Figure 7-1: Load Cell Performance Comparison
TYPE OF LOAD CELL	WEIGHT RANGE	ACCURACY (FS)	APPLICATIONS	ADVANTAGES	DISADVANTAGES
Mechanical Cells
Hydraulic	Up to 10,000,000 lb	0.25%	Tanks, bins and hoppers. Hazardous areas.	Takes high impacts, insensitive to temperature.	Expensive, complex.
Pneumatic	Wide	High	Food industry, hazardous areas	Intrinsically safe. Contains no fluids.	Slow response. Requires clean, dry air
Strain Gage Cells
Bending Beam	10-5,000 lb	0.03%	Tanks, platform scales,	Low cost, simple construction	Strain gages are exposed, require protection
Shear Beam	10-5,000 lb	0.03%	Tanks, platform scales, off- center loads	High side load rejection, better sealing and protection
Canister	to 500,000 lb	0.05%	Truck, tank, track, and hopper scales	Handles load movements	No horizontal load protection
Ring and Pancake	5- 500,000 lb		Tanks, bins, scales	All stainless steel	No load movement allowed
Button and washer	0-50,000 lb 0-200 lb typ.	1%	Small scales	Small, inexpensive	Loads must be centered, no load movement permitted
Other Types
Helical	0-40,000 lb	0.2%	Platform, forklift, wheel load, automotive seat weight	Handles off-axis loads, overloads, shocks
Fiber optic		0.1%	Electrical transmission cables, stud or bolt mounts	Immune to RFI/EMI and high temps, intrinsically safe
Piezoresistive		0.03%		Extremely sensitive, high signal output level	High cost, nonlinear output