Are Bathroom Scales Accurate? (And Does It Matter?)
Your scale says 74.2, the gym's says 75.1, the doctor's says something else again. Which one is right? Here's the surprisingly liberating answer: for tracking, it barely matters.
How accurate are home scales?
Decent digital bathroom scales are typically accurate to within about half a kilo, and precise to 0.1 kg steps. Cheap or old load cells drift; batteries fade; and every scale reads slightly differently from the next.
What throws readings off
- Soft flooring: carpet can distort readings by a kilo or more — use hard, flat floor.
- Moving the scale: load cells settle; keep it in one spot.
- Uneven placement: a tile edge or grout line under one foot skews the sensors.
- Comparing different scales: each has its own offset — a meaningless comparison.
Why consistency beats accuracy
Suppose your scale reads 0.4 kg heavy — every single day. Your absolute weight is slightly wrong, but your changes are exactly right, and changes are the entire point of tracking. A consistent scale with a fixed error gives you a perfect trend.
The practical rules
One scale, hard floor, same spot, same time of day. Never 'verify' on a second scale — you'll just import someone else's offset into your data and call it a gain.
Common questions
- Why do two scales show different weights?
- Each scale has its own calibration offset, and floors, placement and even temperature shift readings. A 0.5–1 kg disagreement between scales is completely normal and says nothing about your body.
- Why does my scale give a different weight if I step on twice?
- Load cells need to settle. Step on once, wait for the reading to lock, and use that. If repeat readings vary a lot, put the scale on hard floor in a fixed spot — or replace it.
- Do I need an expensive scale to track weight?
- No. Any consistent scale works, because tracking cares about change, not absolute truth. Spend the money on nothing — consistency is free.
Ready to start? Open the app page: How to track your weight.