A direct-reading instrument for indicating the density, specific gravity, or some similar characteristic of liquids. Almost all hydrometers are made of a high-grade glass tubing. The main body is the float section in the bottom of which ballast, such as small shot, is secured. A small-diameter tube, the stem, extends from the upper end of the float section. Inside the stem is the scale, printed on heavy-grade paper, and well-secured within the stem so its position will not change. When the hydrometer is placed in a liquid, the stem extends vertically above the surface for a portion of its length.