Capacity, jib radius, mounting type and duty class — the four decisions that decide whether a jib crane covers one workstation well or half the shop poorly. Written for maintenance shops, assembly cells and loading docks that want localized lifting without the price of a full overhead crane.
A jib crane is the cheapest way to get lifting power at one workstation, and it earns its keep when your loads stay under 5 tons and the work stays in one place. It is a cantilever on a pivot: a horizontal jib arm extends from a floor-standing pillar, a wall bracket or a wall-mounted rail, and a hoist trolley runs along the arm to cover a 180 to 360 degree arc. Sizing it is simpler than an overhead crane, but the order matters — capacity first, then jib radius, then the mounting type your building can actually support, then duty class. This guide covers the typical ranges (0.125-5 t capacity, 2-10 m radius, three mounting styles, A3-A5 duty classes) and closes with a specification template that gets you comparable quotes.
Capacity is where jib crane buyers overshoot most, and the reason is mechanical. A jib crane carries its load at the end of a cantilever, so the load is multiplied by the jib radius before it reaches the pivot, the pillar and the foundation. Every extra ton means a heavier mast, a bigger base plate and a deeper foundation — you pay for the oversizing twice, once in the crane and once in the civil work under it.
Start with the heaviest single item you lift at that workstation on a regular basis. Not the one-off job. Then apply the standard margin: sizing to at least 125% of that load covers the load test requirement and leaves room for slings and spreader beams. A 1-ton jib crane routinely lifting 900 kg motors is working near its test limit, and on a cantilever that is a deflection problem waiting to happen.
| Capacity | Typical regular loads | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| 0.125 - 0.25 t | Small parts, tooling, instruments | Labs, electronics assembly, light workstations |
| 0.5 t | Pumps, motors, packaged goods to 0.4 t | Maintenance bays, warehouse picking, utilities |
| 1 t | Engines, machine components, dies | Auto repair, small fabrication, assembly shops |
| 2 t | Heavy machine parts, molds, loaded crates | General workshop work, loading docks |
| 3 - 5 t | Large components, heavy equipment assembly | Machine shops, repair depots, pump stations |
Above 5 tons, stop and question the jib route. The pillar and foundation grow out of proportion to the benefit, and a single girder overhead crane with its own runway or a small gantry crane usually becomes the cheaper answer. Jib cranes win in the 0.125-5 ton zone — that is their home turf, and that is where the economics work.
Jib radius is the horizontal distance from the mast centerline to the hook, and it decides how much floor area one crane can cover. Standard jib cranes range from 2 to 10 meters. The trap is specifying radius for the whole bay when you only work on part of it — radius drives torque, torque drives the pillar size and foundation depth, and those are the most expensive parts of the machine.
Measure from the mounting point to the farthest pickup or delivery position, then add a small margin for slings and hook swing. If your deepest workstation is 3.5 meters from the pillar position, a 4-meter radius does the job — a 6-meter radius does not serve you better, it just makes the mast heavier and the foundation deeper.
Rotation is normally 180 degrees against a wall, 270 degrees where columns or shelving limit the swing, or 360 degrees on clear floor areas. A 3-meter radius at 360 degrees covers a circle of roughly 28 square meters; at 270 degrees about 21 square meters. Match the rotation to the actual working envelope — a full 360-degree unit backed against a wall is money spent on swing you cannot use. Our jib crane cost comparison shows how radius and rotation changes shift the price across the three mounting styles.
Mounting type is the structural decision most buyers skip until the quote stage, and it is the one that changes both the price and the installation timeline. A jib crane hangs off one of three supports, and the right answer depends on your building, not on preference.
| Factor | Pillar-mounted | Wall-mounted | Wall-traveling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor space | Base plate takes ~1 m² of floor | Clear — bracket on wall or column | Clear — runs on a wall-mounted rail |
| Building dependence | Independent; needs its own foundation | Wall/column must take reaction forces | Wall/column rail must take all loads |
| Typical capacity | 0.125 - 5 t (full range) | Up to ~1 - 2 t practical | Up to ~2 t practical |
| Coverage | One workstation, 180-360° | One workstation, 180-270° | Line of stations along the rail |
| Installation | Foundation concrete + anchor bolts | Wall bracket + anchor pattern, fast | Rail + brackets along wall/columns |
| Best for | Any building, heavy capacities, retrofits | Tight floors, light loads, steel buildings | Narrow bays, multiple stations, assembly lines |
In our field experience across more than 200 jib crane installations, roughly 7 in 10 use pillar mounting, and most wall-mounted problems trace back to an unverified bracket — wrong anchor pattern, thin wall panel, or a column that was never checked for the reaction moment. If you plan a wall-mounted unit, send the supplier a wall cross-section and the column size before quoting. If the wall is brick or lightweight panel, pillar mounting is the safe default; if floor space is the bottleneck, wall mounting earns its place at light capacities. For a line of workstations in a narrow bay, our traveling jib crane sizing guide covers the rail-based alternative in detail.
Duty class tells you how many hours a day the crane can work and how often it can lift near its rated load. Jib cranes are built for light and medium service, which matches their natural home at individual workstations.
| Duty class | Working hours / day | Typical applications |
|---|---|---|
| A3 | A few hours, occasional lifts | Maintenance bays, tool rooms, lab handling |
| A4 | 4 - 8 hours | Assembly lines, warehouse picking, loading docks |
| A5 | 8 - 16 hours | Busy production cells, continuous light handling |
A maintenance shop that lifts a few times a day is A3. A loading dock working one shift is A4. A production cell feeding machines all day is A5. If you need more than 16 hours a day of continuous work, the honest answer is an overhead crane — pushing a light-duty jib past its design class shortens its life and wears the slewing ring and pivot unevenly.
Both work on jib cranes, and the choice is simpler than on larger cranes because the capacity range is small. Below 1 ton, chain hoists dominate; from 1 ton up, wire rope hoists become common for faster lifting and longer service life.
| Factor | Chain hoist | Wire rope hoist |
|---|---|---|
| Typical capacity | 0.125 - 2 t | 1 - 5 t |
| Lift height | Up to ~6 m standard | Up to 8 m and beyond |
| Lifting speed | Slower, single speed typical | Faster, two-speed common |
| Price | Lower, typically 15-25% less | Higher |
For maintenance bays and picking aisles in the 0.125-1 ton range, a chain hoist is usually the sensible pick — cheaper, compact, and plenty for the job. For the top of the range, longer lifts or faster cycles, a wire rope hoist earns its extra cost. For very light work, a manual chain block keeps the whole unit economical. If you are comparing hoists across crane types, our jib crane guide covers the specification differences in more depth.
Prices below are 2026 FOB estimates for CE-certified Chinese jib cranes with hoist, controls and electrification, excluding the foundation or wall bracket, freight and installation. Expect total installed cost to run roughly 20-50% above the equipment price — the foundation concrete and anchor bolts are the part buyers underestimate most.
| Configuration | Pillar-mounted (FOB) | Wall-mounted (FOB) |
|---|---|---|
| 0.125 t, 2-3 m radius, manual chain block | USD 1,800 - 2,400 | USD 1,600 - 2,000 |
| 0.25 t, 3-4 m radius, manual chain block | USD 2,200 - 2,800 | USD 1,900 - 2,400 |
| 0.5 t, 3-5 m radius, electric chain hoist | USD 2,800 - 3,800 | USD 2,400 - 3,200 |
| 1 t, 4-6 m radius, electric chain hoist | USD 3,800 - 4,500 | USD 3,200 - 3,800 |
| 2 t, 5-7 m radius, electric chain hoist | USD 5,000 - 6,500 | USD 4,200 - 5,500 |
| 3 t, 5-7 m radius, electric chain hoist | USD 6,500 - 8,000 | USD 5,500 - 6,800 |
| 5 t, 6-8 m radius, wire rope hoist | USD 8,000 - 9,500 | N/A (wall load limit) |
Two notes on comparing quotes. First, confirm every supplier quotes the same mounting type and hoist — a wall-mounted 1-ton unit costs less than a pillar-mounted one, and comparing them as if they were the same machine misleads you. Second, ask what the radius and rotation include: some prices cover a fixed radius with 270-degree rotation, others charge for longer arms and full 360-degree slewing. Our jib crane cost & 10-year TCO guide breaks down installation, maintenance and energy costs in detail, including the foundation at USD 800-2,500 and installation labor at USD 400-1,200.
A vague enquiry gets a vague quote. A complete specification gets comparable quotes — and saves you from paying for a change order later. Send every supplier the same ten items:
If you plan to add a second jib crane or a workstation crane later, say so in the enquiry — the supplier can design the foundation and electrification with future expansion in mind, not bolt it on later.
Start from your heaviest regular single load, multiply by at least 1.25 to cover the load test margin, and round up to a standard capacity. 0.125-0.25 tons covers small parts and tooling, 0.5 ton pumps and motors, 1 ton machine components, 2 tons general workshop work, and 3-5 tons heavy maintenance. Above 5 tons, a small overhead crane or gantry crane is usually the better choice.
Standard jib cranes cover a radius of 2 to 10 meters. Specify the radius that covers your actual working area — measure from the mounting point to the farthest pickup position and add a small margin. Longer radius means a heavier mast and deeper foundation, so oversizing radius costs real money. Rotation is typically 180 degrees against a wall, 270 degrees where columns limit swing, or 360 degrees on clear floors.
Pillar-mounted is the default: it stands on its own foundation, works in any building, and carries the full range up to 5 tons. Wall-mounted saves floor space and costs less at light capacities, but the wall or column must be verified to take the reaction forces, and it is generally limited to 1-2 tons. Wall-traveling serves a line of workstations along a wall-mounted rail, which suits narrow bays. In our field experience, roughly 7 in 10 installations use pillar mounting.
A3 covers occasional lifting a few hours a day — maintenance and tool rooms. A4 covers 4-8 hours — assembly lines and loading docks. A5 covers 8-16 hours — busy production cells. If you need more than 16 hours of continuous work, an overhead crane is the honest answer.
Equipment prices run USD 1,600-9,500 FOB for CE-certified units from 0.125 to 5 tons. A 0.125-ton pillar-mounted unit is about USD 1,800-2,400; a 1-ton, 4-6 m radius unit about USD 3,800-4,500; a 3-ton unit about USD 6,500-8,000; a 5-ton unit with a wire rope hoist about USD 8,000-9,500. Wall-mounted units run about 10-20% less at the same capacity. Installed totals add roughly 20-50% for foundation, electrification and installation.
Send us your workstation layout, heaviest load and operating hours — our engineering team will confirm the right capacity, jib radius, mounting type and duty class before you commit to anything. Quotes include a full specification sheet you can compare with other suppliers.
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