Calculated net value 2026-11-05
A calculated net value is the difference between a measured weighing value, gross or net, and a preset tare value. The key distinction is the origin of the subtracted quantity: it is entered or recalled numerically rather than necessarily being a freshly measured tare for that individual container. OIML R76-1:2006 defines these terms separately from an ordinary net indication after operation of a tare device.[ref]
Write the arithmetic as
where is the stored preset tare value. Here the weighing values are expressed as mass estimates, for example in kilograms; they are not forces expressed in newtons. The instrument determines mass using gravity under its measurement model.[ref]
For a chosen packaging example, let a loaded container give and let the stored nominal container tare be . The calculated net value is then . If this particular empty container actually has mass , its contents have ideal net mass . The calculated indication overestimates that value by . The subtraction has been performed correctly; the discrepancy arises because a nominal tare was substituted for an individual one.
More generally, let the true contents' mass be , the actual container mass be , and the measured gross value be , where is measurement error. Then
Repeating weighings can assess variation in , but it does not by itself remove an incorrectly chosen . A useful check therefore weighs representative empty containers as well as repeating loaded measurements. Report the stored tare and what it represents along with the result. This makes the physical assumptions behind a calculated net value visible rather than treating a precise-looking display as evidence that every container has the nominal tare mass.
Preset tare value 2026-11-05
A preset tare value is a numerical tare mass entered or recalled for use in subsequent weighings without individually determining each container's tare. The pinned OIML terminology denotes it by and calls the measured gross or net indication minus this value a calculated net value. It can be supplied through a preset tare device rather than obtained by weighing the current empty container.[ref]
For an original example, a stored container tare is , but the actual empty container has tare mass . Adding of material gives gross mass . Applying the stored value gives
although the actual net mass is . Their difference is
An underestimated preset tare therefore overestimates the contents. Repeating the same discrepancy across ten containers produces a total discrepancy; more displayed digits do not remove it.
A useful physical check independently weighs representative empty containers, including the same lids and attachments used during the loaded measurement, and compares them with the stored value. Record which load components the preset represents. If it is subtracted from an indication that has already had those components removed by a tare device, the same tare mass is deducted twice. The stored number's provenance and variability belong in the measurement model and its measurement uncertainty.