Buying guide · 4 min read

How to choose a milligram scale

Readability versus capacity, why a draft shield matters, and what a kitchen scale cannot do.

Short answer

Choose a scale by its readability, the smallest step it can show, and check that its maximum capacity still covers your container plus contents. Most kitchen scales only read to the nearest gram, so they cannot see changes smaller than that no matter how many decimal places the display shows.

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The options

A milligram scale with a draft shield

Digital Milligram Scale

Good

  • Shows milligram steps
  • The draft shield keeps moving air from disturbing the reading
  • Tare subtracts the container
  • Usually supplied with a calibration weight

Trade-offs

  • Low maximum capacity, so it will not weigh heavy things
  • Needs a level, steady surface
  • Wants a warm-up period before it settles

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Readability and capacity pull against each other

Readability is the smallest step the scale displays; capacity is the most it will take. Fine scales generally have a low maximum, so check both numbers in the listing. Weigh your heaviest container, empty, and make sure it leaves room for what goes in it.

Set it up where it can work

  • A solid, level surface, not a flexing shelf or a bench someone leans on
  • Away from open windows, doors, vents and fans
  • Away from anything that vibrates, including a fridge compressor
  • Let it warm up, then calibrate with the supplied weight

Use it in the right order

  • Place the empty container and press tare
  • Add material with a clean tool, not by pouring from the bag
  • Close the draft shield before reading
  • Write the number down while it is in front of you

When accuracy stops being about the scale

Once the scale is level, calibrated and out of the draft, the remaining error usually comes from technique: static on plastic, a warm container, material left on a spatula. Slow down before assuming the instrument is wrong.

Common questions

Can I use a kitchen scale?

Only for quantities where the nearest gram is close enough. Most kitchen scales cannot resolve smaller steps, so the reading will not change at all.

How often should I calibrate?

Follow the manufacturer instructions, and always after moving the scale or a noticeable change in room temperature.

Why does the reading drift?

Usually air movement, an unlevel or flexing surface, vibration, or a container that is warmer or colder than the room.

Supplies mentioned

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