Imagine baking your favorite chocolate chip cookies using a digital scale. The recipe calls for 200 grams of flour, but you don’t want to measure it directly because the flour will create a mess. So you grab a bowl, place it on the scale, and the display shows the weight of the bowl. But you don’t want the bowl’s weight. You only want to weigh the flour. What do you do?
This is where a handy feature on your scale comes to your rescue — The tare function. It ensures hassle-free, spot-on, and precise measurement. But what is it exactly, how does it function, and why do you need it? Find out in this blog.
What is the Tare Function?
The tare function allows you to reset the weight to zero even if you have placed an item on the scale. In simpler terms, it lets you ‘ignore’ the weight of the item already placed, typically a container. Thus, it lets you measure the intended item or ingredient precisely.
The tare function ensures that you measure only what matters. Whether it’s a bowl for ingredients in the kitchen, a container for small screws in a hardware store, or packaging in a shipping warehouse, it always comes in handy.
Why Do You Need It?
Precision is the key in many scenarios. The tare function eliminates all the guesswork and mental math to ensure accurate measurement every time. Here’s why it is indispensable:
- Efficiency: Instead of manually subtracting the weight of the container or packaging box or any other pre-placed item, the tare function allows you to do it automatically. The scale ignores the weight of the pre-placed item, taking into account only the weight of the items you want to measure.
- Cleanliness: Imagine having to place flour on the scale for cooking. How do you do that without creating a mess? How do you measure the precise amount of oil or any other liquid you will need? The tare function helps you keep your working space clean by letting you measure items in containers rather than directly on the scale.
- Accuracy: In industries like baking, shipping, or laboratories, even slight inaccuracies can lead to significant issues. The tare function eliminates these slight inaccuracies, providing you with the exact measurements.
- Convenience: It allows you to measure the weight of different items in the same container without additional calculations.
When Do You Need It?
The tare function proves useful in a variety of ways in multiple industries. Here’s a brief look at some of the most common industry uses of tare function.
Cooking & Baking
Many culinary dishes require ingredients that need to be added in specific quantities for a delicious dish. For instance, baking soda, baking powder, different essences, sticky liquids, herbs, and spices.
Shipping and Packaging
The weight of the item that needs to be shipped is essential for determining the shipping costs and postal regulations. The tare function ensures that only the weight of the product itself is measured, excluding the packaging. This is of special use, especially when you are using gift boxes, bubble wraps, containers, etc, for shipping and packaging. Moreover, the tare function makes the entire process of bulk shipping easier and more efficient.
For instance, shipping trucks. Typically, these vehicles have an established curb weight. However, companies have to pay shipping costs for transport with tolls. The total weight, then, of the trucks and goods is called the gross towing weight. Any extra equipment attached to the truck then gets considered as part of the gross combination. Thus, the tare function measures the exact weight of the goods in the truck without having to remove them.
Retail and Grocery
In retail and grocery settings, customers often need to weigh items like produce, meat, or deli goods. The tare function ensures that the weight of the bag, tray, or other packaging doesn’t inflate the price. This prevents the customers from paying extra for the packaging materials.
Medical, Science, and Research
Be it chemical experiments, medical research, or product research, accuracy in measurements determines the outcome of the process. Since these processes often use containers like beakers, test tubes, and trays, the tare function ensures precise measurements without interference.
Wheelchairs are a great example of this. Many of these chairs are heavy, and hospitals, as well as clinics, use them to weigh patients who cannot sit or stand on the platforms.
Jewelry
For jewelers and artisans who work with small, valuable items like gold, diamonds, or beads, tiny inaccuracies can create a significant difference in pricing. Sometimes even accounting for thousands and lakhs. The tare function ensures that there is no skewing in the weight.
How to Use the Tare Function?
Using the tare function is simple and intuitive. Follow the steps given below:
- Ensure the scale is on and the display shows zero.
- Put an empty container or a box on the scale. The scale will display the weight of the container/box.
- Most scales have a button labeled ‘tare’ or ‘zero.’ press this button to take the weight.
- The display will again show zero.
- Then, place the item you intend to actually measure in the container. The display will now show only the weight of the item.
- If you’re adding multiple items, press the tare button again after each addition to reset the scale.
How is Tare Different from Zero?
While ‘tare’ and ‘zero’ seem interchangeable, the truth is that they are not. They serve distinct purposes. Here’s the difference between the two:
- Zero Function: Resets the scale to zero with nothing on it. It’s typically used at the start of the measuring process to ensure that the scale is calibrated.
- Tare Function: This function resets the display to zero while there is an item on the scale. It ignores the weight of the item placed and resets to zero. Thereafter, it only displays the weight of the items placed after you press the tare button. It is used when you want to ‘exclude’ the weight of a said item from your measurement.
Conclusion
Think of tare function as the unsung hero of modern scales that makes measuring easy, straightforward, and hassle-free. Besides ensuring proper measurement, it also prevents individuals from overpaying for a said item.
Eagle Scales houses a range of solutions for every weighing application. With a legacy of 100 years backing us, our weight solutions have significantly improved accuracy and reduced errors. Moreover, these weighing solutions come with the latest features designed to meet the industry’s evolving needs.
