Start with the work, not the catalogue
Most crane buying starts at the wrong end, with a product page and a capacity figure. That gets you a quote, but not necessarily the right machine. The better starting point is the task: what you lift, where you lift it, how often, and what the building gives you to work with. Answer those, and the crane type usually selects itself.
There are five decisions that matter. Work through them in order and the field narrows quickly.
The five decisions
1. Coverage pattern
This is the one that does most of the work. Ask where the hook needs to reach:
- A single fixed point: you lift at one machine, bench or bay, and the load only needs to swing around that spot.
- A straight line: loads move along a row of stations or down a length of bench.
- A rectangular cell: a defined work area where the hook needs to reach any point within a box.
- A full bay: coverage across the whole width and length of a workshop bay.
The shape of the area you need to cover maps almost directly to a crane type, which we set out below.
2. Capacity
How heavy is the heaviest thing you lift, including the rigging and any below-the-hook gear? Capacity tends to push you up the structural scale, so heavier loads favour bridge and gantry configurations over jibs and workstation rail. Treat any figures here as indicative; the rated capacity (MRC) for your crane is set by an engineer against your actual loads and lift method.
3. Available building structure
What does the building already give you? Three broad cases:
- Existing overhead steel or a runway: the building can carry a bridge crane, or already has one.
- Walls and columns but no overhead structure: something to mount a jib or workstation rail to, but nothing to run a bridge on.
- Nothing usable, or you're outdoors: a yard, a laydown area, or a shed whose frame can't take crane loads.
Whether existing steel can actually carry crane loads is a structural question an engineer assesses for your building. A roof purlin or a tilt panel is not automatically a runway.
4. Duty
Duty is how hard and how often the crane works — the difference between an occasional maintenance lift and a crane cycling all shift. It drives the mechanism and structural class the crane is built to, and therefore component sizing, wear life and cost. Duty bands vary widely between applications, so the appropriate class is assessed by an engineer for your usage rather than read off a chart.
5. Indoor vs outdoor
Outdoor lifting brings wind loading, weather sealing and corrosion protection into the picture, and it narrows the sensible options. A crane intended for outdoor exposure is engineered for it. Indoor equipment moved outside is rarely the right call.
Mapping the answers to a crane type
Once you've worked through the five decisions, the pattern usually points to one of these. Capacity figures are indicative only: they illustrate where each type tends to sit, not a recommendation for your crane.
| Fixed point, with a wall or column | A jib crane: a swinging boom that gives point-of-use lifting in a circular reach around one column or wall mount. |
| A straight line or small cell, lighter loads | A workstation crane: light steel or aluminium rail with an articulated hoist. Indicatively suited to lighter loads (up to roughly 2 t) where the building can support the rail. |
| Full bay, with a runway | An overhead bridge crane running on a runway gives full-bay coverage and keeps the floor clear. Whether it's single or double girder depends on span, capacity and the hook height you need (see the guide below). |
| No overhead structure, or outdoors | A gantry or portal crane: a self-supporting portal that provides rectangular coverage without a runway, including outdoors. |
| A single lifting point, no travel needed | An electric hoist mounted to existing structure, the simplest option where you only need to raise and lower at one spot. |
The single vs double girder choice within bridge cranes is its own decision: span, capacity and required hook height all feed into it. We cover that in the single vs double girder guide. None of the figures above are sizing advice; an engineer confirms the type and class for your application.
If you'd rather not work through this by hand, our crane selector tool asks the same questions and recommends a crane type in a couple of minutes.
How to brief your supplier
When you call a supplier, the conversation is far quicker if you've gathered a few things first. None of this requires engineering knowledge; it's just describing the job accurately.
- What you lift: the items, and the heaviest one, including rigging and any below-the-hook gear.
- How often: a rough sense of lifts per shift or day, so duty can be scoped.
- Span and reach: how far the hook needs to travel and the area it must cover.
- Headroom: the clear height under the roof, existing steel, or lowest obstruction.
- Power: the supply available on site (single or three phase).
- Structure: what's already there, whether a runway, walls and columns, or nothing usable.
- Site location: where the crane goes, indoors or out, and access for install.
With that in hand, a supplier can scope a crane type and class without guesswork, and an engineer can confirm the structural and capacity figures against your actual application.
Talk to an engineer
The right crane is the one matched correctly to your task, your building and your loads. Free site visit anywhere in Australia, written quote with a calculation summary, no obligation. Send through your application details and we'll work through the five decisions with you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose the right crane type?
Start with how you actually work, not a catalogue. Five things decide it: the coverage pattern you need (a single point, a straight line, a rectangular cell, or a full bay), the capacity, the building structure already available, how hard and how often you lift (duty), and whether the work is indoors or outdoors. Map those answers to a type: fixed point to a jib, a cell to a workstation crane, full-bay to an overhead bridge crane, no overhead structure to a gantry. An engineer confirms the fit for your application.
What information should I give a crane supplier?
Gather what you lift and its heaviest weight, how often you lift it, the span or reach you need to cover, your available headroom under the roof or existing steel, the power supply on site, what building structure exists (runway, walls, columns, or nothing), and the site location. With that, a supplier can scope a crane type and class without guesswork.
Do I need an overhead bridge crane or a gantry?
It usually comes down to structure. If your building has suitable steel for a runway, an overhead bridge crane gives full-bay coverage and keeps the floor clear. If there is no overhead structure, or the work is outdoors in a yard, a gantry or portal crane provides rectangular coverage without needing a runway. An engineer assesses whether the existing structure can carry crane loads.
What does crane duty mean and why does it matter?
Duty describes how hard and how often a crane works — light occasional lifting versus heavy continuous cycling. It drives the mechanism and structural class the crane is built to, which affects component sizing, wear life and cost. Duty figures vary widely by application, so an engineer assesses the right class for your usage rather than applying a fixed rule.
Can I work out the crane type myself before calling anyone?
You can narrow it down. Decide whether you lift at a fixed point, along a line, across a cell, or over a full bay; note your rough capacity and whether you have overhead structure; and note indoor versus outdoor. That points you to a likely type. Our crane selector tool walks through the same questions. Final sizing, class and structural checks are confirmed by an engineer for your specific application.