A 1 tonne travelling jib weighs about 1,160 kg. The rail it runs on adds 660 kg and, if it needs a new plinth, another 7.2 cubic metres of concrete. Here is where the carbon actually sits, why an aluminium boom is not the green choice, and the ten lines that make two offers comparable.
A 1 tonne travelling jib crane carries about 2.2 tonnes of CO2e in its steel before it lifts anything. The rail it runs on adds another 1.3 tonnes. If the rail needs a new concrete plinth, that plinth adds 3 tonnes, which is more than the crane itself. Most quotes never show this, because the crane supplier sells the machine and somebody else pours the concrete.
I have priced these jobs from both sides. SIEC builds the crane; the buyer or their civil contractor builds everything the crane stands on. That split is exactly where the carbon hides, and it is why two offers for the same 1 tonne jib can differ by a factor of two once the site work is counted.
A travelling jib is not a pillar jib with wheels. The mast sits on a carriage, the carriage runs on a floor rail, and the rail takes the overturning moment that a fixed jib would have dumped into a foundation block. Take the moment out of the concrete and you put it into the rail and the slab under it.
Table 1 is our own take-off for a 1 tonne jib at 4 m radius, 30 m of travel, which is a typical machine tending layout. The left column is what leaves the factory. The right column is what gets built on site.
| Item | Mass | Who supplies it | In the crane price? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mast, boom, base plate, carriage frame | 780 kg | Crane maker | Yes |
| Hoist, trolley, control pendant | 260 kg | Crane maker | Yes |
| On-board festoon, panel, cabling | 120 kg | Crane maker | Yes |
| Floor rail, 30 m of light rail | 660 kg | Usually the buyer | Often no |
| Rail plinth, concrete and rebar | 7.2 m³ plus 0.5 t | Civil contractor | No |
| Anchor bolts, 45 off | 27 kg | Buyer | No |
| Power feed along the rail | 60 kg | Electrical contractor | No |
The split is 1,160 kg from us and roughly 750 kg plus a concrete pour from everyone else. That is the first thing to understand: the machine is a little over half the mass of the installation, and it is nowhere near half of the carbon.
Steel intensity decides this, not design cleverness. worldsteel's 2025 indicator report gives 2024 figures of 2.34 kg CO2 per kg of crude steel for the blast furnace route, 0.69 for scrap-based electric arc, 1.47 for DRI-electric, and 1.92 as the global average. Those are the numbers every serious EPD in this sector is built on. The expanded 2025 indicator goes a little higher, because it now adds methane, nitrous oxide and upstream mining.
| Steelmaking route | kg CO2 per kg steel | 1,160 kg crane | With 6% fabrication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blast furnace, basic oxygen | 2.34 | 2.71 t | 2.87 t |
| Global average | 1.92 | 2.23 t | 2.36 t |
| DRI plus electric arc | 1.47 | 1.71 t | 1.81 t |
| Scrap, electric arc | 0.69 | 0.80 t | 0.85 t |
So the honest answer for the machine alone is a range, not a number: 0.85 tonnes with scrap-based electric steel, 2.9 tonnes with blast furnace plate. Anyone who quotes you a single figure without naming the route is quoting the average and hoping you do not ask.
Concrete is not a heavy carbon material by weight, but you use a lot of it. Using the ICE v2 cement factor of roughly 0.87 kg CO2e per kg of CEM I, a C25/30 mix at 320 kg of cement per cubic metre works out at about 280 kg CO2e per cubic metre. That is our planning figure, computed, not a quoted EPD.
Now the plinth. Thirty metres of rail on a 400 by 600 mm plinth is 7.2 cubic metres. Bases and footings normally carry 70 to 130 kg of reinforcement per cubic metre; we use 70, so 0.5 tonnes of rebar. Concrete 2.0 tonnes, rebar 0.96 tonnes, total 3.0 tonnes CO2e for a strip of concrete that nobody photographs.
| Scope | Mass | CO2e, global average steel | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crane as shipped | 1,160 kg | 2.23 t | 33% |
| Floor rail, 30 m at 22 kg/m | 660 kg | 1.27 t | 19% |
| Rail plinth, new pour | 7.2 m³ plus 0.5 t rebar | 3.00 t | 45% |
| Anchors and power feed | 87 kg | 0.19 t | 3% |
| Total, new plinth | about 2.4 t plus 7.2 m³ | 6.69 t | 100% |
| Total, existing slab | about 1.9 t | 3.72 t | crane is now 60% |
6.7 tonnes with a new plinth. 3.7 tonnes on an existing slab. The crane is identical in both cases. That single decision, made by a civil engineer in the first week of the project, moves the carbon of the installation by 80 percent.
This is worth sitting with. Every carbon comparison I have seen for small cranes compares the machine. Almost none of them compare the thing the machine is bolted to.
More than people expect, because rail is dense. QU70 is 52.8 kg per metre, QU100 is 89 kg, and 30 metres of either is a tonne and a half to two and a half tonnes of steel. A travelling jib under 2 tonnes almost never needs that section. It runs on light rail or a solid bar in the 20 to 30 kg/m range.
| Rail section | kg per metre | 30 m mass | CO2e at 1.92 | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 x 50 solid bar | 19.6 | 588 kg | 1.13 t | Jib to 0.5 t |
| Light rail, 22 kg/m | 22.0 | 660 kg | 1.27 t | Jib 0.5 to 2 t |
| QU70 | 52.8 | 1,584 kg | 3.04 t | Crane runway |
| QU80 | 63.7 | 1,911 kg | 3.67 t | Heavy runway |
| QU100 | 89.0 | 2,670 kg | 5.13 t | Foundry, port |
There is a real trap here. Somebody specifies QU70 because that is what the overhead crane runway uses, and the jib never needs it. On a 30 m run that mistake costs 1.8 tonnes of CO2e and about a tonne and a half of steel you pay for by the kilo.
Rail length matters just as much. Going from 40 m to 25 m saves 330 kg of steel, which is 0.63 tonnes of CO2e, and it usually saves money too. If the layout allows a shorter run, take it.
No, and this surprises people who associate aluminium with lightweight and therefore green. Per kilogram, primary aluminium is roughly three and a half times the carbon of average steel. The European Aluminium 2024 profile report gives 6.6 kg CO2e per kg for primary aluminium produced in Europe, and 10.1 kg for primary aluminium used in Europe once imports are included. Extrusion adds 0.38.
The counter-argument is that an aluminium boom weighs a third of what a steel boom weighs. That helps, but not enough. Table 5 runs the numbers on a 4 m boom for a 1 tonne jib.
| Boom option | Mass at 4 m | kg CO2e per kg | Boom total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel box section, blast furnace | 240 kg | 2.34 | 562 kg |
| Steel box section, average | 240 kg | 1.92 | 461 kg |
| Steel box section, scrap electric | 240 kg | 0.69 | 166 kg |
| Aluminium extrusion, made in Europe | 88 kg | 6.6 plus 0.38 | 614 kg |
| Aluminium extrusion, import mix used in Europe | 88 kg | 10.1 plus 0.38 | 922 kg |
| Aluminium from European remelt | 88 kg | about 0.5 | 44 kg |
Aluminium only wins when it comes from remelt. Primary aluminium, even European primary, is the worst option on the list. That is an uncomfortable fact for a product category that sells lightweight booms on ergonomics, and it is worth knowing before you write a sustainability paragraph into a tender.
To be fair to aluminium: a lighter boom reduces the moment at the base, which lets the carriage and rail be lighter too. The knock-on saving is real but small in mass terms, a few tens of kilograms, not tonnes.
Often yes, and it is the single best carbon decision on this list. A travelling jib concentrates its load at the carriage, so it needs a sound slab rather than a deep foundation block. Published installation instructions for proprietary jib track systems ask for a minimum 6 inch, 20 MPa slab with chemical anchors. If your floor is already 200 mm of reinforced concrete, you may need nothing else.
| Mounting option | Concrete | Rebar | CO2e | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Existing 200 mm slab, chemical anchors | none | none | 0.05 t | Best case, verify slab first |
| Thickened slab strip, 400 x 500 | 6.0 m³ | 0.42 t | 2.49 t | Common compromise |
| Separate plinth, 400 x 600 | 7.2 m³ | 0.50 t | 3.00 t | Worst of the three |
| Mix at 250 kg/m³ cement instead of 320 | same volume | same | minus 0.43 t | GGBS blend, no cost penalty |
Cement content is the lever inside the concrete. Dropping from 320 to 250 kg per cubic metre, which usually means a CEM II or CEM III blend with slag, takes 0.43 tonnes of CO2e out of a 7.2 m³ plinth and typically costs nothing in price. Concrete suppliers quote strength, not carbon, so you have to ask.
| Cement content | Typical blend | kg CO2e per m³ | 7.2 m³ plinth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 kg | CEM III with 50% slag | about 220 | 1.58 t |
| 320 kg | CEM II with 20% fly ash | about 280 | 2.02 t |
| 400 kg | CEM I, no substitution | about 350 | 2.52 t |
These are calculated from the ICE cement factor, so treat them as planning figures rather than declared values. A real EPD for the actual mix from the actual plant will differ by 10 to 20 percent. It will not change the ranking.
Barely. It is included here because buyers ask, and because the answer is useful: stop optimising this and optimise the plinth instead.
A 30 m run of festoon with a 4 x 1.5 mm² flat cable holds about 1.6 kg of copper and 25 kg of steel trolleys. A four-pole conductor rail over the same distance holds roughly 24 kg of copper, plus housing and brackets. Copper sits between 1.1 and 8.5 kg CO2e per kg depending on ore grade and route, per the review in Minerals 2017.
| Feed option | Mass, 30 m | CO2e | Share of installation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Festoon, flat cable and trolleys | 28 kg | 0.10 t | 1.5% |
| Four-pole conductor rail | 46 kg | 0.21 t | 3.1% |
Decide this one on maintenance and duty, not on carbon. A travelling jib under 40 m of travel is almost always festoon, because the rails are short and the festoon is cheap.
A small jib draws very little. A 1 tonne A5 machine with a 1.5 kW hoist and a 0.4 kW carriage, run at a demand factor of 0.35 for 2,000 hours a year, consumes about 1,330 kWh annually. Over 20 years that is 26,600 kWh.
On the EU generation average of 206 gCO2e per kWh, published by the EEA for 2024, that is 5.5 tonnes of CO2e. Against a 6.7 tonne installation, running is about 45 percent of the lifetime total. On the Chinese grid at 0.5366 kg per kWh, the same machine emits 14.3 tonnes, more than twice the embodied figure.
| Capacity | Installed kW | kWh per year | 20 year CO2e, EU grid | 20 year CO2e, China grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.125 t | 0.75 | 525 | 2.2 t | 5.6 t |
| 0.5 t | 1.2 | 840 | 3.5 t | 9.0 t |
| 1 t | 1.9 | 1,330 | 5.5 t | 14.3 t |
| 2 t | 3.0 | 2,100 | 8.7 t | 22.6 t |
Both numbers matter, and they point at different buyers. If you are in Europe, the plinth is the biggest single item you control this year. If you are in China, India or Indonesia, the electricity over 20 years will outweigh everything else, and duty class matters more than steel route.
The crane does not. Heading 8426 is Chapter 84, and Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/956 lists Chapter 72 in full plus a short list from Chapter 73: 7301, 7302, 7303, 7304, 7305, 7306, 7307, 7308, 7309, 7310, 7311, 7318 and 7326. Nothing from Chapter 84.
| Item | CN code | In Annex I | Who declares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travelling jib crane | 8426 | No | Nobody |
| Crane rail, track material | 7302 | Yes | Importer of record |
| Structural steel, plinth formwork steel | 7308 | Yes | Importer of record |
| Rebar | 7214 | Yes | Importer of record |
| Anchor bolts and nuts | 7318 | Yes | Importer of record |
| Aluminium boom, if bought separately | 7604 | Yes | Importer of record |
The threshold is 50 tonnes of CBAM goods per importer per calendar year, across all CN codes added together. A single jib project will not reach it. A plant expansion with 60 tonnes of runway steel and rebar will, and the declaration falls due on 30 September of the following year.
Certificate prices for 2026 were published quarterly: 75.36 euro in the first quarter, 75.28 in the second, 82.32 in the third. From 2027 the price is set weekly. At 82 euro, the 3 tonnes of carbon in that plinth is worth roughly 250 euro of certificates if it were in scope, which is the number to keep in mind when a supplier offers a lower carbon mix for no extra cost.
One more thing, because it comes up in every project I have worked on: splitting an order so the crane travels as 8426 and the rail travels separately does not change the classification of the crane. Under General Interpretative Rule 2(a), and confirmed by the Court of Justice in Case C-107/22 in April 2023, goods presented unassembled but requiring only bolts, rivets or welding are classified as the complete article. It does change who pays for freight, though, and it does make the rail a legitimate 7302 import in the buyer's name.
Ten lines. Each one maps to a number in this article, and each one is something a supplier can answer in a day.
| Line | Ask for | Why it changes the answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crane deadweight, kg | Sets the whole A1 to A3 figure |
| 2 | Steelmaking route, BF-BOF or EAF | Factor of 3.4 between them |
| 3 | Boom material and mass, or its aluminium supplier | Primary or remelt changes it 10 fold |
| 4 | Rail section and mass per metre | QU70 instead of light rail costs 1.8 t |
| 5 | Required slab thickness and concrete grade | Decides whether you pour at all |
| 6 | Anchor type and edge distance | Chemical vs mechanical, different scope |
| 7 | Whether rail and plinth are in the supply | Where 64% of the carbon lives |
| 8 | Duty class and design life | Drives the 20 year electricity |
| 9 | Fabrication electricity, kWh per tonne | Adds 5 to 8 percent |
| 10 | Whether an EPD exists, and to EN 15804 | Most small jibs have none |
On that last line: we do not have a published EPD for a 0.125 to 2 tonne travelling jib, and as far as I can tell neither do the main European jib brands. Environmental product declarations in this industry cluster around port equipment and hoists. So the practical answer is a calculated figure with stated assumptions, which is what this article is, not a certified one.
If you want the machine-specific numbers, the travelling jib crane specification page lists deadweight and wheel loads by capacity, and our engineers will work through the rail and slab scope with your civil contractor. It is a two-hour conversation that usually saves more carbon than any material substitution.
| Measure | CO2e saved | Cost effect | When to decide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rail on existing slab, no new plinth | up to 3.0 t | Saves 8,000 to 20,000 USD | Slab survey, week 1 |
| Lower cement content, CEM II or III | 0.4 to 0.5 t | Neutral | Mix design |
| Light rail instead of QU70 | 1.8 t | Saves steel cost | RFQ |
| Scrap-based EAF steel for the structure | 1.4 to 1.9 t | 5 to 15% steel premium | PO |
| Shorten the travel run by 10 m | 0.42 t | Saves money | Layout |
| Right-size capacity, 2 t to 1 t | 1.5 t | Saves 20 to 30% of price | Load study |
| Remelt aluminium boom instead of primary | 0.4 to 0.9 t | Small premium | PO |
| Conductor rail instead of festoon | minus 0.11 t | Higher cost | Do not decide on carbon |
The top row is the whole argument. Everything else on this list is a fraction of a tonne. Getting the rail onto an existing slab, or designing the plinth so it is 6 cubic metres instead of 7.2, is worth more than all the material substitutions put together.
And if you only remember one number from this article, make it this one: a 1 tonne travelling jib crane is roughly 3 kg CO2e per kg of lifting capacity as a machine, and roughly 7 kg once the rail and the plinth it runs on are counted. Ask every supplier which of those two numbers they are quoting.
About 2.2 tonnes at the global average steel intensity of 1.92 kg CO2 per kg, 2.9 tonnes with blast furnace plate, or 0.85 tonnes with scrap-based electric steel. Add 5 to 8 percent for fabrication electricity. That covers the machine as shipped, not the rail or the concrete it runs on.
No, and it is usually a different supplier. Thirty metres of 22 kg/m light rail is 660 kg of steel, about 1.3 tonnes of CO2e. If that rail needs a new plinth, the concrete and rebar add another 3 tonnes, which is more than the crane.
No. Cranes are in heading 8426, which is not in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/956. Rail in 7302, structural steel in 7308, rebar in 7214 and bolts in 7318 are in scope when imported as separate goods, above the 50 tonne per year importer threshold. Certificate prices in 2026 ran from 75.28 to 82.32 euro per tonne.
Not from primary aluminium. European primary aluminium is 6.6 kg CO2e per kg and the import mix used in Europe is 10.1, against 1.92 for average steel. Even at a third of the mass, the aluminium boom is 33 to 100 percent higher. Remelt aluminium at roughly 0.5 kg CO2e per kg is the only version that wins.
Ask for deadweight in kg, the steelmaking route, and whether rail and plinth are in the supply. Then normalise: kg CO2e per kg of rated capacity for the machine, and total tonnes for the installation. The travelling jib crane range publishes deadweight by capacity, which is the first number you need.
On the EU grid, no: about 5.5 tonnes of CO2e against 6.7 tonnes embodied. On the Chinese grid at 0.5366 kg per kWh it is 14.3 tonnes, so electricity dominates. Duty class and annual hours move that number far more than any material choice.
Related articles:
Underslung Crane Carbon: What the Roof Carries Before the Crane Hangs
Crane Embodied Carbon: What a 20 Tonne Double Girder Actually Carries
Crane Carbon Footprint: What a Single Girder Crane Emits Before It Lifts Anything
Traveling Jib Crane Energy: What It Really Draws, 0.25 to 2 Ton
Traveling Jib Crane Installation: Rail, Anchors and Load Tests
Travelling Jib Cranes: 0.125 to 2 Tonne, 2 to 6 m Radius, Floor Rail Mounted