What Cardinal Scale Manufacturing does

Cardinal Scale Manufacturing, founded in 1950 and headquartered in Webb City, Missouri, is a privately held, vertically integrated manufacturer of industrial and medical weighing equipment operating under the Cardinal/Detecto umbrella brand, with sub-brands including DETECTO (medical/healthcare), Belt-Way (conveyor belt scales), Guardian (hydraulic load cells), and ARMOR (truck scales). The company designs and produces a portfolio spanning more than 50 product categories — truck scales, floor scales, bench scales, livestock scales, conveyor belt scales, weight indicators, load cells, and a full range of medical scales (bariatric, chair, wheelchair, in-bed, dialysis, physician, pediatric, and home healthcare) — supported by in-house capabilities including proprietary load cell fabrication, printed circuit board production, and robotic welding of truck-scale decks.

Its underlying technology stack centers on proprietary load cell architectures (digital SmartCells, Guardian hydraulic cells with 10-year warranties, compression and double-ended shear beam designs), analog-to-digital conversion systems (SmartCan), and wireless connectivity (ScaleNET Wi-Fi, SnapStream, S2WIFI modules) for integrating weighing data into EMR/EHR systems, industrial control networks, and wireless backhauls. Products carry extensive legal-for-trade certifications (NTEP, OIML, Measurement Canada, EC Class III, Australian NSC) plus healthcare (HL7 IEEE 11073), food-safety (NSF), and ingress protection (IP66/IP67/IP68/IP69K) ratings.

The business model is hardware sales through a hybrid go-to-market: a global authorized dealer/distributor network (with restricted dealer dashboard access) for enterprise industrial buyers, combined with direct website quote-based sales for mid-market customers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Revenue streams are organized across industrial/commercial scales, medical/healthcare scales, precision/retail scales, and load cells and components, with customers distributed across healthcare, heavy industrial/manufacturing, agriculture, food processing/retail, and specialty verticals. The company employs 251-500 people and shows no signs of external equity backing, public listing, or active M&A activity beyond the legacy DETECTO acquisition.

Name

Cardinal Scale Manufacturing

Legal name

Cardinal / Detecto Scale

Website

https://cardinalscale.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cardinal Scale Manufacturing is a privately held, vertically integrated US manufacturer of industrial and medical weighing systems — including truck scales, floor scales, medical scales, load cells, and conveyor belt scales — sold globally through authorized dealers and direct sales across healthcare, industrial, agricultural, and retail verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial and Medical Weighing Equipment

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Weighing Scales & Integrated Scanner-Scales (HDACAKAI)

Keywords

• Industrial weighing equipment
• Truck scales
• Load cells
• Medical scales
• Conveyor belt scales

Headquarters

HQ city

Webb City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Industrial/Commercial Scale Hardware: Manufacture and sale of heavy-duty weighing equipment including truck scales, floor scales, bench scales, and industrial weighing systems. Products sold through authorized dealers and direct sales with quote-based pricing.
2. Medical/Healthcare Scale Hardware: Sale of medical scales including patient scales, bariatric scales, wheelchair scales, physician scales, and healthcare weighing solutions to hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities.
3. Precision/Retail Scale Hardware: Sale of retail POS scales, price computing scales, and food service weighing equipment for grocery, food processing, and commercial kitchen applications.
4. Load Cells and Components: Sale of proprietary load cells, digital conversion systems, weight indicators, and replacement parts for existing weighing systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cardinal Scale Manufacturing designs, manufactures, and markets a broad portfolio of industrial and medical weighing equipment under the Cardinal/Detecto brand. Core products include truck scales (ARMOR Steel/Concrete Deck, Portable), floor scales, bench scales, conveyor belt scales (Belt-Way brand), livestock scales, and Detecto-branded medical scales (bariatric, chair, wheelchair, in-bed, physician, dialysis). The company also manufactures proprietary load cells, weight indicators, digital conversion systems, and connectivity solutions (ScaleNET Wi-Fi, S2WIFI modules), selling primarily through an authorized dealer network and direct quote-based sales.

Product overview

Cardinal Scale Manufacturing (under the Cardinal/Detecto brand) is a vertically-integrated manufacturer of industrial and medical weighing equipment. The company operates under two primary sub-brands: Cardinal Scale handles industrial weighing solutions including truck scales, floor scales, bench scales, livestock scales, and conveyor belt scales (including Belt-Way branded products), while Detecto focuses on medical and healthcare scales including bariatric, chair, wheelchair, in-bed, and physician scales. The product portfolio spans over 50 distinct product categories covering: truck scales (ARMOR series with steel and concrete decks, portable options), floor scales (Enforcer, FloorHugger, GroundForce, Guardian Hydraulic, Echelon, RuggedWeigh), bench scales (EB-185/190/205/210 series, Admiral CA-190, 190 Storm), weight indicators (825 Gen2, 210 Storm, 225 Navigator), connectivity solutions (ScaleNET Wi-Fi, S2WIFI), conveyor belt scales (Belt-Way branded), livestock scales (Harvester, SLS, Weight Wrangler), medical scales (bariatric, chair, wheelchair, in-bed, pediatric, physician, athletic), home healthcare scales (SlimTALK, SlimPRO, DR Series), precision balances, counting scales, portion scales, baker dough scales, hanging scales, retail POS scales, ingredient scales, veterinary scales, load cell kits (digital, hydraulic, compression), printers, software, mobile apps, and diagnostic tools. The company manufactures components in-house including printed circuit boards and performs robotic welding, with NTEP, OIML, and international certifications across product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DETECTO: Brand for medical, healthcare, and precision weighing scales including physician scales, bariatric scales, chair scales, and clinical weighing equipment.
• Belt-Way
• Guardian
• ARMOR

Products and services

• ARMOR Steel Deck Truck Scales with Digital SmartCells Heavy-duty steel deck truck scales with digital SmartCell load cells for heavy-duty vehicle weighing applications, built for long service life in industrial settings.
• ARMOR Concrete Deck Truck Scales with Guardian Hydraulic Load Cells Truck scales with concrete deck and Guardian hydraulic load cells engineered for demanding environments such as solid waste stations, quarries, and grain elevators.
• ARMOR Portable Truck Scales with Digital SmartCells Portable digital truck scales with modular design and expandable bulkheads for multiple weighing locations and varying platform sizes.
• Enforcer Frameless Floor Scales with Smooth Decks Electronic floor scales with smooth decks featuring stainless or mild steel construction and self-leveling load cells, suitable for laundry cart weighing and similar industrial applications.
• Echelon EH Series Economical Floor Scales NTEP-certified economical floor scales for light industrial use in warehouses, logistics, and shipping/receiving departments.
• Guardian Hydraulic Floor Scales Floor scales with stainless steel hydraulic load cells featuring top-side deck access for high-pressure wash-down cleaning.
• GroundForce Full-Frame Extra Heavy-Duty Floor Scales NTEP legal-for-trade floor scales with platform sizes from 4x4 ft to 12x10 ft for flush-mounted pit installations in industrial settings.
• EB-185 Series Bench Scales Stainless steel bench scales with rechargeable battery, backlit LCD, and NTEP/OIML/Measurement Canada legal-for-trade certification for industrial/commercial weighing.
• Admiral Series CA-190 Bench Scales IP69K-rated bench scales with stainless steel construction and ColorZONE display for efficient checkweighing in food processing and industrial applications.
• 190 Storm Bench Scales IP69K-rated bench scales with polycarbonate enclosure and capacitive touch keys, designed for extreme-use applications with high-temperature washdowns up to 176 degrees F.
• Belt-Way Conveyor Belt Scales In-motion conveyor belt weighing solutions with self-storing test weights for quick calibration and weatherproof integrators.
• Stainless Steel Conveyor Belt Scales 316 stainless steel conveyor belt scales for harsh and corrosive environments in salt mining, fertilizer plants, and other manufacturing applications.
• Harvester Livestock Scales Fully-electronic livestock scales with pre-cast concrete decks and livestock pens for stockyards, feed lots, and private farms.
• SLS Single Animal Livestock Scales Steel deck single animal livestock scales for weighing cattle, swine, horses, sheep, and goats with dual slide-out gates for efficient single-animal weighing.
• Weight Wrangler Mobile Livestock Scales Self-contained NTEP legal-for-trade mobile livestock scales with air bag suspension for weighing groups of cattle up to 15-20 head at a time.
• 825 Gen2 Weight Indicator 12-inch full-color graphics touchscreen LCD weight indicator with advanced display capabilities for industrial weighing applications.
• 210 Storm Weight Indicator Stainless steel washdown weight indicator with LED display, digital fill control, and connectivity options including USB and RS232 ports.
• 225 Navigator Weight Indicator Advanced weight indicator with transflective display technology, 240x64 pixel resolution, and multiple connectivity options for industrial applications.
• apex Digital Scales with Sonar Height Rods Eye-level digital physician scales with touchless sonar height rods that automatically capture weight and height without manual button presses, including APEX-SH with HL7 IEEE 11073 compliance.
• solo Digital Eye-Level Physician Scale Economical digital physician scale with height rod featuring 550 lb capacity, inline height measurement, and USB port connectivity for clinical use.
• 6868 Bariatric Flip Seat Scale Bariatric flip seat scale offering standing, seated, and bariatric weighing with 1,000 lb capacity and padded wrap-around handrails for patient safety.
• 6857DHR Digital Bariatric Scale Digital bariatric scale with 1LOOK display showing height, weight, and BMI simultaneously with fully automatic operation for clinical settings.
• 6855MHR Handrail Scale with Height Rod Digital handrail scale with height rod featuring 600 lb capacity, low-profile platform, and EMR/EHR connectivity for healthcare facilities.
• 6560 Portable Wheelchair Scale with Handrail Multi-purpose clinical wheelchair scale with handrail and EMR/EHR connectivity designed for healthcare facilities needing to weigh patients in wheelchairs.
• 6880 Chair Scale Chair scale with retractable padded armrests and footrest for patients with decreased mobility, featuring Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
• IB800 In-Bed Scale In-bed scale with hydraulic lift mechanism for weighing bed-bound patients with 800 lb capacity and flame-retardant stretcher.
• Solace In-Floor Dialysis Scales Flush-mounted in-floor dialysis scales with stainless steel decks, handrail options, and recessed touchscreen indicator/printer for dialysis centers.
• C Series Portable Counting Scales Portable counting scales with 15,000 weight divisions for inventory counting, available in 30/65/100 lb capacities with rechargeable battery.
• 420 Series Digital Precision Balance Scales Class II legal-for-trade precision balances for weighing herbs, cannabis, coffee, jewels, and precious metals with 10/20/50 mg precision.
• SCS30 Solar Hanging Scale Solar-powered NTEP legal-for-trade hanging scale powered completely by light for grocery stores and farmers markets.
• Enterprise APS Series Retail POS Scales Retail point-of-sale scales integrating with most POS systems for checkout applications, with wireless capability options for grocery and retail environments.
• DL Series Price Computing Scales with Integral Printer Networkable price computing scales with integral label printers featuring 5-inch diameter platters and multiple capacity options for retail and food service.
• CIM Series In-Motion Checkweighers Continuous in-motion checkweighers for conveyor lines providing accurate weights to 0.05 lb increments with optional rejector arms.
• DC Series SmartCell Digital Load Cell Kits Digital load cell kits with no junction box necessary, featuring technology that eliminates cumbersome wiring for easier data transmission.
• Compression Analog AC Series Load Cell Kits Stainless steel compression load cells with anti-rotation mounting for multi-cell vehicle and tank scales, rated IP69K for harsh environments.
• Guardian HBC Hydraulic Load Cell Kits Hydraulic tank/hopper scale systems requiring no power within the scale, offering lightning protection for harsh conditions and 10-year warranty.
• SmartCan Digital Conversion System Analog-to-digital conversion system for digitizing existing analog scales using CAN serial bus technology with onboard diagnostics and cloud monitoring.
• ScaleNET Wi-Fi Load cell analog-to-digital converter with Wi-Fi for transmitting weight data from scale bases to wireless networks for non-legal-for-trade applications.
• S2WIFI Serial to Wi-Fi Module Wireless module converting serial data to Wi-Fi signal for connecting weight indicators to networks, displays, printers, and mobile devices.
• Medical Carts Medical carts for healthcare facilities to support clinical operations and equipment transport.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mettler-Toledo International: Global leader in precision instruments and industrial weighing, serving pharmaceutical, food and laboratory markets. Directly comparable to Cardinal in industrial scales and load cells but operates at significantly greater scale and global reach.
• Avery Weigh-Tronix (Illinois Tool Works): Industrial and retail weighing solutions provider owned by Illinois Tool Works, offering truck scales, floor scales and checkweighers. Direct competitor in industrial weighing with stronger parent company backing and broader global footprint.
• Sartorius AG: Manufacturer of precision balances and laboratory weighing instruments with strong life sciences customer base. Comparable to Cardinal's precision balance and counting scale product lines but focused on lab and pharma end-markets.

Direct peers

• OHAUS Corporation: Manufacturer of precision balances, industrial scales and laboratory weighing equipment. Directly comparable in product categories spanning bench scales, counting scales and precision balances with similar NTEP-certified offerings.
• Rice Lake Weighing Systems: US-based manufacturer of industrial weighing equipment, truck scales and healthcare scales with comparable product breadth and dealer-distributed model. One of the closest direct competitors to Cardinal in the North American market.
• CAS Corporation: Korean-headquartered manufacturer of retail POS scales, price computing scales and industrial weighing solutions. Comparable to Cardinal's retail POS and food processing scale portfolio with strong presence in grocery and food service.
• Fairbanks Scales: Long-standing US manufacturer of industrial scales, truck scales and weighing systems. Direct overlap with Cardinal in heavy-duty vehicle and industrial weighing applications, particularly aggregates and freight.

Emerging players

• Hardy Process Solutions: Manufacturer of industrial weighing equipment, load cells and weight indicators for process control applications. Directly comparable to Cardinal's load cell kits, weight indicators and industrial scale offerings with shared focus on heavy-industrial customers.
• Seca GmbH & Co. KG: German specialist in medical scales, stadiometers and body composition analyzers for hospitals and physician offices. Closely comparable to Cardinal's Detecto medical scale brand but focused exclusively on healthcare.
• Tanita Corporation: Manufacturer of medical and consumer weighing scales with focus on body composition monitoring. Comparable to Cardinal/Detecto's home healthcare scale products but more consumer-oriented.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cardinaldetecto

Compliance16 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cardinal Scale Manufacturing