Belt Conveyor Design Calculator

Belt width, speed, and motor HP from throughput and material.

Design throughput

t/hr

Belt width

Bulk density

kg/m³

Conveyor length

Incline angle

Trough angle

Friction factor (f)

Drive efficiency

Tab to move between fields

Required belt speed

1.03 m/s

Motor power

1.8 kW

≈ 30 laptops

Motor power2.5 HP

Cross-section area0.09 m²

Volumetric capacity333.3 m³/hr

Effective throughput (incline-adjusted)500 t/hr

Material load per meter134.9 kg/m

Total effective tension1,512 N

Lift height0 m

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the required material throughput in tons per hour.
Set belt width in inches and conveyor incline angle in degrees.
Input material bulk density and surcharge angle.
Review calculated belt speed, required horsepower, and belt tension.
Use the horsepower and belt width outputs to specify drive components and structure.

How the result changes with Belt width

Design throughput: Required material flow rate in metric tonnes per hour.
Belt width: Standard belt widths: 400, 500, 650, 800, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600, 1800, 2000 mm.
Bulk density: Material bulk density. Coal ~800, sand ~1500, ore ~2200 kg/m³.
Conveyor length: Center-to-center distance between head and tail pulleys.
Incline angle: Belt incline from horizontal. Max ~18° for most bulk materials.
Trough angle: Idler trough angle. Common values: 20°, 35°, 45°.
Friction factor (f): CEMA friction factor. 0.02 well-maintained, 0.03 average, 0.04 poor.
Drive efficiency: Combined efficiency of motor, gearbox, and coupling. Typically 0.85–0.92.

Required belt speed: Belt speed needed to achieve design throughput at the given belt width.
Motor power: Minimum motor power at the shaft, including drive losses.
Motor power: Motor power in horsepower.
Cross-section area: Material cross-sectional area on the troughed belt.
Volumetric capacity: Volume of material the belt can carry per hour.
Effective throughput (incline-adjusted): Actual throughput after incline capacity reduction.
Material load per meter: Linear material mass along the belt.
Total effective tension: Sum of friction resistance and gravity component at the drive pulley.
Lift height: Vertical rise of the conveyor.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Design throughput = 500, Belt width = 800, Bulk density = 1500, Conveyor length = 50 = 8 input(s) provided
Calculate Required belt speed
Required belt speed = max(0.1, requiredSpeed)
1.03 = 1.03
Calculate Motor power
Motor power = (totalForce * beltSpeed) / (1000 * driveEfficiency)
1.8 = 1.8
Calculate Motor power
Motor power = motorPowerKw * 1.341
2.5 = 2.5
Calculate Cross-section area
Cross-section area = areaBase + areaSurcharge
0.0899 = 0.0899