What is ‘Tare’ weight?
Tare weight is the weight of a vehicle or container when it is empty. This weight is used in calculations of net weight for tasks which range from properly charging customers for consumer goods to taxing laden trucks as they cross borders. To calculate the net weight of a load, the container is weighed to establish the tare weight and then weighed again for the gross weight, and the tare is subtracted from the gross to find out how heavy the load is. The word “tare” appears to have originated somewhere in the Middle East. The Arabic word taraha means “reject,” and the Italians apparently adopted the word for themselves as tara, for “waste.” From Italy, the word spread through France, where it evolved into tare, meaning “imperfection or wasted goods,” and then it crossed the channel to England, where it has been used since the late 1400s. Many vehicles have marking plates with information which includes the tare weight. This is especially common with railway cars and trucks used in ship
Tare, or tare weight, is the weight of a bag, soaker, ice, packaging, wrapping, box, bin, pallet, truck, or any material not considered product or part of the net weight. Tare weight plus net weight equals gross weight. Selling by gross weight or measure is a misdemeanor (Business & Professions Code 12023).
