Analytical Balance Accuracy

Accuracy, trueness, and precision are three terms used to describe the quality of a measurement, but they refer to different aspects of it.

Trueness refers to how close a measurement or series of measurements are to the true or expected value. In other words, trueness measures how well a measurement reflects reality.
Precision, on the other hand, refers to how consistent or reproducible a measurement is. In other words, precision measures how well a measurement can be replicated or repeated. A measurement can be precise even if it's not accurate. For example, if you throw five darts and they all hit the same corner of the dartboard, your throwing is precise but not true.
Another word to describe precision is repeatability, the ability of an analytical balance to give the same result when weighing the same sample multiple times. If a balance has good repeatability, it means that it can weigh the same sample multiple times and give results that are very close to each other.
Accuracy is the combination of trueness and precision. When measurements are consistently close to the true value, they are considered accurate.

To ensure analytical balance accuracy, it is important to know how to properly use it. There are key considerations and actions that can help you ensure accurate results:

Optimal balance setup and environment avoiding external influences.
Calibration of the balance in the place the instrument will be used. This allows you to assess how accurate an analytical balance is by determining the measurement uncertainty.
Error-free transfer of weighing results. Download the Data Management Guide to learn more.
Good cleaning procedure. Download the Cleaning Guide to learn more.

Learn more on how to use analytical balances

Readability is the smallest increment or the smallest weight that an analytical balance can display. It does not indicate how accurate a balance is, rather it defines the number of digits displayed after the decimal point for a weighing result. For example, if the readability of a balance is 0.001 g, it means that the balance can display weights in increments of 0.001 g (or 1 mg).