What AS 1418 actually is
AS 1418 is the Australian Standard for the design of cranes, hoists and winches. Published by Standards Australia, it's not a single document — it's a series of numbered parts, each covering a specific crane type or aspect of design. AS 1418 is referenced in state Work Health & Safety regulations as a deemed-to-comply pathway: if your crane is designed to the relevant parts of AS 1418, you've satisfied the design requirements of WHS legislation in every Australian jurisdiction.
Note that AS 1418 governs design. The companion standard AS 2550 governs safe use — how the crane is operated, maintained and inspected once installed. The two are designed to work together, and any meaningful conversation about crane compliance involves both.
The structure of the AS 1418 series
AS 1418 has multiple parts, each addressing a specific crane type or design aspect. The parts most commonly referenced in Australian industrial crane procurement are:
- AS 1418.1 — General requirements. The foundational document. Covers basic structural design principles, materials, duty classification, fatigue assessment, electrical, and safety devices that apply to almost every crane type. If you read only one part of AS 1418, this is it.
- AS 1418.2 — Serial-hoist and trolley-hoist cranes. Specific provisions for hoisting machinery used in serial production cranes.
- AS 1418.3 — Bridge, gantry and portal cranes. The part that applies to most overhead EOT bridge cranes, gantry cranes and portal cranes.
- AS 1418.5 — Mobile cranes. Truck-mounted, crawler, all-terrain mobile cranes — different design philosophy from fixed-installation cranes.
- AS 1418.13 — Building maintenance units. Specialised application for facade access equipment.
- AS 1418.18 — Crane runways and monorails. Applies wherever a runway beam supports a moving crane or hoist — including under-braced jib designs.
- AS 1418.19 — Telescopic handlers. Specific provisions for telehandlers used as cranes.
AS 1418 also references the newer AS 5229 series, which covers cantilever cranes (jib cranes) in more specific detail than AS 1418.1 alone. Most jib crane designs in Australia today reference AS 1418.1 plus AS 5229.1 together.
Key concept 1 — Duty classes
The single most important concept in AS 1418 is duty class. Cranes are classified by how hard they're worked — combining how often they lift with how heavy the typical load is relative to the crane's rated capacity. The class scale runs A1 to A8, with A1 being very light infrequent duty and A8 being continuous severe duty.
Why it matters: duty class drives the fatigue design of the structure. A crane sized for A2 duty will fail its first major inspection if it's actually run at A6 duty. Conversely, paying for an A8 crane when the application is A2 means buying twice the steel you need. Right-sizing the duty class is where most catalogue specifications go wrong.
Indicative applications:
- A1–A2: standby cranes, infrequently used maintenance cranes
- A3–A4: typical Australian workshop and fabrication cranes
- A5–A6: active production cranes, mid-tier mining maintenance
- A7–A8: continuous-duty cranes — steel mills, foundries, port cranes
Key concept 2 — Design life and load combinations
AS 1418.1 specifies how to calculate a crane's design life from the duty class and the expected service profile (lift cycles per hour, working hours per day, operational years). The result isn't a calendar number — it's a calculated stress-cycle count that drives fatigue assessment of welded and bolted connections.
The standard also specifies how to combine loads — dead load (the crane's own weight), hoist load (the lifted load and dynamic effects), travel and slew loads, plus environmental loads (wind, seismic, thermal). Different load combinations apply for in-service operation, out-of-service stowage, and one-off events. This is where AS 1418 interacts with AS/NZS 1170.2 (wind actions) and AS 1170.4 (earthquake actions).
Key concept 3 — Welded connections and fatigue
Crane structures live or die on their welded connections. AS 1418.1 references AS 1554.1 (structural steel welding) for weld quality requirements, and the duty class drives how aggressively those welds are assessed for fatigue. High-duty cranes need higher weld categories and more inspection.
Fatigue is what catches most older cranes at their 10-yearly major inspection — accumulated cycles eventually crack the welds at high-stress locations (end-carriage to girder connections, drum mountings, hook flanges). Specifying the duty class correctly at design time is what prevents this.
How AS 1418 interacts with AS 2550
If AS 1418 is the "design" standard, AS 2550 is the "use" standard. Together they cover the full lifecycle:
- AS 1418 — at design time. Specifies the crane's structural and mechanical properties.
- AS 2550.1 — once installed. Specifies pre-start checks, routine inspection, annual inspection, and the 10-yearly major inspection.
Most Australian workplace crane compliance discussions reference both standards. WorkSafe regulators expect to see evidence of AS 1418 compliance at design (engineering documentation, design certificate) and AS 2550 compliance through service life (inspection records, maintenance log, plant register entries). See our 10-yearly major inspection guide for the AS 2550 side.
What this means when you're buying a crane
Three things to look for in any quote you receive:
- Explicit AS 1418 reference — the quote should name the parts of AS 1418 the design has been worked to. "AS 1418 compliant" without specifying parts is a red flag.
- Duty class stated — the quote should state the duty class the crane has been designed to. If it doesn't, ask. "We'll figure it out later" means it'll get figured out at your expense.
- Engineering documentation — the deliverable should include calculations, drawings, design certificate. A crane delivered without these isn't really an AS 1418 crane.
Talk to an engineer
Sorian engineers every crane to the relevant parts of AS 1418 — from a 125 kg workshop jib through to 50-tonne EOT bridge cranes. Every quote names the parts of AS 1418 applied, the duty class designed to, and includes the calculation summary. See our crane range, or talk to the engineer.
Frequently asked questions
What is AS 1418?
AS 1418 is the Australian Standard governing the design of cranes, hoists and winches. It's published in numbered parts — AS 1418.1 covers general crane requirements, with subsequent parts addressing specific crane types. Every crane installed in an Australian workplace must be designed to the relevant parts of AS 1418.
What's the difference between AS 1418 and AS 2550?
AS 1418 governs design — how the crane is engineered. AS 2550 governs safe use — how it's operated, maintained and inspected once installed. The two work as a pair throughout the crane's service life.
What are crane duty classes?
Duty classes classify cranes by how hard they're worked — combining frequency of use with proportion of rated load lifted. Classes range from A1 (very light) to A8 (continuous severe duty). Most Australian workshop cranes are A2-A4; mining and steel-mill cranes can reach A6-A8.
How long is the design life of an AS 1418 crane?
Design life is calculated from duty class and expected service profile, not a fixed number of years. A typical workshop crane at A2-A3 duty has a design life of around 25 years calendar; a high-duty crane can reach end-of-design-life in 5-10 years. The 10-yearly major inspection assesses where the crane sits against its calculated design life.
Which parts of AS 1418 apply to jib cranes?
AS 1418.1 (general requirements) applies to all cranes including jib cranes. The newer AS 5229.1 covers cantilever cranes more specifically. Most jib crane designs in Australia today reference AS 1418.1 plus AS 5229.1.