What does a certified, type-approved scale for hanging load in motion mean?

A certified, type-approved scale for hanging load in motion is a crane or material handler scale whose design has been approved under the EU Measuring Instruments Directive (MID), so the weight it calculates during the lift can be used for trade. Intermercato Intelligent Weighing Systems are exactly that – and, in Intermercato’s own words, the world’s only certified and type-approved scale for hanging load in motion.

Legal for trade. That is the line that matters when the weight ends up on an invoice.

Why “legal for trade” matters in recycling and ports

In metal recycling, the weight is the money. Scrap is bought by weight, sold by weight and invoiced by weight. In ports and general cargo, the weight decides loading plans, fees and safety margins. If your scale is only an indicator, the number on the display is a guide – the official weight still has to come from somewhere else, typically a weighbridge.

A certified and type-approved scale removes that second step. The weight you capture in the lift is a weight you can stand behind.

What the certification covers

Intermercato’s system is:

• Certified and type-approved according to MID for hanging load in motion.
• Compliant with Swedac’s requirements. Swedac is the Swedish authority responsible for legal metrology.
• Verified with RISE. Product verification and recurring inspections are carried out at Intermercato together with RISE, Research Institutes of Sweden.

On top of the product approval, Intermercato AB is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 – quality management and environmental management for the company behind the scale.

The hard part: weighing a load that moves

Type approval for a load standing still on a platform is one thing. A hanging load in motion swings, accelerates and decelerates through the lift. Scrap shifts in the grab. That is why most crane scales need the operator to stop and wait for the load to settle.

Intermercato’s approach is a patented algorithm that calculates the weight while the load is moving. The scale takes over the weighing as soon as it is activated, signals the operator when a stable weight has been calculated, and saves the weight automatically. That is the process that has been type-approved. Read more in How dynamic weighing of hanging load in motion works.

Certified versus indicative crane scales

	Indicative crane scale	Intermercato certified and type-approved scale
Use of the weight	Guidance, load control	Weight-based invoicing and trade
Weighing in motion	Usually stop-and-settle	Weighs hanging load in motion
Approval	None for trade	MID type approval, meets Swedac’s requirements
Verification	Calibration by choice	Product verification and recurring inspections with RISE
Need for weighbridge	Often still needed for the official weight	Weight captured in the lift

Who needs a certified material handler scale?

• Scrap yards and metal recyclers that buy and sell on weight.
• Waste collection where procurers set weighing requirements – the RC 5 is built to meet the requirements of procurers for handling household waste.
• Ports and cargo handlers that need reliable weight data for loading and unloading.
• Timber hauliers who want to maximise payload without overloading.

Keeping the approval valid

A legal-for-trade scale is not “approved once, forever”. It must be kept within its approved state. With Intermercato, recurring inspections are carried out together with RISE. Talk to Intermercato or your dealer about the inspection interval that applies to your market.

Checklist before you buy

1. Ask for the type-approval certificate and what it covers.
2. Check that it covers hanging load in motion – not only static weighing.
3. Ask how verification and recurring inspection are handled.
4. Make sure the weights can be exported to your invoicing system – Intermercato exports to CSV and PDF and integrates via API through Intermercato Cloud.

Need a legal-for-trade material handler scale? Start with the MH 15-50, read the best material handler scale for metal recycling, or contact Intermercato.