A crane runway looks simple: two beams with a rail on top. That is exactly why it gets underestimated. The runway is a structural element that transfers tonnes from the hook through the wheels into the hall columns — and a mistake only shows under load, when repair is most expensive.
Here is what it takes to design and build a runway properly.
If you have a specific project in mind, see our crane runways — complete delivery from structural calculation through fabrication and installation to inspection.
What a runway consists of
The runway beam carries the rail. Rolled IPE, HEA or HEB sections are enough for lower capacities; for large spans and capacities we design welded box girders. Material S235JR or S355J2 depending on the calculation.
The rail guides the crane wheels. Smaller cranes run on welded-on rectangular bars, heavier ones on A-type profile rails per DIN 536-1. In demanding operation we use GANTRAIL elastic fastening — the rail is not welded down but held by clips over an elastic pad. It absorbs impacts, protects the wheels and the beam, and extends the life of the whole runway.
The consoles and anchoring connect the runway to the hall. And this is where most problems get solved.
Structural calculation: it starts with numbers, not welding
Before anything is manufactured, we calculate the loads from the runway and the crane: the weight of the bridge, the trolley and the load, impact factors from acceleration and braking, possibly several cranes on one runway. The calculation per EN 13001 determines the beam section, console spacing and anchoring strength.
The output is not just for us — your hall’s structural engineer also receives the calculation inputs. If the hall columns cannot carry the runway, we solve it on paper: reinforced consoles, a separate column line, or a different runway layout.
Three anchoring types by hall
Steel hall: consoles are welded or bolted to the columns. The cleanest solution — the runway grows together with the hall and height is levelled with shims during installation.
Concrete hall: steel consoles are anchored with chemical anchors into the concrete columns. Before installation we verify the anchoring capacity with on-site pull-out tests. With a weak floor or freestanding columns, concrete foundations follow — in extreme cases micropiles.
Hall with no load-bearing structure: the runway stands on its own steel columns. The hall carries nothing — the solution for leased premises, light prefabricated halls and outdoor tracks. See also our specifications for production halls with cranes.
Installation: tolerances decide the service life
After installation we level the runway with a laser — parallelism of both sides, height alignment, rail joints. Why do we insist on it?
A misaligned runway forces the crane to “crab” from side to side. The wheels wear unevenly, the travel motors work overtime, and within a few years you are replacing wheels that would otherwise have lasted a decade. The hours spent levelling are the cheapest investment in the whole runway.
Once the crane is set in place, the runway load test follows, along with handover of documentation including the inspection report.
The most common mistakes we fix
- A runway designed “by eye” without calculation — beam deflection under full load.
- Welded-down rails without elastic fastening — cracks in the welds, worn wheels.
- Anchoring into concrete without a pull-out test — loose consoles after a year of operation.
- A new crane on a 30-year-old runway without assessment — the runway was sized for half the capacity.
Planning a crane runway? We describe it in detail on the crane runways page. All we need is the crane type, capacity and hall dimensions — send them via contact and we will prepare a design.