Weighing instruments which are laid on the floor are floor scales. In most of the cases, these scales are used to weigh heavy items that cannot be handled by other kinds of scales like the bench scale or desk scale. Most of these scales will have wide and flat areas that could handle weight up to several tons. Many of these are made up of strong stainless steel to withstand the ruthless environments and items and also to prevent corrosion. Some floor scales decide the weight manually by adjusting the weight indictor. Others will have automatic digital weight indicator powered by dry cells.

Huge industries use large floor scales to compute the weight of their metals and other heavy materials prior to production. Similarly, most hardware stores selling heavy equipment, scales before shipping their products to their clients. There are also small scales used in the home. The most popular among these of course is the bathroom weighing scale. These scales can be expensive depending on its features and size. So when purchasing them, one should check for the warranty offered.