Hydraulic Elevator Calculator

Cylinder size from car weight and travel height.

Inputs

Car weight (kg)

Rated load (kg)

Travel height (m)

Car speed (m/s)

Operating pressure (MPa)

Roping (1=direct, 2=2:1)

Tab to move between fields

Results

Cylinder bore (mm)

81.1

Motor power (HP)

7.1

Cylinder stroke (m)6

Motor power (kW)5.3

Oil flow rate (L/min)77.5

Oil tank size (L)233

Cylinder force (kN)18.1

Est. cylinder weight (kg)183

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Car weight (kg), Rated load (kg), and Travel height (m).
Set Car speed (m/s), Operating pressure (MPa), and Roping (1=direct, 2=2:1).
Review Cylinder bore (mm) and Motor power (HP).
Use Cylinder stroke (m) and Motor power (kW) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Operating pressure (MPa)

Operating pressure (MPa)	Cylinder bore (mm)	Motor power (HP)
3.4	82.3	7.1
9.4	49.5	7.1
17	36.8	7.1
23	31.6	7.1

What each input means

Car weight (kg): Weight of the empty elevator car including platform.
Rated load (kg): Maximum rated passenger/freight load (1 person ≈ 75 kg).
Travel height (m): Total vertical travel. Hydraulic elevators typically limited to ~21 m (70 ft).
Car speed (m/s): Hydraulic elevator speed (typically 0.25-1.0 m/s).
Operating pressure (MPa): Hydraulic system operating pressure. Common: 2.5-5.0 MPa.
Roping (1=direct, 2=2:1): 1 = Direct-acting (1:1), 2 = Roped hydraulic (2:1) — halves cylinder force and stroke.

What each result means

Cylinder bore (mm): Required inside diameter of the hydraulic cylinder.
Cylinder stroke (m): Required piston travel length.
Motor power (HP): Required pump motor horsepower.
Motor power (kW): Required pump motor power in kilowatts.
Oil flow rate (L/min): Required hydraulic pump flow rate.
Oil tank size (L): Recommended reservoir capacity (3× flow rate rule).
Cylinder force (kN): Force the hydraulic cylinder must produce.
Est. cylinder weight (kg): Approximate weight of the steel hydraulic cylinder.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Car weight (kg) = 1800, Rated load (kg) = 1150, Travel height (m) = 12, Car speed (m/s) = 0.5 = 6 input(s) provided
Calculate Cylinder bore
Cylinder bore = boreDiameterM * 1000
81.1 = 81.1
Calculate Motor power
Motor power = motorPowerKW * 1.341
7.1 = 7.1
Calculate Motor power
Motor power = (pressurePa * flowRateM3s) / (pumpEfficiency * 1000)
5.3 = 5.3

Engine last updated July 28, 2026. Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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