Scale Calibration & Repair in Texas City & La Marque, TX
Scale calibration and repair in Texas City and La Marque, TX, on the mainland shore of Galveston Bay. Our TDA-registered technicians calibrate floor, drum, washdown and crane scales at refineries, petrochemical plants and port terminals, calibrate lab balances, and repair load cells, cables and indicators from our own stock. Each scale gets an in-house or NIST-traceable certificate.
A Port Founded on a Duck Hunt
Texas City began in 1891, when three brothers from Duluth, Minnesota came to the marshes at Shoal Point on a duck-hunting trip and saw a harbor. They and other Duluth shippers bought 10,000 acres of bay frontage, filed the first townsite plat on May 17, 1893, and started dredging a channel. Tank farms, pipelines and refineries followed, and Texas City became a tidewater terminal for Texas crude.
The city is also remembered for the disaster of April 16, 1947, when a ship explosion in the harbor became one of the deadliest industrial accidents in U.S. history, and it shaped how the region thinks about plant safety. Today the port handles roughly 33 million tons of cargo a year, mostly bulk liquids, and manufacturing and petrochemical plants employ thousands. The Texas City Dike runs miles into the bay and draws anglers year-round, and neighboring La Marque adds retail, food and service businesses along I-45.
Texas City Weighing at a Glance
| Industry | What gets weighed | Scales | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refineries | Drums, catalysts, samples | Floor, drum | III |
| Petrochemical plants | Additives, product | Bench, platform | III |
| Port and tank terminals | Samples, dosing | Bench, IS balance | III / II |
| Plant labs | Samples, standards | Analytical, precision | I / II |
| Seafood and grocery | Food by the pound | Washdown NTEP bench | III |
| Dike anglers and weigh-ins | Fish | Hanging | III |
A stainless NTEP washdown bench scale like the Optima OP-915W-SS handles both plant sampling stations and seafood counters. Plant maintenance shops lift heavy assemblies on crane scales such as the MNM 40,000 lb unit, which we calibrate on-site with our own heavy weights.
Repairs in Salt Air and Plant Service
- Corrosion in connectors, junction boxes and cells, the most common failure this close to the bay.
- Failed load cells on floor and drum scales, tested one by one and replaced.
- Indicators damaged by surges or washdown, repaired or replaced and recalibrated.
- Crane scales that took a shock load during maintenance, inspected and recalibrated.
- Lab balances that drift with humidity changes, cleaned, adjusted and verified.
We follow your site orientation and permit rules. Repairs are quoted per job, and rentals cover turnarounds and outages.
Plant Records and Trade Rules
Refineries and petrochemical plants usually need a NIST-traceable certificate with as-found and as-left readings. Seafood markets and grocers selling by weight, and terminals billing by weight, need a scale that meets NIST Handbook 44 and is suitable for its use, usually an NTEP-approved model, placed into service by a registered technician of a TDA-licensed service company, with the RWM-780 filed; see legal-for-trade calibration.
Near salt water, every six months is a sensible interval for outdoor and dockside scales. Plant scales often follow the turnaround calendar. On-site calibration is done during the visit, and shipped-in scales usually take 1 to 3 business days.
Mileage and Prices
| From our Cypress shop to | Main route | Round trip (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| La Marque | I-45 south, FM 1764, then SH 3 | About 132–144 miles |
| Texas City | I-45 south, then FM 1764 | About 138–150 miles |
The $295 on-site call plus $2 per mile, round trip, is charged once per visit, with each scale priced by capacity. Because the trip is long, group every scale at your site into one visit, or use mail-in calibration for small scales and balances. For floor and crane scales, our technicians bring their own certified test weights. Book below, one per scale, and send your list.
Book calibration online, priced per scale:
Up to 2.2 kg: Up to 2.2 kg In-House $95 Up to 2.2 kg NIST $395
2.2–6.2 kg: 2.2–6.2 kg In-House $195 2.2–6.2 kg NIST $495
6.2–35 kg: 6.2–35 kg In-House $250 6.2–35 kg NIST $595
35–150 kg: 35–150 kg In-House $350 35–150 kg NIST $750
Over 150 kg: Over 150 kg In-House $495 Over 150 kg NIST $995
Related Pages
- League City and Galveston for the Bay Area and the island.
- Pasadena and Baytown and Deer Park and La Porte up the channel.
- Industrial calibration, repair and all scale services.
Texas City and La Marque Scale Service FAQ
What does a visit to Texas City cost?
Texas City is about 138 to 150 miles round trip from our Cypress shop. The $295 on-site call plus $2 per mile, round trip, is charged once per visit, with each scale priced by capacity.
Is mail-in a better option for one balance?
Often, yes. For a single balance or small scale, mail-in calibration avoids the trip cost and is usually finished within 1 to 3 business days.
Do you calibrate scales at refineries?
Yes. We calibrate floor, drum, bench and crane scales and lab balances on-site, following your safety and permit rules.
Can you calibrate a fishing weigh-in scale?
Yes. Hanging and platform scales for tournaments and weigh-ins are calibrated with a certificate for the event.
Do you cover La Marque?
Yes. La Marque is about 132 to 144 miles round trip, and the same once-per-visit service call applies.
How often should scales near the bay be calibrated?
Every six months is common for outdoor and dockside scales, because salt air speeds up corrosion.
Book Texas City Scale Service
Call (832) 290-3120 (24/7) or request a quote.