The 8 Best Livestock Scales
Updated by · How we research
Load bars, weld-it-yourself kits, walk-on platforms and a crane scale compared for cattle, goats, sheep and hogs. The A and A Scales FSK kit is the best value. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Most livestock scales sold online are vet-style platforms that top out well short of a grown steer, so they suit goats, sheep, hogs and calves. Cattle need a long walk-on deck with rails, or load bars set under a chute. None here is certified for selling animals by weight, so these are for herd records, feeding and dosing.
Editor's Notes
October 27, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
The A and A Scales FSK now leads this list, because four sealed load cells and a frame you weld yourself weigh cattle for far less than any finished scale. It replaces the FSK-BASIC, the same parts under a different name. Seven of the ten earlier picks had to go. The Prime ESB4810K, Amston ASLVS-XL 700, Prime Scales PS-AS700, both Optima scales and the A and A Scales VS-2200 have all become unavailable. The Brecknell PS1000, a general floor scale with almost no stock left, went too.
The A and A Scales VS-660 and IBE Supply 660 stay for smaller stock. New picks add load bars for a chute, a Gallagher system for working ranches, a walk-on cattle platform with rails, a budget deck and a crane scale for feed and hay.
What settled the order was a scale dealer's guide to livestock scale types, the national legal-for-trade rules and Gallagher's own specs for its W-0 head, plus patterns in owner feedback on the kit and the small platforms.
March 04, 2021:
For the most part, there were very little changes that needed to be made to our recommendations. The majority of our choices continue to function well, and there haven't been any new models released since our last update that were more worthy of inclusion than our current line up. In fact, we only replaced a single model, the Amston ASWB-10, and this wasn't due to quality concerns, but rather availability issues. While we may have normally considered keeping the unit despite this problem, we chose to replace it this time because it was our only 10,000-pound option.
Taking its place is the Prime ESB4810K, which also has a five-ton capacity. Those who are weighing very sizable animals will appreciate that its bars are longer too, at 48 inches versus the 40 inches of the ASWB-10. If you are looking to save a bit of money and don't need to weigh any animals over 5,000 pounds, and also don't mind rigging up your own platform or bars, then you may want to consider the A and A Scales FSK-BASIC instead.
October 24, 2019:
Whatever the reason you need to weigh your animals, it is important to have a dedicated livestock scale if you want accurate results. Models like the Amston ASWB-10 and Optima OP-919 are versatile options that can be used with cattle shoots, cages, and nearly any other kind of platform you prefer, since they simply have two large steel beams you place underneath a hard surface. The A and A Scales FSK-BASIC is another option that offer some serious customization options. However, it is worth noting that it is a build-it-yourself kit, so expect to put some time into getting it set up. These three scales have some of the highest weight capacities, anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 pounds, making them ideal for the heaviest of livestock.
If you only deal with small and medium-sized animals, you can look to the IBE Supply 660, Amston ASLVS-XL 700, A and A Scales VS-660, and Prime Scales PS-AS700. These all have at least a 660 pound or higher weight capacity, yet are still accurate in the lower ranges single-digit ranges.
With half ton or higher capacities and an included steel platform, the A and A Scales VS-2200 and Brecknell PS1000 are a good compromise between seriously heavy-duty models intended for full-size cattle, and the smaller options that can't accommodate anything larger than a pig.
During this round of updates we removed the W.C. Redmon ZT7400 and the Prime Scales PS-4KCS. The former was replaced because its small platform and low maximum capacity made it better suited to our pet scales list than one dedicated to livestock. The latter was eliminated because we started seeing too many reports of it malfunctioning.
Special Honors
Tru-Test Livestock Weighing Tru-Test, now part of Datamars, makes load bars and scale indicators that ranchers and vets buy through farm dealers, from basic readouts to indicators that record weights against electronic ear tags. Its U.S. site lists the bars and heads, and a dealer can quote a full system for a chute or alley. us.tru-test.com
Cardinal Detecto Livestock Scales Cardinal Scale, maker of Detecto scales, builds single-animal, group and portable livestock scales in Missouri, and many of its portable models are legal for trade. They're sold and installed through scale dealers, which suits buyers who sell animals by weight. cardinalscale.com
Platform, Load Bars Or A Kit
Group scales with concrete decks and mobile scales for several sites are dealer-installed and cost far more.
Start with your biggest animal. Vet-style platforms, the kind most often sold online, top out somewhere between 660 and 1,100 pounds. That covers goats, sheep, hogs, calves and big dogs, but not a grown cow. For cattle you need either a walk-on platform rated for several thousand pounds, with ramps and side rails, or load bars.
Load bars are a pair of low steel beams with load cells inside that go under a squeeze chute, a crate or a deck you build. A guide from Michelli, a Cardinal Detecto dealer, describes them as the usual way to weigh cattle standing still at the chute, and calls single-animal scales the most precise choice for small ranches and clinics. Group scales with concrete decks and mobile scales for several sites are dealer-installed and cost far more.
A load-cell kit is the cheapest route to cattle weights. You get four cells, a junction box and a readout, and you weld the frame. If you can't weld, a bar set under a chute you already own does the same job with no fabrication.
Weighing An Animal That Won't Stand Still
Movement, not the load cells, is what spoils most livestock readings. Look for a readout with an animal mode or peak hold: it averages the shifting load over a few seconds and then locks the number. Michelli's guide credits digital filtering for the same job on bigger scales, and notes that a rubber mat improves footing and cuts the noise that spooks animals.
Set any scale on firm, level ground. A deck on soft dirt or a bar set with one end on a rock will read wrong every time. Rails and ramps help, and so does weighing at the same time of day, before feeding, if you track gain.
Without a scale, a weigh tape around the heart girth gives a fair estimate. The University of Arizona's Backyards and Beyond guide gives a formula for beef cattle: heart girth times heart girth times body length, in inches, divided by 300, gives pounds; for hogs, divide by 400. A study of pre-weaned calves found tapes close for single weights but unreliable for tracking daily gain, and eyeball guesses missed by more than 10 percent over half the time, even from vets.
Legal For Trade, And Keeping Readings Honest
If you sell animals by weight, the scale must be legal for trade. In the U.S. that means a model evaluated by the National Type Evaluation Program against NIST Handbook 44, then inspected by your state. None of the scales on this list claims that approval, so use them for records, rations and dosing, and use a certified scale at the sale barn. Dealers for Cardinal Detecto, Tru-Test and Rice Lake sell certified livestock scales.
Check any scale with a known weight now and then, such as stacked feed sacks you've weighed elsewhere or a set of test weights. Kits and bar sets have a calibration routine in the readout, and it takes a few minutes.
Barn life is hard on electronics. Michelli recommends stainless load cells where manure and weather reach them, a junction box mounted off the ground, and cables routed where hooves and tractor tires can't reach. Unplug the readout and store it indoors between uses.
How we researched this
We compared 24 livestock scales, kits, load bars and hanging scales, read the makers' and sellers' specifications, Gallagher's specs for its W-0 scale head, a scale dealer's guide to livestock scale types, the legal-for-trade rules, and extension and veterinary studies on weigh tapes, analyzed owner feedback patterns, and checked every brand for recalls with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. We found no independent lab tests of these scales. Updated October 27, 2026 by Ezvid Wiki Admin.
Sources (9)
- Michelli: The weigh to decide on livestock scales
- NCWM: National Type Evaluation Program
- NIST: Handbook 44, current edition
- University of Arizona Backyards and Beyond: How much does your animal weigh?
- Veterinary Record Open: Accuracy of heart girth tapes in pre-weaned calves
- The Veterinary Journal: Visual assessment vs heart girth tape for cattle weight
- Gallagher: W-0 Weigh Scale
- Tru-Test U.S.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls
Frequently asked questions
What are the top brands of livestock scales?
Among ranchers, Gallagher, Tru-Test, Cardinal Detecto and Rice Lake are the dealer-sold names. Online, A and A Scales, PEC, PrimeScales, IBE Supply and VEVOR sell platforms, load bars and kits for farms.
What is the best scale for cattle?
Load bars under a squeeze chute are the usual answer, because cattle are already handled there. A walk-on platform with ramps and rails works without a chute, and a load-cell kit is cheapest if you can weld a frame.
Can I use a dog or vet scale for goats and sheep?
Yes. Vet-style platforms rated around 660 pounds suit goats, sheep, hogs and calves. Pick one with a rubber mat, and weigh small animals in a crate using the tare button.
Are these scales legal for selling livestock by weight?
No. A scale used to sell by weight needs approval under the National Type Evaluation Program and a state inspection. None of these claims it; they're for records, feeding and dosing.
How can I weigh a cow without a scale?
Use a weigh tape around the heart girth, or measure girth and body length in inches: girth times girth times length, divided by 300, estimates pounds for beef cattle. It's an estimate, not a scale reading.
How often should I calibrate a livestock scale?
Check it against a known weight before important weighings and after moving it. If it's off, run the calibration routine in the readout's manual.
