Tare weight , sometimes called unladen weight, is the weight of an empty vehicle or container. By subtracting tare weight from gross weight ( laden weight), one can determine the weight of the goods carried or contained (the net weight).

Etymology

The word '' tare'' originates from the

Middle French Middle French () is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from the mid-14th to the early 17th centuries. It is a period of transition during which: * the French language became clearly distinguished from the other co ...

word 'wastage in goods, deficiency, imperfection' (15th ), from Italian , from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, lit. 'thing deducted or rejected', from 'to reject'.

Usage

With a laboratory scale, the tare weight is the mass of the flask and the net weight is the mass of the contents. Tare weight can be useful in computing the cost of the goods carried for purposes of

tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

ation or for tolls related to barge, rail, road, or other traffic, especially where the toll will vary with the value of the goods carried (''e.g.'', tolls on the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

). Tare weight is often displayed upon the sides of railway cars and transport vehicles to facilitate the computation of the load carried. It is also used in body composition assessment when doing underwater weighing.Underwater weighing
/ref> Tare weight is accounted for in kitchen scales, analytical (scientific) and other

weighing scale A scale or balance is a device used to measure weight or mass. These are also known as mass scales, weight scales, mass balances, massometers, and weight balances. The traditional scale consists of two plates or bowls suspended at equal d ...

s which include a button that resets the display of the scales to zero when an empty container is placed on the weighing platform, in order subsequently to display only the weight of the contents added into the container.

Etymology

Usage

See also

References

Further reading