Gravity Tolerance Application Help

Back to Gravity Tolerance Application

The purpose of this application is to help manufacturers, dealers and inspectors determine whether non-automatic weighing devices can be inspected in one geographic location in Canada, and then put into service in another without requiring readjustment due to differences in acceleration due to gravity. This phenomenon occurs with weighing devices operating on force measurement principles (such as electronic load cell and spring scales) and does not affect those that operate on the lever principle. The inspection can proceed if the error is less than half the in-service limit of error allowed by the Specifications Relating to Non-automatic Weighing Devices.

In order to successfully use the application, the following criteria must be met:

  • All fields Footnote 1 must be filled in and an item must be selected from each drop-down menu (click on the arrow in the drop-down menu to select an item).
  • The same unit of measure must be selected for the scale capacity and the verification interval.
  • Only positive numbers may be used.
  • Longitudes values must be negative values between -46 and -142 degrees.
  • Latitude values must be positive values between +41 and +84 degrees.
  • The verification interval must divide evenly into the scale capacity.

Complete the following steps to use the application:

  1. Select the scale class from the drop down menu.
  2. Enter the scale capacity in the appropriate field and select the unit of measure from the drop-down menu.
  3. Enter a positive number in the "verification interval" field and select the unit of measure from the drop down menu.
  4. Enter the postal code (without spaces) or the latitude and longitude (in decimal degrees or in degrees, minutes and seconds) of the inspection site and the final destination.
  5. Click the "calculate" button to calculate the most restrictive tolerance for the scale and the percentage change in gravity due to the change in location.
  6. Click the "action" icon to display the limits of error for the scale and other information about the calculations.

Once the "calculate" button has been clicked, the percentage change in gravity is displayed. Information as to whether the inspection may proceed is displayed in the "status" field. The inspection should not proceed if this value is greater than the most restrictive tolerance.


  1. Footnote 1 Enter either postal codes or latitude and longitude coordinates, not both. (Return to footnote 1 reference)