How to Spec a Material Lift Without Overcomplicating It

Thu, 22 May 2025 18:18:27 GMT

Material Lifts Are Not Freight Elevators One of the most common (and expensive) mistakes we see in the field is a consultant or spec writer applying freight elevator requirements to a material lift project . It sounds harmless—until it adds thousands of dollars in unnecessary equipment, delays permits, or causes confusion during procurement. This article breaks down how to correctly spec a material lift without turning it into something it’s not.

What Is a Material Lift?

Material lifts are CSA-compliant vertical conveyors designed to move goods— not people —between floors. They’re a simpler, more economical alternative to freight elevators, with a shorter list of code requirements and more flexibility in design.

Max travel: 25 feet
No passenger transport allowed
Hold-to-run (contact pressure) controls
Can be built to almost any platform size or capacity
No fire-rated doors, alarm bells, or phones required

Common Spec Mistakes (That Inflate Your Budget)

We frequently see consultants or engineers include:

Emergency phones
Firefighter's recall systems
Automatic operation controls
Fire-rated hoistway doors or interlocks
CSA B44 elevator requirements, only material lift requirments.

None of these are required on a material lift. Including them adds unnecessary cost, lead time, and complexity to what should be a straightforward install.

What You Actually Need to Spec Here’s

what matters when planning a material lift:

Platform size (based on product or pallet dimensions)
Capacity (weight of goods, packaging, pallet, cart)
Travel height (floor-to-floor, up to 25 ft)
Loading type (manual, cart, pallet jack)
Environment (indoor, outdoor, washdown, temperature control)
Shaft or structure type (built-in vs. freestanding)

Need a cheat sheet? Download the Material Lift Spec Guide.

Spec Smarter. Save Thousands.

Here’s how Atlantic Lifts helps clients avoid overdesigning their lift:

We review plans for elevator overreach
We remove unnecessary components from quotes
We guide architects and GCs on what’s really required
We deliver CSA-compliant, fit-for-purpose systems that work

Book a 15-minute planning call to avoid the usual headaches.

Next Step:

Download the Material Lift Spec Guide Get the quick checklist, platform planning tips, and CSA-compliant layout guide—all in one document.

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