A&D SJ-12KHS 26 lb / 12 kg NTEP Portable Bench Scale Guide
- pete8781
- Jul 31
- 4 min read
Need more details or help choosing the correct item? Call MNM Scales at (832) 290-3120 or email mnmscales@yahoo.com.
A&D SJ-12KHS is a 26 lb / 12 kg portable bench scale built for food portioning, receiving, packaging and general commercial weighing where a compact footprint matters. The current A&D SJ-HS family specification gives 12 kg capacity with 5 g readability, a 230 × 190 mm SUS304 stainless pan, roughly one-second stabilization, four D-cell power and NSF-compliant food-equipment positioning. In U.S. legal-for-trade use, SJ-12KHS is covered by Class III NTEP CoC 10-001A1 at 12 kg × 0.005 kg, 12,000 g × 5 g, 26 lb × 0.01 lb and 423 oz × 0.2 oz, with nmax 2600. That means the ordinary displayed increments and the certified trade intervals align for this model rather than having a separate finer process mode.
Exact capacity, readability and certified trade intervals
Metric capacity is 12 kg with 5 g readability. MNM lists 26 lb × 0.01 lb, and the NTEP certificate lists the corresponding legal configurations as 12 kg × 0.005 kg, 12,000 g × 5 g, 26 lb × 0.01 lb and 423 oz × 0.2 oz. For buyers comparing scales, this is more useful than a generic “NTEP approved” label because it shows the actual transaction division available in each common unit.
What Class III NTEP means for the buyer
Class III is the common commercial class used by many retail and general-purpose weighing devices. Type evaluation means the model design has been evaluated for use in commerce; an actual business still has to follow state or local placement-in-service, inspection, registration and sealing requirements. CoC 10-001A1 describes physical security sealing around calibration access. A store operator can zero, tare and verify known weights without treating protected calibration adjustment as a routine user setting.
Food-service construction and NSF positioning
A&D’s current SJ-HS page identifies the family as NSF compliant and uses a removable SUS304 stainless weighing pan. That makes SJ-12KHS practical for kitchens, bakeries, delis, produce rooms and other dry food areas where wipe-down cleaning and corrosion resistance matter. It is not the IP67 SJ-WP washdown family, so do not hose or immerse the scale body. Choose SJ-WP when routine wet washdown is a core requirement.
Pan size, display and operator ergonomics
The pan is approximately 230 × 190 mm, or about 9.1 × 7.5 inches, large enough for many plates, ingredient containers, parcel-sized boxes and retail trays. The 25 mm LCD is designed for easy viewing, and side handles help when the scale moves between stations. A large container may overhang only if it remains stable and touches nothing else; if a tray contacts the counter, part of the load bypasses the weighing mechanism and creates a false low reading.
Current battery life versus older dealer literature
Current A&D SJ-HS manufacturer literature lists approximately 2,000 hours of operation with alkaline batteries. The older MNM SJ-12KHS page still shows about 800 hours. For present purchasing decisions, use the current manufacturer figure while recognizing that real runtime varies with battery quality, temperature and usage. Four D cells make the scale practical for farmers markets, receiving carts and workstations without convenient AC power; an optional AC adapter is also available.
Calibration and daily verification
SJ-12KHS uses external calibration, and MNM lists 10 kg as the calibration mass. For an internal process scale, calibration can be performed according to the manufacturer procedure with a suitable known reference. For a scale already placed into legal-for-trade service, preserve the required seal and use qualified service when protected calibration adjustment is needed. A practical daily check is simpler: confirm level and zero, apply a known test weight in the normal working range, verify the result, and document it when the business quality or regulatory program requires records.
Accuracy expectations beyond the display digit
MNM’s technical table lists approximately 10 g repeatability and 10 g linearity for SJ-12KHS. The 5 g display increment should therefore not be interpreted as a guarantee that every real measurement is accurate within ±5 g. Commercial inspection tolerances and internal process tolerances are evaluated differently. For internal QC, choose acceptance limits that account for the scale, reference weight, environment and handling—not just the smallest displayed digit.
When SJ-12KHS is the right model—and when it is not
Choose SJ-12KHS when 26 lb capacity, 0.01 lb readability, portability and food-oriented cleanability fit the job. Choose SJ-2000HS or SJ-5000HS for lighter loads, SJ-20KHS or SJ-30KHS for higher capacity, and SJ-WP when wet washdown is routine. If electronic data output, automated checkweighing lights or parts counting are required, another A&D family such as EK-i, HW/HV-C or FC-i is a better fit because SJ-HS is intentionally simple.
Frequently asked questions
Is A&D SJ-12KHS NTEP legal for trade? Yes, Class III under CoC 10-001A1. What is the certified pound configuration? 26 lb × 0.01 lb. What is the metric configuration? 12 kg × 5 g. Is it NSF compliant? A&D identifies SJ-HS as NSF compliant. Is it waterproof? No; SJ-HS is not the IP67 SJ-WP washdown family. How many batteries? Four D cells. What battery life does current A&D literature list? Approximately 2,000 hours with alkaline batteries. What calibration mass does MNM list? 10 kg. Does it have RS-232C or counting? No; it is a simple portable bench scale.
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