How to Spec a Material Lift Without Overcomplicating It
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.