Enter the weight of the object, the distance to the fulcrum from the object and the distance from the fulcrum to the counter balance to calculator the counter balance weight.

Counter Balance Weight Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the weight of a counter balance.

CBW = Mo*Do/Db
  • Where CBW is the counter balance weight
  • Mo is the mass of the object
  • Do is the distance from object to the fulcrum
  • Db is the distance from the counterbalance to the fulcrum

To calculate the counterbalance weight, multiply the mass of the object by the distance from the fulcrum to the object, then divide by the distance from the fulcrum to the counterbalance.

What is a Counter Balance Weight?

Definition:

A counter balance is a weight, when placed at a certain distance, equals the same torque as another object at a different distance from the fulcrum part.

How to Calculate Counter Balance Weight?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate the Counter Balance Weight.

First, determine the mass of the object. In this example, the mass of the object is 10 lbs.

Next, determine the distance from the object to the fulcrum. In this case, this is 5 ft.

Next, determine the distance from the counterbalance to the fulcrum. For this problem, this is 3ft.

Finally, calculate the counterbalance weight using the formula above:

CBW = Mo*Do/Db

CBW = 5*10/3

CBW = 16.67 lbs