How to Choose an Overhead Crane

Buying an overhead crane is not a catalogue purchase. The crane is built to fit your hall and the process it has to serve. Choose wrong and you overpay for capacity you will never use — or worse, you buy a crane that cannot handle your work.

Here is the process we follow in our own design work, and one you can use with any manufacturer.

If you are still mapping out what is possible, see our overhead cranes — full turnkey manufacturing from 1 to 80 t including runway, installation and inspections.

1. Capacity: size for the heaviest lift, not the average

The basic question is: what is the heaviest load you will lift — and how often?

Take the actual weight of the heaviest load including the below-the-hook attachment (lifting beam, magnet, grab). Add a 10–20 % margin if production is realistically going to grow. Do not add a 50 % margin “just in case” — every extra tonne of capacity means a heavier bridge, stronger drives, and a more expensive runway and hall.

A practical example: if you typically lift 3-tonne bundles and once a month an 8-tonne machine, size the crane for 8 t. If the 8-tonne load comes once a year, it is worth discussing whether other equipment can cover it.

2. Span and lifting height: measure the hall, not the drawings

The bridge span follows the distance between the crane runways. This is where older halls cause the most trouble — columns drift apart over time, or the documentation does not match reality. That is why we laser-measure the hall before quoting.

Lifting height decides whether a forklift passes under the hook, a load clears a machine, or a container fits through. On a double-girder crane the trolley runs on top of the girders — you gain a higher hook position compared to a single-girder solution in the same hall height.

3. Duty class: how many cycles a day the crane actually works

The duty class (ISO 4301, in practice classifications 2M to 5M) says how hard the crane is worked. The difference lies in the number of lifts per day and how often you lift full capacity:

• Light duty (2M): a few lifts a day, machine tending, assembly station.
• Medium duty (3M–4M): regular daily handling in production and warehousing.
• Heavy duty (5M): continuous cycles, steel mills, foundries, high-tempo dispatch.

An undersized duty class is the most common cause of premature brake and gearbox wear. Tell the manufacturer the truth about how you work — a higher class costs far less than replacing components every two years.

4. Single-girder, double-girder, or underslung crane?

• Single-girder overhead crane (up to approx. 16 t): lower self-weight, cost-effective, lower wheel loads on hall and runway. The ideal choice for most workshops and warehouses.
• Double-girder overhead crane (from 10 t up to 80 t): heavy capacities, maximum hook height since the hoist trolley travels on top of the box girders, plus space for full-length maintenance walkways.
• Underslung overhead crane (up to 10 t): suspended directly from hall roof trusses without freestanding runway columns, maximizing clear floor span.

Between 10 and 16 t the single and double-girder ranges overlap — there the decision comes down to hall height, required hook travel, duty class and budget. For the cost breakdown and what is included in the price, see our turnkey pricing and budget guide.

5. Controls and travel: what improves both safety and tempo

Radio remote control is the standard today — the operator stands next to the load, not under it. A pendant control works well as a backup or for simple operations.

We recommend frequency inverters on the travel and hoist drives in practically every case: smooth starts without jerking protect the mechanics, the ropes and the load. For precision work (machining, assembly), micro-speeds and anti-sway control pay off — more in our article on intelligent crane control.

What to prepare before requesting a quote

With this information you get a quote quickly and to the point — not after weeks of back-and-forth:

1. Hall dimensions — length, width, height to the top of the crane runway (or the columns, if there is no runway yet).
2. Heaviest load — weight and dimensions including the attachment.
3. Typical work — what you lift, how many lifts per day, how many shifts.
4. Power supply and environment — mains, dust, humidity, possibly an Ex zone.
5. Timeline and budget range — this speeds up priority in the design office.

We will walk you through the selection as well — see our overhead cranes, turnkey manufacturing from 1 to 80 t, or send us your hall dimensions straight away via contact.