Capacity, lifting speed, lift height and duty class — the four decisions that decide whether your hoist runs for 15 years or fails in three. Written for workshop managers, plant engineers and buyers who want a hoist that matches the job without paying for one that is overbuilt.
Sizing a hoist comes down to four numbers: capacity, lifting speed, lift height and duty class. Get them right and a hoist works for 15 years with routine maintenance; get them wrong and you replace it in three. Chain hoists cover 0.125-20 tons and wire rope hoists 0.5-100 tons, so the range itself is rarely the problem — the problem is matching the rating to the heaviest regular load, the actual operating hours, and the building height. This guide walks through each decision with 2026 prices and closes with a specification template that gets you comparable quotes from any supplier.
Capacity is where hoist buying goes wrong, and usually in the same direction: buyers size for the heaviest thing they have ever lifted, once, years ago. That rare oversized piece is not what your hoist does every day — size for the heaviest regular load, add the lifting attachment, then apply the standard margin.
The rule we use in practice: heaviest regular item + beam or grab weight, multiplied by at least 1.25 to cover the load test requirement. A 2-ton hoist routinely lifting 1.8 tons is running near its test limit, and on a busy line that is a brake and rope wear problem waiting to happen. Round up to the next standard rating — the price gap between adjacent sizes is usually under 15%, and downtime costs far more.
| Capacity | Typical regular loads | Hoist type |
|---|---|---|
| 0.125 - 0.5 t | Small parts, tooling, pumps, motors | Chain hoist |
| 1 - 2 t | Machine components, engines, packed goods | Chain or small wire rope hoist |
| 3 - 5 t | Molds, gearboxes, fabrication assemblies | Wire rope hoist (CD1/MD1) |
| 10 - 20 t | Heavy machinery, steel coils, large molds | Wire rope hoist, European-type |
| 20 - 100 t | Turbines, mill rolls, large fabricated structures | Heavy-duty wire rope hoist, multi-reeved |
One note from our quoting desk: a 1-ton hoist handling 800 kg loads is fine, but the same hoist lifting 950 kg every cycle is being pushed toward its test limit, and the brake lining and wire rope pay for it. If your regular load sits above 80% of the rating, take the next size up. It is cheap insurance against an unplanned rope replacement on a Friday afternoon.
This is the first fork in every hoist decision, and the answer is more about the application than the price tag. Chain hoists win below 5 tons with lift heights under 10-12 m; wire rope hoists take over for heavy loads, long lifts and continuous high-cycle work.
| Factor | Chain hoist | Wire rope hoist |
|---|---|---|
| Typical capacity | 0.125 - 20 t | 0.5 - 100 t |
| Lift height | Up to ~10-12 m standard | Up to 30 m and beyond |
| Lifting speed | Slower, single speed typical | Faster, two-speed (MD) or VFD common |
| Headroom | Compact — good for low buildings | More headroom needed |
| Price (same capacity) | Roughly 15-25% lower | Higher |
| Best for | Workshops, maintenance bays, low-headroom sheds | Steel mills, foundries, tall buildings, heavy duty |
For a workshop or maintenance bay with 4-6 m of lift and loads under 3 tons, a chain hoist is the sensible pick — cheaper, lighter, easier to service. For production lines that lift constantly, or buildings with 12 m + hook travel, a wire rope hoist earns its extra cost. And for steel mills and foundries, the wire rope hoist duty cycle guide goes deeper into FEM classification and heavy-duty selection — the short version is that continuous high-cycle work demands a European-type wire rope hoist rated M5 or higher, not a standard CD1.
Lifting speed is the number buyers ignore until the hoist is installed and the line is waiting on the hook. Standard single-speed hoists (CD-type) lift at 7-8 m/min across most of the range, which is fine for occasional maintenance lifts and slow for production.
The MD option adds a second speed at roughly 1/10 of full speed for precision lowering and positioning — useful when operators place molds, tooling or components into fixtures. For constant production lifting, a VFD-equipped hoist gives smooth starts, stops and adjustable speed, and it is now standard on most European-type hoists.
| Capacity | Standard speed | Motor power (approx.) | Micro-speed option |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 2 t | 7 - 8 m/min | 1.5 - 3 kW | 0.7 - 0.8 m/min |
| 3 - 5 t | 7 - 8 m/min | 3 - 7.5 kW | 0.7 - 0.8 m/min |
| 10 t | 7 m/min | 7.5 - 11 kW | 0.7 m/min |
| 16 - 20 t | 4 - 7 m/min | 13 - 22 kW | 0.4 - 0.7 m/min |
| 32 t + | 3 - 6 m/min | 22 - 45 kW | 0.3 - 0.6 m/min |
Heavier capacities lift slower by design — the motor power grows but the rope reeving spreads the load across more falls of rope. That is normal, not a defect. What matters is that you tell the supplier how many lifts per hour the operators actually do. A hoist doing 5 lifts an hour does not need VFD; one doing 40 does.
Lift height is the distance from floor to the hook at its highest position, and it is one of the most commonly mis-measured dimensions in hoist enquiries. Measure it on site, from the floor where the load sits to the underside of the runway beam or trolley — then add the length of the lifting beam, because a spreader beam eats into the effective lift.
Chain hoists are typically ordered for 3-6 m of lift, and the chain itself can be extended to about 10-12 m before the hoist becomes unwieldy. Wire rope hoists handle 6-30 m routinely, which is why tall buildings, turbine halls and high-bay warehouses go rope. One practical rule: specify 0.5-1 m more lift than you think you need. Extra chain or rope at order time is cheap; adding it after installation means downtime and a service call.
Hook travel and headroom are two sides of the same coin. The headroom is the distance from the runway beam underside to the hook at the top position — chain hoists have the smallest headroom, standard CD1 wire rope hoists sit in the middle, and European-type hoists are designed to minimize headroom loss so you get maximum hook travel in low buildings. If your building is tight on height, tell the supplier the available headroom first; it changes the hoist family you should be looking at. Our single girder crane sizing guide covers how hoist headroom interacts with runway and building height.
Duty class (FEM / ISO 4301: M3 through M8) tells you how many hours a day the hoist can work and how often it can lift near its rated load. It is the most important specification on the datasheet and the one most buyers skip.
| Duty class | Working hours / day | Typical applications |
|---|---|---|
| M3 | A few hours, occasional lifts | Maintenance bays, tool rooms, storage |
| M4 | 4 - 8 hours | Default for most workshops, assembly |
| M5 | 8 - 16 hours | Production lines, European-type hoists |
| M6 | 16 - 24 hours | Steel mills, foundries, continuous duty |
| M7 - M8 | 24 hours, severe duty | Coke plants, continuous casting, scrap handling |
Matching the class to your real operating hours is the single biggest factor in hoist service life. An M3 hoist pushed into 12-hour shifts will fail years early — brake linings, chain or rope, and motor insulation are all rated for the class. The honest advice we give buyers: if you do not know your operating hours, count them for a week before you order. A hoist that runs two hours a day at M3 costs 20-30% less than the M5 version, and the saving is wasted if you guess wrong.
Explosion-proof (Ex-rated) hoists are required wherever flammable gases, vapors or dust are present: chemical plants, oil refineries, paint shops, gas processing, and grain or powder handling. The rules are not optional — the hoist's motor, control box, pendant and limit switches must all be certified for the zone.
Explosion-proof wire rope and chain hoists are available from 0.5 to 20 tons with ATEX or IECEx certification, and they cost roughly 30-60% more than standard hoists of the same capacity. Every electrical component is sealed or spark-free, and the brake design prevents frictional ignition. Check the zone classification — Zone 1/2 for gas, Zone 21/22 for dust — with your safety engineer before buying. The wrong rating is a legal and safety risk, not just a performance issue, and a properly certified unit comes with the full documentation trail an inspector will ask for.
Prices below are 2026 FOB estimates for CE-certified Chinese hoists with pendant control and standard trolley, excluding freight, installation and any building work. Expect installed cost to run roughly 1.3 to 1.8 times the equipment price once trolley, controls, electrification, wiring and installation labor are added.
| Hoist type & capacity | Price range (FOB) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 t chain hoist | USD 380 - 650 | Single speed, pendant |
| 1 t chain hoist | USD 550 - 950 | Single or two speed |
| 2 t chain hoist | USD 800 - 1,500 | Workshop standard |
| 2 t wire rope hoist | USD 1,200 - 2,200 | CD1 type |
| 5 t wire rope hoist | USD 2,000 - 3,600 | CD1/MD1 |
| 10 t wire rope hoist | USD 3,500 - 6,500 | M4-M5 duty |
| 20 t wire rope hoist | USD 6,000 - 11,000 | European-type, M5+ |
| 50 - 100 t heavy-duty | USD 18,000 - 55,000 | Multi-reeved, custom |
| Explosion-proof (any size) | +30 - 60% over standard | ATEX / IECEx |
Two notes on comparing quotes. First, make sure every supplier quotes the same duty class — an M5 European-type hoist costs more than an M3 CD1 of the same capacity, and comparing them as if they were the same product misleads you. Second, ask what the price includes: some quotes cover the hoist only, excluding trolley, limit switches and controls. Our hoist cost & 10-year TCO guide breaks down installation, maintenance and energy costs in detail.
A vague enquiry gets a vague quote, and a vague quote is how budget overruns start. Send every supplier the same ten items:
If you plan to move the hoist to another crane later, say so — a trolley with an adjustable beam width costs a little more now and saves a lot when the hoist is relocated. And if the hoist will run on an existing crane, send the beam flange width and the current control voltage; that is the detail that turns a smooth retrofit into a surprise adapter kit.
Start from the heaviest regular single load, add the lifting beam or grab, then apply at least 1.25× for the load test margin and round up to a standard rating. Chain hoists cover 0.125-20 tons, wire rope hoists 0.5-100 tons. If your regular load sits above 80% of the rating, take the next size up — the price gap between adjacent sizes is usually under 15%.
Chain hoists win below 5 tons, for lift heights under 10-12 m, and where headroom is tight — they are roughly 15-25% cheaper and easier to service. Wire rope hoists win above 5 tons, for lifts over 12 m, and for continuous high-cycle work. Steel mills and foundries should use a European-type wire rope hoist rated M5 or higher.
M3 covers occasional lifting a few hours a day. M4 covers 4-8 hours — the default for most workshops. M5 covers 8-16 hours of regular production. M6 and above is for continuous heavy duty in steel mills and foundries. Count your real operating hours before ordering; matching the class is the single biggest factor in hoist service life.
Standard CD-type hoists lift at 7-8 m/min with motor power from 1.5 kW at 2 tons to 22-45 kW at 32 tons and above. The MD option adds a micro-speed of about 1/10 full speed for positioning, and VFD gives smooth variable speed for production lines. Heavier capacities lift slower by design because the rope is multi-reeved.
Whenever flammable gases, vapors or dust are present — chemical plants, refineries, paint shops, gas processing, grain and powder handling. Ex-rated hoists from 0.5 to 20 tons are available with ATEX or IECEx certification and cost 30-60% more than standard. Confirm the zone classification (Zone 1/2 gas, 21/22 dust) with your safety engineer first.
CE-certified electric hoists range from USD 380 to 55,000 FOB. A 0.5-ton chain hoist is USD 380-650, a 2-ton chain hoist USD 800-1,500, a 2-ton wire rope hoist USD 1,200-2,200, a 10-ton wire rope hoist USD 3,500-6,500, a 20-ton hoist USD 6,000-11,000, and 50-100 ton heavy-duty models USD 18,000-55,000. Installed totals run 1.3 to 1.8 times the equipment price.
Send us your heaviest loads, operating hours, lift height and available headroom — our applications engineers will confirm the right hoist type, capacity, duty class and control options before you commit. Quotes include a full specification sheet you can compare with other suppliers.
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