Formwork Axial Force Meter

It depends on your formwork design load and the props you're using. For typical residential slabs with lightweight props, a 100 kN meter is often sufficient. For heavy industrial floors or high-headroom pours, you might need 300 kN or more. Check the maximum expected load per prop and select a meter with at least 20% overhead. Kingmach can help size the meter if you share your formwork drawings.

Yes. The meter comes with flat loading surfaces that seat well against steel base plates or aluminum beam flanges. For adjustable props, you can place the meter between the prop head and the formwork panel. Just ensure the load is centered to avoid bending moments. Some contractors use a thin steel plate to distribute the load if the contact area is small.

Kingmach recommends annual calibration, or after any instance where the meter was overloaded beyond its rated capacity. If you're using it continuously on a long project, a mid-project check is a good idea. Calibration can be done with a compression testing machine or on-site with a reference load cell. The process is simple and won't take the meter out of your rotation for long.

The standard output is a millivolt-per-volt signal, typically 2 mV/V at full scale. You'll need a compatible readout unit or data logger that accepts strain gauge inputs. Many third-party dataloggers work, or Kingmach supplies a portable indicator with a digital display. For automated monitoring, you can connect multiple meters to a central logger and stream data wirelessly to a site office.