To qualify for bulk mail rates, organizations must ensure that all items are identical in size, weight, and shape. To achieve this, most businesses will use a bench or postal scale to weigh the mail and complete the necessary paperwork. Checkweighers and counting scales can also be a useful tool to check piece-weights and bundle pre-sorted mail.

Once handed over to the postal service for processing, bulk mail will be further processed, and weighed, to verify that the correct weights have been declared. This can be done using a checkweigher, which can easily identify any bulk mail items that sit outside of the declared piece weight. Many sorting facilities will also choose to weigh bulk mail and parcels in motion, using a conveyor scale system built into the sorting process.

When mailing and processing parcels, weight data forms an important part of the process. Parcels are initially weighed on a postal facility counter scale, or on a shipping centre deck scale for larger parcels, to determine the weight and postage fee.

They then go through weight verification-checks as part of the sorting and processing phases. Depending on the size of the shipment, this is likely to be done on a high-resolution bench or postal scale, or on a deck scale for larger items. As well as protecting revenue by ensuring that the correct fee has been charged, this weight verification step also helps with transport planning for onward shipments.

Truck scales, cargo scales, and forklift scales can be used to help balance loads across different transport modes, optimizing fuel efficiency and reducing transportation costs. This step also ensures that logistics trucks stay within legal loading requirements, helping to eliminate damage to roads and vehicles that can be caused by overloading.