EU tests of 14 non-automatic weighing instruments (NAWIs) sold online revealed that only one met the selected requirements. This was the outcome of a product testing campaign organised by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW).
The 14 instruments were tested against 11 criteria including weighing, accuracy of the zero and tare settings, power surge protection and immunity from electromagnetic fields.
NAWIs require the intervention of a person to function. The models tested are intended for use in shops, where accurate weighing is legally required. They were bought online by market surveillance authorities (MSAs) in Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain. Ireland participated in the project as an observer.
Accuracy issues
A total of six performance tests were done: weighing, accuracy of zero setting, tare weighing, accuracy of tare setting, eccentricity test and repeatability test. The eccentricity test checks if the scale gives consistent and accurate readings, regardless of where a weight is placed on the weighing platform. The overall failure rate for these tests was 36 %.
Other tests looked at power dips and interruptions (1 failure), power surge (no failures), immunity to radiated electromagnetic fields (EMC) (12 failures) and immunity to conducted radio frequency fields (6 failures).
Checks of warnings, markings and instructions revealed that 12 samples met the requirements.
The instruments were manufactured both in the EU and in non-EU countries. Neither the country of manufacture, nor the price, appeared to have any bearing on conformity.
Guidance documentation
The inspection campaign contributed to the compilation and dissemination of a guidance document for online platforms selling NAWIs. The document is intended to enable online platforms to identify non-compliant instruments and ensure that NAWIs are advertised clearly, indicating if they can be used for legal purposes.
To ensure the safety of consumers and end users in the EU, online sellers and online platforms (or marketplaces) must ensure that NAWIs intended for regulated purposes are properly marked and accompanied by the required documents. When a supplier indicates that a NAWI is intended for any regulatory purpose, the online platform should ask the supplier to provide the correct markings, importer’s information, documents and use instructions.
Market surveillance campaign
“These findings underline the important role played by market surveillance campaigns in ensuring that these instruments comply with EU standards, which protects consumers and ensures fair competition for businesses,” said DG GROW Policy Officer, Vanessa Capurso.
The testing was done during the Joint Actions on Compliance of Products (JACOP) 2024 project. Market surveillance authorities across the EU jointly selected and checked the compliance of products sold on the Single Market with EU health, safety and environmental standards. NAWIs were one of 16 product categories tested.
More information
Contact: jacop2024
esn [dot] eu (jacop2024[at]esn[dot]eu)
Details
- Publication date
- 1 April 2026
- Author
- Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs