# How to test a digital kitchen scale if you don't have a special calibration weight



## antilope (May 31, 2013)

deleted.


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

you can also just fill a zip-top bag with some water - 

a pint is a pound the world around...

not the most accurate but it'll let you know if you are close.

weigh the bag- add water - weigh again and subtract the bag weight.

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Even easier in metric.....one milli-liter is one gram....check it at several weights to be sure.

How do you measure a milli-liter of water - most fluid medicines come with droppers or cups to dose - trust me big-pharma takes and interest in small things!


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## rat (Mar 2, 2006)

I usually put a pound of butter on the scale or a few pounds to correct for variances in the pounds. 6 lbs of butter should read 2724 grams.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Put 8 ounces of water in a styro cup  then 4 ounces   this way you are testing at different weights some scales go off at various weights

8 ounces is 1 cup


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## antilope (May 31, 2013)

deleted.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

In Ruhlman's book entitled RATIO, he recommends getting three ladles, 2 oz, 4 oz and 8 oz for measuring things.  And somewhere either in his book or the BAKER'S COMPANION by KA that federal law allows a 1 cup measure to deviate by approx 15% or so.  THAT deviation can be significant.
 

Do yourself a favor and get some standard weights.


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## scubadoo97 (Nov 7, 2011)

Coins are a good standard.


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## marcoleavitt (Mar 24, 2013)

Put a nickel on it. It should weigh exactly 5 grams.


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## galley swiller (May 29, 2013)

The coin trick will work, but it helps if you choose your measurements either in grams or in ounces.

I'm going to use U.S. coins for the measurement standards, (I'll leave it to people outside the U.S. to look up the figures for coin weights for their individual currencies).  All weight figures are from the U.S. Mint and the conversion ratio is one ounce equals 28.3495 grams (per Google).

If you are testing the weight in grams, use either pennies or nickels.  According to the U.S. Mint, pennies are 2.500 grams each, while nickels are 5.000 grams each.  That makes 100 grams equal to either 40 pennies or 20 nickels.

If you want to test in ounces, you can use dimes, quarters or half dollar coins.  Dimes have a gram weight of 2.268 grams, quarters weigh 5.670 grams each, and half dollars weigh 11.340 grams each. 

In ounces, that works out to dimes weighing 0.080 ounces each, quarters weighing 0.200 ounces each, and half dollars weighing 0.400 ounces each.  To get pretty near to exactly 1 ounce, put down $1.25 in dimes, quarters or half dollars.

Mind you, that assumes that the coins are not too old, worn or dirty.  That can throw the measurements off a smidgen.  Also, assume that you have to take coins out of any rolled wrappers.

Dollar coins are a whole different ballgame.  Ignore them.

Galley Swiller


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