UK Act of Parliament 1985 United Kingdom

Weights and Measures Act 1985

View on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab) Ask Guv about this Act

At a glance

What's here

35 compliance obligations, 4 practical guides · 2 journeys · 3 statutory instruments

Penalty landscape

20 of 35 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 8 carry different penalties and 7 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 26
  • Manufacturer 2
  • Director or Officer 1

Plus 6 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Direct — cites this Act

1 guides

Supporting — topic alignment

2 guides

Mentioned in related content

1 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Manufacturers also bound by 82 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Directors and Officers also bound by 224 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part I — Units and Standards of Measurement

s.004

Local standards.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must maintain and certify local weights and measures standards Local authority
Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part II — Weighing and Measuring for Trade

s.015

Pre-test stamping by certain manufacturers.

Unlimited fine
  • Use a manufacturer's verification stamp without including a serial number Any Person
Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.011

Approval of persons to verify equipment manufactured etc by them.

s.011

Testing by official EEA testers.

Part III — Public Weighing or Measuring Equipment

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part IV — Regulation of Transactions in Goods

s.028

Short weight, etc.

Unlimited fine
  • Deliver short weight or measure to a customer Any Person
s.031

Incorrect statements.

Unlimited fine
  • Issue or use documents with incorrect weight or quantity statements Any Person
s.031

Non-compliance with certain requirements of the FIC Regulation

Unlimited fine
  • Failure to provide accurate food quantity information Any Person
s.033

Warranty.

Unlimited fine
  • Give a false written warranty for goods Any Person
Browse 17 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part V — Packaged Goods

Browse 19 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VI — Administration

s.078

Fees received by inspectors.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Weights and measures inspectors must account for and pay over collected fees Local authority
Browse 8 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VII — General

s.082

Offences by corporations.

6 months imprisonment
  • Personal liability for corporate weights and measures offences Director or Officer
Browse 18 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.079

Investigatory powers

Schedules

s.005

Solid Fuel

Unlimited fine
  • Sell solid fuel by improper weight or volume Any Person
Browse 13 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
s.sch003a

APPROVALS UNDER SECTION 11A

Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

Local Authority

Primary

Local Authority (Environmental Health / Licensing / Planning)

Local councils enforce food safety (via Environmental Health Officers), issue alcohol licences, grant planning permission, and regulate certain business activities at local …

OPSS

Office for Product Safety and Standards

Product safety regulator responsible for ensuring consumer products are safe. Enforces product safety regulations, UKCA marking requirements, and works with market surveillance …

Trading Standards

Trading Standards (Local Authority)

Enforces consumer protection legislation including food labelling, weights and measures, product safety, and fair trading. Part of local authority structure. Investigates food …

Connected legislation

3 statutory instruments

These instruments amend, apply, or refer to this Act. They may not all create direct business obligations.

Explore more

Browse legislation

Find other UK business legislation with related guidance.

Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.