Govt relaxes verification norms for high capacity weighing instruments

New Delhi: The government has eased the compliance requirements for standard weight verification carried out for weighing instruments having at least one tonne capacity, a move that will improve the ease of doing business for industries, warehouses, logistics operators and weighbridge owners.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has issued the amended Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011.

An official release on Monday said the norms have been revised to substantially reduce the requirement of standard weights for verification of high-capacity weighing instruments by introducing a scientific, repeatability-based verification approach.


While verifying weighing instruments having a maximum capacity of one tonne and above, standard weights of at least one tonne or 50 per cent of the maximum capacity of the instrument, whichever was greater, had to be used before substitution with constant loads.

Since these provisions often resulted in significant logistical challenges, transportation costs and operational difficulties for industries and weighbridge operators, the changes have been made, according to the consumer affairs ministry.

"Under the revised provisions, the requirement has been rationalised.

"Based on the successful conduct of the repeatability test, the mandatory quantity of standard weights required before substitution with constant loads has been reduced from 50 per cent of the maximum capacity to only one-fifth (20 per cent) of the maximum capacity, while maintaining the prescribed standards of verification accuracy and reliability," the ministry said in the release.

The Department of Consumer Affairs comes under the ministry, which said the latest amendments reflect a commitment to modernise the legal metrology framework through evidence-based regulatory reforms that balance facilitation of trade with robust consumer protection.

Listing out the benefits of the amendments, the ministry said the modifications would improve the ease of doing business for industries, warehouses, logistics operators and weighbridge owners as well as lower transportation and handling costs associated with the movement of large quantities of standard weights.

There will be faster verification of high-capacity weighing instruments and a reduction in operational downtime, the ministry said.