How to Measure for an Overhead Crane’s Span and Runway Length

Measure the Crane’s Runway Beams.

• Ideally, you will have access to get closer to the runway beams of overhead crane using a lift or nearby mezzanine (if available). If not, you can gather a lot of these measurements using your tape measure or your laser pointer.
• Getting measurements of the actual runway beam is as simple as running your tape measure from the bottom of the beam up to the top if you have easy access to the beam.
• If you can’t get to the beam, you can stand underneath it and use your laser pointer to get a measurement to the top flange, and then get a measurement to the bottom of the beam and subtract the difference. This will give you your beam height.
• If you’re able to get up close to the beam, you can measure the flange width, as well as the flange thickness.
• If the runway beam has a cap channel added for extra reinforcement, getting measurements for the width of the flange, toe, and thickness of the cap will also help the engineering team understand the crane’s design requirements.

Measuring the Crane’s Rail Size.

• (A) Rail Width (B) Rail Head Width (C) Rail Height (D) Runway Beam Height (E) Runway Beam Flange Width (F) Runway Beam Flange Thickness (G) Cap Channel Toe (H) Cap Channel Width.
• Making sure that you understand the size of the rails will allow you to properly size the wheels.
• The two most important measurements for the crane rails are the head width and the rail height.
• This allows the engineering team to identify the size of the rail and determine what size wheels should be used on the crane system.

Measuring Crane Span Length.

• One of the most important measurements you can provide during an overhead crane consultation is the crane’s span.
• An overhead crane’s span is essentially its width across the bay—or the measured center-to-center distance between the runway beams. It’s important because it determines how much material is required to build the bridge girders and most significantly affects the cost of the overhead crane.
• If your building already has a runway system in place, you can use your laser pointer and place it flush with the runway or building support that the runway is resting on and measure across to the next beam or support.
• You’ll want to make note of any cantilevers or haunches that the runway beam may be sitting on to determine how far off the building column the center line of the runway is.
• During this step, you want to get measurements near the exact measurements to give the estimators and engineers enough information to put a quote together. However, if you move forward with the project, the approval drawings will provide the exact measurements required.
• If you’re designing and installing a new crane in your existing facility, then you can use the existing building supports to measure the crane’s span.
• Take your laser pointer and measure the outer edge distance between parallel building columns. If you have building drawings, you can also use these as a reference or provide the crane manufacturer with a copy of the drawings for their reference.

Measuring the Crane’s Runway Length and Distance Between Supports.

• The length of the runway is the total overall distance that the crane will move through the facility.
• Measure out this rough length using the building’s specifications, the setup of your existing production area, or map out or mark off an area you want to be able to utilize for material handling and load movement.
• You will also need to determine the measured distance between the building supports that the runway beam will run on top of. To do this, place your laser flush against a building support beam and measure down the length of the runway beam to the next support.

Understanding how a new crane will fit into your existing facility, or how the structural and design factors of an existing runway and support structure can be utilized, will help you double-check their bids.