How Much Does an Overhead Crane Cost? Why There Is No List Price
An overhead crane is built to order, so there is no list price. Here are the six parameters that set your quotation, what is usually excluded, and how to compare quotes fairly.
H1: How Much Does an Overhead Crane Cost? (And Why There Is No List Price)
Quick answer
There is no list price for an overhead crane, because almost no two are alike: the girders are fabricated for your span, your lifting height and your duty class. Your quotation is set by six parameters — capacity, span, lifting height, duty class, travel length and voltage, and scope of supply. Change any one of them and the price changes.
What you can do today is make the quotes you receive comparable. That is what this page is for.
Why there is no price list
A workshop crane is not a catalogue item with a sticker price. The steel structure is designed for the span it must cross and the load it must carry; the hoist is sized to the duty class; the electricals are matched to your voltage and travel length. Two cranes with the same 5-tonne rating and different spans (say 12 m and 22 m) contain materially different amounts of steel, different end carriages and different wheel loads on your building.
This is why a serious supplier asks for parameters before quoting, and why a quote that arrives within minutes without questions should be treated with suspicion.
The six parameters that set your quotation
- Capacity (t). The rated load, including the lifting attachments. Capacity mostly drives the hoist, brake and gearbox sizing, and half of the structure.
- Span (m). Centre-to-centre of the rails. This is the heaviest cost driver: longer girders mean more steel, deeper sections and higher wheel loads — sometimes requiring reinforcement of your runway beams.
- Lifting height (m). Floor to hook. Affects hoist drum or chain length and, for gantry cranes, the height of the legs.
- Duty class (A3–A7 / FEM equivalent). How hard the crane works: lifts per hour and shifts per day. A higher duty class means larger motors, better brakes, stronger gearboxes — a real cost, and a real longevity difference.
- Travel length, voltage and frequency. Total runway length drives the festoon or conductor rail; your site voltage and frequency drive the electrical cabinet.
- Scope of supply and delivery terms. Equipment only, or including rails, runway beams, installation, testing and registration support. FOB, CIF or DAP changes the number you see on the page.
What is usually *not* included
This is where quotes go wrong. Unless your supplier lists them, assume these are extra:
- Runway beams, rails and rail clips
- Installation, erection and commissioning at site
- Supervision or an engineer's travel costs
- Local inspection, load testing and registration
- Sea freight, insurance and port charges
- Import duties and local taxes
- Spare parts beyond the warranty period, and extended warranty
Ask for each of these in writing, with the words "included" or "excluded" next to it. A quote that is 30% cheaper often just has 30% more exclusions.
Why two quotes for the "same" crane can differ by half
Put two quotes for "a 5-tonne crane, 20 m span" side by side and the difference almost always comes from one of five places:
- Duty class. An A3 crane built for occasional lifts genuinely costs less than an A5 machine designed for two shifts a day.
- Steel weight. Lighter girders cost less and deflect more. Ask for the girder weight or the calculated deflection.
- Hoist origin and specification. The hoist is the most-compared component; ask for the make and the classification.
- Electricals. Cheaper contactor control versus variable-frequency drives, and the class of the components.
- Scope. See the exclusions above.
How to compare quotes fairly: six questions
- What duty class is this quotation based on, and what does it assume about my lifts per hour?
- What is the girder weight, and what deflection does it meet?
- Which make and classification is the hoist?
- Exactly which items from the "not included" list above are included in this price?
- What is the lead time measured from — order, deposit or drawing approval?
- Which documents will I receive before shipment, and which after?
Any supplier who answers all six in writing is a supplier worth continuing with.
Why the cheapest quote usually costs more
The savings in a very cheap crane come from somewhere specific: thinner steel, a lower-duty hoist, simpler electricals, fewer documents or thinner service. Those savings surface later as shorter service life, more downtime, wheel and rail wear, and spare parts that are hard to source.
If you want a single rule: buy the duty class you will actually need in five years, not the one that covers today's lightest lift. Running an A3 crane in a two-shift workshop is the most common and most expensive mistake we see.
What to send for a quotation within 24 hours
- Capacity (t)
- Span — centre-to-centre of the rails (m)
- Lifting height (m)
- Duty class, or lifts per hour and shifts per day
- Site country and port of destination
A workshop drawing or a few photographs of the building help us quote something you can actually install.
We answer within 24 working hours (Monday to Saturday, GMT+8), and we tell you which partner factory will build the crane before you place the order. Our certificates and their verification method are published here: certificates.
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