{"id":18746,"date":"2025-07-14T09:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T14:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wika.com\/us\/?p=18746"},"modified":"2025-08-05T09:35:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T14:35:49","slug":"beam-load-cells-in-industrial-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wika.com\/us\/products\/force-products\/beam-load-cells-in-industrial-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"Beam Load Cells: Smart Ways to Measure Weight (and Level) in Industrial Applications"},"content":{"rendered":"

A bending beam or sheer beam load cell determines weight indirectly by measuring the deformation of its strain gauge or thin-film sensor. These force transducers are a smart \u2013 and often the only \u2013 way to measure load in industrial applications.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Direct weight measurement using a balance beam scale.<\/p><\/div>\n \n

Direct vs. Indirect Weight Measurement<\/h2>\n

There are two main types of weight measurement: direct and indirect. Direct weight measurement is what occurs in a balance beam scale, like the type that can still be found in some doctor\u2019s office. Indirect weight measurement, on the other hand, determines weight by measuring the deformation of a measurement body as force (mass) is applied. In a mechanical bathroom scale or a hanging scale, that measurement body is a spring. As the spring is compressed or tensed (stretched), it moves mechanisms that move the scale\u2019s pointer across a dial face.<\/p>\n

Electronic weighing devices like digital scales also use indirect measurement, and the measurement body is typically a beam type load cell.<\/p>\n

Strain Gauges vs. Thin-Film Sensor in Beam Load Cells<\/h2>\n

In a beam type load cell, the beam deforms slightly in the presence of weight force. Glued to the beam is a strain gauge<\/a> that deforms alongside the beam, measures the tiny physical displacement, and then converts that data into an output signal. Such changes in electrical resistance can be very accurately measured, between 0.01% and 0.05% Fnom<\/sub>.<\/p>\n

For greater stability and resistance against shock and vibration, some beam load cells have a welded-in thin-film sensor rather than a strain gauge. This is a technology that WIKA excels in and for which, in the field of force measurement, is the only supplier on the market. <\/span><\/span>The sensor is welded into the measuring element using a laser, which enables automated series production. Thin-film technology offers consistently high quality, an exact measurement directly in the force flow, very good temperature characteristics, and high long-term stability.<\/p>\n

Bending Beam and Shear Beam Load Cells: Similarities and Differences<\/h2>\n

Bending beam load cells and shear beam load cells have the same measuring principle, and both types are suitable for static or dynamic loads. But there are a few differences that affect their use case<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Load Cell Type<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Load Capacity<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Force
\nDirection(s)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Products<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Bending beam<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Small: 0\u202644 lb. (0\u202620 kg)
\nMedium: 0\u20261,100 lb. ( 0\u2026500 kg)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Perpendicular<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

F3203<\/a>
\nF3833<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Shear Beam<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Medium: 0\u20261,100 lb. ( 0\u2026500 kg)
\nLarge: 0\u20264,400 lb. ( 0\u20262,000 kg)
\nExtra large: 0\u202622,000 lb. (0…10,000 kg)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Perpendicular<\/p>\n

Parallel (lateral)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

F3201<\/a>
\nF3301\/F33C1\/F33S1<\/a>
\nF3831<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Shear beam load cells (top) are usually rectangular blocks with two machined recesses, while bending beam load cells (bottom two) are cylindrical with a hole bored through the center.<\/p><\/div>\n \n

The two types also look different. Bending beams have a hole bored through the center of the cylinder. Shear beams have two partially bored holes, and between them is a thin I-beam cross section.<\/p>\n

Bending beams are capable of measuring light loads, whereas the I-beam cross section of shear beams cannot be constructed thinly enough to achieve the required strain values to detect small mass. On the other hand, because shear beams can handle both perpendicular and lateral forces, this load cell type offers high precision and excellent measurement stability regardless of the point of load within a set range.<\/p>\n

Applications Where Beam Type Load Cells Are Used<\/h2>\n

Bending beam and shear beam load cells are found in a variety of weighing technologies in laboratories and industrial processes. Here are a few examples.<\/p>\n