When I first started sourcing and selling pancake load cells back in 2012, I remember a customer calling me in a panic. They’d bought three of these low-profile force sensors online, tried mounting them on a packaging line, and two failed within a week. “They look like the ones in the spec sheet,” they said, frustrated. “What am I doing wrong?” That question stuck with me, because it wasn’t that the sensors were defective—it was that they’d been installed incorrectly, a mistake that’s far too common with pancake load cells. Most operators and even some engineers assume these thin, disk-shaped sensors mount the same way as any other load cell, but that’s not true. Their mounting style is the single biggest factor in their accuracy and lifespan, and getting it wrong isn’t just about bad readings—it’s about costly downtime, wasted product, and even safety risks for equipment that depends on precise force measurement. Pancake Load Cell
Let’s start with what makes a pancake load cell different from other types, because that difference directly dictates how they should be mounted. Unlike S-beam or column load cells, which are long and designed to sit inline with a force path, pancake load cells are thin, circular, and built to measure compression force over a very short distance. That low-profile design is why they’re so popular in tight spaces: think of automated assembly lines, material testing machines, or even the scales that check if a soda can has the right amount of liquid inside. But that slim shape means they have almost no tolerance for side loads, shear forces, or bending moments. If you mount them the same way you’d mount an S-beam load cell—bolting one side down and letting the other float, or forcing them to fit a space they don’t quite match—you’re introducing forces the sensor wasn’t designed to handle. Those forces warp the internal strain gauges, throw off readings, and cause premature failure.
The core mounting rule for pancake load cells is that they should only ever be subjected to pure, axial compression force. That means the force applied to the top of the sensor should align perfectly with the center of the disk, and there should be no sideways movement, twisting, or bending that pushes on the edge of the load cell. To achieve that, there are two primary mounting styles that work reliably, plus a few common mistakes I see customers make over and over again. Let’s break down the good ones first.
First, there’s the classic flat flange mounting style, which is the most common and the easiest to get right. Most pancake load cells come with four or six small mounting holes evenly spaced around their outer edge, usually drilled and tapped for bolts. This style works when you have two flat, parallel surfaces that the load cell will sit between. Here’s how to do it step by step, the way I teach our customers during onboarding calls: First, clean both surfaces thoroughly—any dust, grease, or small particles will create a gap that causes uneven force distribution, even if it’s just a tenth of a millimeter. Next, place the load cell between the two surfaces, aligning the center of the load cell with the center of the force you’re going to apply. For the mounting bolts, never overtighten them. I’ve seen customers crank these bolts down as hard as they can to “secure” the sensor, but that bends the flange of the load cell and creates preload stress that ruins accuracy. Instead, tighten the bolts in a crisscross pattern, going from one hole to the opposite hole, in small increments (like a quarter turn each time) until the flange is flush with both surfaces. A good rule of thumb is to tighten them to 20-30% of the bolt’s maximum torque rating, just enough to eliminate gaps but not enough to deform the load cell.
The second reliable mounting style is spherical seat mounting, used when you can’t guarantee perfect alignment between the two surfaces the load cell is sitting on. No matter how precise your machining is, there’s always a slight gap or misalignment between two metal surfaces, especially on older equipment. If you mount a pancake load cell flat between these surfaces, the force will only be applied to one small spot on the top or bottom of the disk, causing uneven strain and inaccurate readings over time. A spherical seat solves this by adding a small, curved metal pad between the load cell and the surface above it, or below it, or both. The curve lets the seat pivot slightly, so it self-aligns with the force path, even if the surfaces are off by a few degrees. I recommend spherical seats for almost all retrofit applications, where you’re installing a new load cell into old equipment that wasn’t designed for it. The only catch here is that you have to make sure the seat is rated for the full load of the pancake load cell—using an undersized seat defeats the purpose and can actually introduce more error than using no seat at all.
Now, let’s talk about the mounting styles that almost always go wrong, because I’ve seen these cause more problems than anything else. The first is “direct bolt mounting without preload control.” I mentioned overtightening bolts earlier, but even if you tighten them correctly, bolting the load cell directly to two rigid surfaces without any sort of gap compensation can be an issue if the load changes drastically. For example, if you’re using a pancake load cell to test the compression strength of cardboard boxes, the load will vary from a few pounds to hundreds of pounds. The rigid bolt mounting means the load cell is under constant preload, which drifts over time as the metal expands and contracts with temperature changes. That’s why many material testing applications use a third style: compliance mounting, where you add a small, flexible shim (like a thin piece of PTFE or a rubber pad rated for high force) between one surface and the load cell. The shim absorbs small misalignments and temperature shifts, reducing drift without sacrificing accuracy.
Another common mistake is mounting the pancake load cell in tension. Wait, you might be thinking—pancake load cells measure compression, right? Yes, almost all standard pancake load cells are designed for compression only. Trying to mount one to pull a load (like lifting a heavy part) stretches the strain gauges in the wrong direction, and they can’t handle that force. There are a few specialty pancake load cells for tension, but they’re marked clearly and come with different mounting hardware. Unless you’re absolutely sure you have a tension-rated pancake load cell, never mount it so that the load is pulling it apart. I had a customer last year who bought a standard pancake load cell to rig a tension test on metal brackets, and by the time he called me, the strain gauges were cracked and the load cell was useless. A quick switch to our tension-rated specialty model fixed the problem, but it cost him days of downtime and extra parts.
Alignment is the most critical part of any pancake load cell mounting style, and it’s not just a one-time check. I always tell customers to test alignment before they put the system into full operation. Here’s how I suggest doing it: Apply a small, known load to the center of the load cell—like a 10-pound weight if your system’s capacity is 100 pounds—and check the reading. Then, apply the same weight at the very edge of the load cell, 90 degrees from the first spot. If the reading changes by more than 1-2%, your alignment is off, and you need to adjust the mounting bolts or add a spherical seat. Do this check at both room temperature and the operating temperature of your equipment, too—metal expands when it gets hot, which can shift alignment and cause readings to drift. For equipment that runs at extreme temperatures (like ovens or freezers), I also recommend using mounting hardware made from the same material as the load cell (usually stainless steel) to match thermal expansion rates and reduce stress.
There are a few other small details that make a big difference in mounting style longevity. Never use washers that are thicker than 1mm under the mounting bolts. Thicker washers create gaps that let the load cell shift slightly, even if the bolts are tight. Also, if you’re using a pancake load cell in a dirty environment (like a packaging line with dust or powder), make sure the mounting surfaces are sealed. A thin layer of dust between the load cell and a surface acts as a cushion, reducing the force measured and causing slow, inaccurate readings over time. Many manufacturers, including us, offer sealed pancake load cells with IP67 ratings for these applications, but the mounting style still matters—sealing won’t fix a misaligned sensor.
One of the most frequent questions I get from new customers is whether they can reuse an old mounting style from a previous load cell. The short answer is: only if that load cell was also a pancake type. S-beam load cells, column load cells, and even some miniature load cells have different shape and force requirements, so their mounting styles won’t work. For example, an S-beam load cell is designed to have tension or compression applied along its long axis, so mounting a pancake load cell in that orientation (trying to pull it from the sides) is a guaranteed failure. I once worked with a customer who tried swapping out a faulty column load cell for a pancake one, and mounted it standing vertically, like a column. Within two days, the pancake load cell had buckled under the side load, because it wasn’t designed to bear force that way.
Now, let’s talk about how our approach to mounting styles sets us apart as a supplier. When a customer orders a pancake load cell from us, we don’t just ship the sensor and a spec sheet. We include a 10-page mounting guide tailored to the exact model they ordered, with step-by-step photos for each mounting style, plus access to a dedicated technical support team. We also offer free mounting hardware kits that match the load cell, including correctly sized bolts, spherical seats, and thin washers, so customers don’t have to guess what works. Last quarter, we had a customer in the automotive industry who was struggling to get consistent readings on a brake pad testing rig. We sent them a set of spherical seats and adjusted their mounting bolts to our crisscross tightening guide, and their accuracy went from 85% to 99.8% within a week. They’ve since ordered 12 more load cells from us, specifically because of the mounting support, not just the sensor itself.
At the end of the day, the mounting style of a pancake load cell isn’t just an installation step—it’s the foundation of accurate, reliable force measurement. A high-quality pancake load cell is useless if it’s mounted wrong, just like a fine watch won’t keep time if it’s dropped or shaken. The key is to prioritize pure axial compression, align perfectly, use the right hardware for your application, and avoid common mistakes like side loads, overtightened bolts, and misapplied tension. If you’re working on a project that needs precise force measurement and you’re not sure about your mounting setup, don’t guess—reach out to talk through your needs. We’ve helped hundreds of customers across industries get their pancake load cell mounting right, and we’re ready to help you too. Don’t let a bad installation ruin your next project—let’s connect to make sure your load cell is mounted correctly from the start.
6 Axis Force Sensor References
Load Cell Handbook: Theory, Design, and Applications. HBM GmbH, 2020.
“Mounting Best Practices for Low-Profile Load Cells.” Measurement Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 6, 2021, pp. 062001.
Industrial Force Measurement: A Guide to Load Cell Selection and Installation. Fluke Process Instruments, 2019.
Huzhou Zhihe Technology Co., Ltd.
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