional charges.

Professional mail scales for very precise weight readings can save you from costly extra bills related to sending parcels and letters.

At the same time, an accurate mail scale saves you a trip to the post office to weigh your package or letter.

There are many models of mail scales, and there can be a significant difference in how much weight they can handle, so we have gathered some useful information that can help you find the mail scale that best suits your needs.

5 things you should know when looking for a new mail scale

Whether you have a large business that ships hundreds of parcels every day, or you are an individual who only sends parcels occasionally, you can quickly benefit from a mail scale that is precise and capable of weighing both large and small parcels and letters.

Below you will find some information that can help you find the right mail scale for your needs.

#1 - Mail Scale or Parcel Scale?

When you look for a new mail scale, you may often find it referred to differently, for example, mail scale, parcel scale, kitchen scale, precision scale, or postage scale.

The names for this type of scale are used somewhat interchangeably, and for many mail scales, their appearance is also quite similar to that of a newer kitchen scale.

However, there is actually a difference between, for example, a mail scale and a parcel scale, both in measuring range and size.

A mail scale typically has a maximum weight of about 500 grams - 1 kilo, but is extremely fine-tuned in the measurement range, which can often go down to 0.01 grams.

This means that the weight of a letter can be read as precisely as, for example, 443.04 grams.

A parcel scale often has a larger measuring range that can reach beyond 180 kg, but its measurement range is often also somewhat higher and can fluctuate by up to 100 grams.

If you occasionally use your kitchen scale to weigh letters or parcels, you are probably familiar with the challenges of the scale either not being able to weigh as little as the letter weighs, or that it is very difficult to see what the display says because the package is too large.

The kitchen scale is best suited for weighing food items and is often not quite as precise as a mail scale.

#2 - Measurement Range for Mail Scale

The measurement range can vary significantly from scale to scale, so it is worth paying attention to what measurement range you need.

The measurement range tells you something about how precise the scale is, an example of this is that if you have a scale with a measurement range of, for example, 1 gram, and you place a weight that weighs 2 grams on the scale, you will be shown that the weight is 2 grams.

But if the scale has a measurement range of, for example, 5 grams, you will see that your 2-gram weight weighs 0 grams, because the scale only changes for every 5 grams placed on it.

Therefore, the measurement range indicates both the precision of the scale and its ability to weigh very light items.

Large parcel scales often have a higher measurement range, often up to 100 grams, than mail scales, due to the fact that they are often used to weigh significantly heavier parcels or items than the mail scale.

#3 - Measurement Area for Mail Scale and Parcel Scale

When choosing between different models of mail scales and parcel scales, it is beneficial to look at the measurement area.

This way, you will find out how much weight the scale can measure at maximum, i.e., how heavy a parcel or letter can be before it becomes too heavy for the scale to weigh it anymore.

Parcel scales typically have much higher measurement areas than mail scales, and the measurement area can well exceed 180 kg.

However, it is often the case that parcels weighing more than 150 kg are shipped on pallets, and here you switch to what is called a pallet scale.

A parcel scale for private use rarely needs to measure more than 5 kg, but if you use the scale for business purposes, you might want to look for a higher measurement range.

Nowadays, letters are not always just an envelope with paper in it, as many smaller parcels can also qualify as a letter, so you might need a mail scale that can weigh letters over 500 g.

A mail scale with a measurement range of up to 2 kg can be sufficient for most private individuals, but you can also find mail scales with a measurement range of up to 5 kg.

When looking for a mail scale, it's also important, in addition to the measurement range, to consider a scale with a small measurement interval.

#4 - Design of Mail Scale

Mail scales are often not particularly innovative in design and are usually just rectangular instruments with a weighing plate and a fairly simple design.

One of the things you might consider looking for is whether the mail scale or parcel scale has a clear display, possibly backlit, so you can also read the weight in darkness or bright light.

Also, be attentive to how many decimals the display shows, especially if you require a high degree of precision.

#5 - Extra Features in the Mail Scale

Some mail scales and parcel scales can be had with a variety of additional features, which can be very valuable for some and not so much for others.

One of the features that you might appreciate is the function “Tare”, which allows you to subtract a container from the weight.

It works in such a way that you weigh, for example, the bowl you need to measure some beads into, press tare, and pour the beads into the bowl; you then get the weight of the beads, but not of the bowl.

Thus, the tare function is a kind of reset function that can be very useful for both a mail scale and a parcel scale.

Some scales also have a “Hold” function, which is especially useful if you are weighing parcels or letters that are so large that you cannot see the display while the letter or parcel is on the scale.

The hold function allows the weight to be locked in for, for example, 10 or 15 seconds, so you can check the weight when you remove the parcel or letter.

Most mail scales and parcel scales are powered by batteries and others by power supply, but no matter which power source the mail scale is supplied by, the function “Auto-off” is a really effective way to save energy.

The function turns off the scale when it has not been used for a specified amount of time, for example, 30 or 60 seconds.