Checklist of specification abbreviations for load cells: AS, SS, OIML and what they mean
Understand load cell abbreviations like SS, AS, OIML, IP ratings and mV/V to choose the right load cell for your industrial application.
There is a moment every engineer and procurement manager knows well. You are holding a load cell data
sheet, the application is straightforward enough, but half the abbreviations on the page are doing nothing
except raising questions. The answer is simple once you know it, but getting it wrong means ordering the
wrong cell, failing compliance, or reworking an installation that should have been right the first time.
These abbreviations are not obscure technical jargon for its own sake. Each one communicates
something specific about material, certification, environmental protection, or output. Once decoded, a
single line on a spec sheet tells you almost everything you need to know about whether a cell suits your
application. This guide covers the most common abbreviations found on Australian load cell
specifications
What "SS" and "AS" actually mean on a load cell data sheet
These two appear more often than any others, and both are frequently misread as model identifiers. They
are not. They are a material code and a compliance marker respectively, and both have direct
consequences for what you can do with the cell
SS (stainless steel): why it changes your options
SS on a load cell spec means the cell body is constructed from stainless steel. It does not, by itself, tell you the exact alloy grade; you need to check the manufacturer's material specification for that. In practice, the grades used vary by function within the cell:
304 or SUS304is commonly used for housings and enclosures where corrosion resistance is the
priority.
316 or 316Lis specified where chloride exposure, salt, or harsh chemical washdown demands greater
resistance.
17-4 PH (also called SUS630)is the standard choice for the spring element itself, because its higher
strength and fatigue resistance make it the right material where repeated loading and precision matter
most.
The reason SS matters for your application decision is straightforward. A stainless steel load cell is the
correct choice for wet environments, food processing lines, dairy facilities, chemical plants, or anywhere
regular washdown occurs. It carries a price premium over alloy steel, but in those environments it is the
only viable choice. SS construction often facilitates achieving higher IP ratings, such as IP67, IP68, or
IP69K, because stainless materials interface better with the sealing and corrosion-resistance
requirements those ratings demand. Material alone does not guarantee the IP rating; enclosure design,
seals, and connectors all contribute. If your spec sheet lists an SS load cell and your environment is dry
and controlled, you may be paying for protection you do not need. If it is wet or corrosive, a non-SS cell
will fail prematurely regardless of what else it gets right
AS: Australian Standard and what compliance actually requires
When AS appears on a load cell spec sheet in an Australian context, it is a reference to Australian
Standards and the broader legal-metrology framework administered by the National Measurement
Institute (NMI). The principal standard governing load cells used in trade weighing in Australia is NMI R
60, which is based on OIML R 60 and sets the requirements for accuracy classes, maximum permissible
errors, environmental testing, and documentation. AS 2193 is also referenced for the grading and
calibration of load cells and force instruments. If you encounter a spec claiming AS 2507 compliance, ask
the supplier to confirm the exact edition and clauses being claimed, because that standard number
requires verification against the specific application and edition intended.
AS compliance matters most in legal-for-trade applications: platform scales, retail weighing, bench
scales, and any system subject to NMI oversight where the measurement determines payment or
invoicing. For a scale to be legal for trade in Australia, the complete instrument needs ds NMI pattern
approval,, the load cells must be an approved model within that instrument's approval, and the installed
system must be verified after installation by an NMI-licensed technician. The load cell's AS or OIML
certification alone does not make a weighing system trade-legal; the approval covers the complete
instrument, not just the cell inside it.
OIML accuracy classes and what C3 or C6 means in practice
OIML stands for the International Organisation of Legal Metrology. It sets internationally recognised
accuracy classes for load cells under OIML R 60, and the most common classes you will see on industrial
and commercial load cells are C3 and C6. Per OIML R 60, the number defines the maximum number of
verification intervals the cell can support: C3 supports up to 3,000 intervals and C6 supports up to 6,000.
In practical terms, C6 provides roughly twice the usable resolution of C3 at the same rated capacity, which
matters when the application demands fine discrimination between close weights.
For Australian legal-for-trade weighing, the requirement is not that every scale must use C6 cells. The
requirement is that the completed instrument meets the NMI pattern approval for its application. A C3 cell
is adequate for a wide range of approved commercial scales including platform scales and general
weighbridges. C6 is needed when the instrument's approved design requires higher resolution, such as
precision filling or checkweighing systems requiring more than 3,000 verified intervals. The load cell class
alone does not determine legality; the complete instrument approval does. Our range at Sensors &
Gauges includes OIML C3 certified bending beam and single-point cells across multiple capacities,
covering the majority of trade-approved applications our customers build.
NTEP and CE: when you need them and when you don't
NTEP is the National Type Evaluation Program, the US equivalent of OIML certification. It is relevant when
you are supplying load cells into equipment exported to or used in North America, not for purely
Australian applications. CE marking indicates conformity with European Union directives, covering
electromagnetic compatibility and electrical safety requirements. For industrial (non-trade) applications
operating entirely within Australia, neither NTEP nor CE is a legal requirement.
That said, both certifications still carry weight in a quality assurance context. A cell bearing NTEP or CE
approval has passed independent third-party evaluation, which tells you something useful about its
design and manufacturing consistency even when the certification is not legally required in your
jurisdiction. If you are an OEM manufacturer building equipment that may eventually be exported or sold
into multiple markets, specifying cells with both OIML and NTEP approval from the outset avoids a re
specification exercise later.
IP ratings decoded: what the two numbers actually tell you
IP ratings appear on almost every load cell data sheet and are among the most practically important
codes to understand before you finalise a specification. Specifying an insufficient IP rating can cause
moisture ingress and premature failure; selecting the correct IP rating is therefore an important step in
getting the specification right.
Matching the IP rating to your actual environment
A standard controlled factory floor might only require IP54 or IP65. Food production, marine installations,
outdoor tank weighing, and washdown environments need IP67 as a minimum, with IP69K required where
direct high-pressure cleaning is part of the operating routine. Specifying a lower IP rating than the
environment demands leads to moisture ingress, signal degradation, and premature failure; specifying
higher than necessary adds cost without benefit.
The link between SS construction and high IP ratings is practical rather than coincidental. Achieving IP68
or IP69K requires fully sealed enclosures, connectors rated to the same level, and materials that do not
corrode at the sealing interfaces. Stainless steel housings and stainless connectors satisfy those
requirements in ways that standard alloy steel enclosures often cannot. IP69K-rated load cells are often
stainless steel, but always verify the material grade and sealing details on the data sheet rather than
assuming SS
The other abbreviations worth knowing before you order
These secondary codes appear at the ordering stage and cause confusion when they are not understood
before a purchase order is raised.
c/w, mV/V, and Emax: decoded in plain terms
C/w means "complete with" and is followed by whatever the cell ships with as standard. "SS S-type 500kg
c/w 5m cable" means the stainless steel S-type load cell is supplied with a five-metre cable included. This
matters because it tells you what you do not need to source separately and prevents duplicate ordering of
accessories already in the box. Items commonly listed after c/w include cable length, connector type,
mounting hardware, calibration certificate, or load buttons.
mV/V is the sensitivity rating, also called rated output. It describes the differential voltage the cell
produces at rated load for each volt of bridge excitation. A 2 mV/V cell with 10 V excitation produces
approximately 20 mV at full capacity; the same cell at 5 V excitation produces approximately 10 mV. A
rating of 2 mV/V is very common for analogue load cells, and most signal conditioners and weight
indicators are designed to work within that range. Getting this wrong means either no signal or incorrect
scaling: a 2 mV/V cell connected to equipment calibrated for 3 mV/V will read incorrectly unless
recalibrated. Always verify that the cell's rated output, excitation voltage requirements, and input
impedance are within the limits of your amplifier or indicator before ordering.
Emax refers to maximum rated capacity. On multi-range or platform-scale cells you will also see Emin,
which is the minimum dead load. These are the values that define the operating range of the cell, not
safety limits. Applying load outside these parameters introduces error and can compromise calibration.
How to read a combined abbreviation string
Spec sheets often present all of this information in a single line. Consider: "SS bending beam 300kg, OIML
C3, IP67, c/w 3m cable, AS compliant." Breaking it down: SS confirms stainless steel construction;
bending beam is the cell type; 300kg is the rated capacity; OIML C3 means it is certified for up to 3,000
verification intervals per OIML R 60; IP67 means it is dust-tight and submersion-rated to one metre per IEC
60529; c/w 3m cable means a three-metre cable ships with the cell; and AS compliant indicates the cell
has been verified against the relevant Australian Standard for its intended application.
Once you can parse a string like that, you can assess a cell's suitability in under a minute. Capacity suits
the application, material suits the environment, IP rating suits the washdown requirement, certification
suits the trade-approval requirement, and the cable comes included. If any one of those elements does
not match your application, you know exactly which one and exactly why before you place the order.
How Sensors & Gauges products map to these abbreviations
Knowing the abbreviations is useful. Knowing that certified, compliant, stainless steel load cell options
are already in stock and available with same-day dispatch is better
Stainless S-type and shear beam options for demanding environments
stainless S-type load cells are suited to tension and compression applications across a wide capacity
range, rated to IP67 or higher, and available from low-capacity precision applications through to multi
tonne configurations. Cells from VPG Transducers and Tedea-Huntleigh carry OIML and CE certification.
Note that OIML and CE certification alone does not confer legal-for-trade status in Australia; as covered
above, NMI pattern approval of the complete instrument is still required. The stainless steel construction
means these cells can be specified directly into food-grade or washdown environments without additional
protective housings or enclosures.
Our double-ended shear beam cells cover high-capacity applications including truck scales, tank
weighing, and bulk material handling. These cells carry the material and certification credentials to meet
both OIML C3 requirements and the IP rating demands of outdoor and heavy-industry installations. As an
authorised distributor for VPG Transducers, Tedea-Huntleigh, Sensortronics, Celtron, and Keli, we supply
manufacturer-direct pricing with no distributor markup.
Custom solutions and the role of engineering support
When an application requires an unusual capacity range, a non-standard form factor, digital output such
as CANbus or RS-485, or a combination of environmental and certification requirements that no
catalogued cell satisfies, the answer is a custom-engineered cell. We offer custom load cell design
backed by an in-house engineering team with over 20 years of force measurement experience, covering
capacity, form factor, environment, and communication protocol across the full range from 1g to 500
tonnes. The abbreviations that describe a custom cell's output still apply; what changes is that the
combination of those specifications is built to your exact requirements rather than selected from a
standard range.
How to approach specifying a non-standard application
Start with four core requirements: capacity, environment, certification, and output type. Work through the
abbreviations covered in this guide and identify which standard codes apply cleanly and which don't. Bring
that shortlist to a technical conversation. Our engineering team is available to review your application
requirements and assess whether a standard cell will work, whether a modification resolves the gap, or
whether a custom build is genuinely necessary. That assessment exists to save you time and money, not
to sell you a build you do not need.
Putting it all together
Reading a load cell spec sheet becomes straightforward once you know what each abbreviation is
communicating. SS identifies a stainless steel load cell with direct implications for environment suitability
and IP potential. AS points to Australian Standards compliance and NMI requirements for legal-for-trade
use. OIML and NTEP define certification level and the number of verified intervals the cell supports, per
OIML R 60. IP rating defines environmental protection against dust and water ingress, per IEC 60529.
Finally, c/w tells you what arrives in the box without additional ordering.
Getting these right at the specification stage prevents incorrect orders, avoids compliance failures, and
removes the delay of rework after installation. A cell that matches your application, environment,
certification requirement, and output type from the first order is always cheaper than one that requires
replacement six months later.
If you are working through a spec sheet and need a second set of eyes on an SS load cell or any other
specification, get in touch with our team at Sensors & Gauges. We stock 500-plus certified precision
products and carry the engineering capability to support both standard selections and custom
requirements, with same-day shipping on in-stock items and full order tracking worldwide
