Load Cells For Tanks

The four main types of load cells used in industrial weighing are shear beam, bending beam, s-type (tension), and canister (compression).

Each type is suited to different mounting styles, weight capacities, and movement conditions—shear and bending beam load cells are common for tanks and hoppers, while s-type and canister load cells are often used for suspended or high-capacity systems.

When the tank is vibrating, you will use shear beam or canister load cells. Most of the time there is a way to weigh your machine or vibrating tank in the times it’s not moving—and then you’ll get better accuracy. But when it’s unavoidable, you will stick with these load cell types because they can be set to tune out—or aggregate—the variations in weight that come with movement. Here it’s important to have an expert configure the system.

Yes—look for stainless steel models that are hermetically sealed and corrosion-resistant. These are ideal for demanding environments involving moisture, chemicals, or temperature extremes.

A tank on standard load cells will weigh to 99.9% accuracy of the combined capacity of all load cells being used.

Minebea's accuracy can be virtually anything you're willing to pay for, but basic load cells are expected to have a 0.1% margin of error, so that's what we'll use for this example.

The standard allowable margin of error for each load cell under a tank may be 0.1%, but each tank and hopper load cell will have nearly the same capacity as the entire vessel. So if a vessel filled to capacity is 10,000 lbs. and it has 4 legs, each leg's load cell will be rated for about 8,000 lbs. for a total capacity of 32,000 lbs. This means the margin of error will be 0.1% of 32,000 lbs. instead of 10,000 lbs., which comes to 32 lbs. (0.3% of the 10,000 lbs.)

But a manufacturer is interested in the margin of error for his product, not the entire vessel, and not all that weight is product. So if the vessel weighs 1,000 lbs., then we divide 32 lbs. by the 9,000 lbs. of product for a final margin of error of 0.36%, or 99.6% accuracy.

But keep in mind that this is how accurate the load cells are on a full tank. You can't pull 100 lbs. of product and expect to be off by 0.4% max of 100 lbs., you could be off by up to 99.6% of 9,000 lbs.! This is why you don't rely on tank load cells for automation. For this, you should use a scale package ie. flow scale. Visit that page for more reasons.

Once again, Minebea's technology will allow you to have virtually any resolution you want to pay for. But again, the basic (lowest-cost) resolution is plenty for most applications, so that's what we'll use here.

To determine the resolution of your overall reading when using multiple load cells, you multiply the original resolution by the square root of the number of load cells being used. So let's say you're weighing a 7,000 lb. tank with 4 legs and you're using basic 5000 lb. load cells. Basic 5,000 lb. load cells will have a resolution of 0.7 lbs, and since you're using 4 (and the square root of 4 is 2), you will multiply 2 by your resolution. 2 x 0.7lbs. = 1.4 lbs, so that will be your resolution. This number extrapolates, so you can say the resolution on tank and vessel load cells will be about 0.02% of the weight of the vessel when full.

Absolutely. We provide high-capacity and heavy-duty load cells for tanks designed to handle extreme loads in rugged industrial environments while maintaining long-term durability and precision.

Yes. We can retrofit most existing tanks, hoppers, and process vessels with load cells using custom mounts and brackets. We’ll evaluate your current setup and recommend the safest and most efficient solution for accurate weight measurement.

A load cell is a type of transducer—it converts force into an electrical signal. We use strain gauge load cells, which are the most reliable option for industrial weighing.