Abstract: A balance with a balance housing serving to accommodate a weighing mechanism and weighing-related electronics is equipped with a weighing pan and with a draft protection element which can be loosely positioned on the balance housing and which surrounds the weighing pan. The balance housing is equipped with a step which serves to receive the draft protection element and whose seating surface for the draft protection element is arranged below the topside of the balance housing.

Abstract: A draft protection device (2) has a wind-blocking body (20; 21) that consists of at least two panel elements (20A,20B, 20C; 21A, 21B) and partially encloses the weighing compartment of a balance (1) in which a weighing pan (15) is arranged. The wind-blocking body (20; 21) can be selectively positioned by hand in at least two different orientations. In each of the different orientations at least one opening is available for access to the weighing compartment. The wind-blocking body (20; 21) can be positioned by the user in such a way that the openings resulting from the differently oriented positions allow access to the weighing compartment from different directions.