Bucket Elevator Design Calculator

Bucket size and speed from capacity and material.

Design throughput

t/hr

Lift height

Bulk density

kg/m³

Bucket width

Bucket projection

Bucket length (front-back)

Bucket pitch

Bucket fill

Drive efficiency

Tab to move between fields

Belt/chain speed

1.22 m/s

Actual capacity

50 t/hr

Bucket volume5.67 L

Mass per bucket3.4 kg

Buckets per minute245 /min

Motor power5.53 kW

Motor power7.42 HP

Head shaft torque1,128.8 N·m

Casing width350 mm

Casing depth255 mm

Belt/chain tension7,853 N

Bulk Density T0.8

Discharge TypeContinuous

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the required throughput in bushels or tons per hour.
Set the elevator lift height in feet and material bulk density.
Input bucket size and spacing.
Review belt speed, required motor HP, and projected capacity.
Use these outputs for motor and structural selection in equipment specifications.

What each input means

Design throughput: Required material flow rate in tonnes per hour.
Lift height: Vertical distance from inlet to discharge.
Bulk density: Material bulk density. Grain ~750, cement ~1500.
Bucket width: Bucket width. Standard: 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500 mm.
Bucket projection: Bucket depth from belt/chain to lip.
Bucket length (front-back): Bucket dimension front to back.
Bucket pitch: Center-to-center spacing between buckets.
Bucket fill: Bucket fill percentage. 75% typical for centrifugal, 85% for continuous.
Drive efficiency: Motor and gearbox combined efficiency.

Belt/chain speed: Required belt or chain speed. >1.5 m/s = centrifugal, <1.5 = continuous discharge.
Actual capacity: Achievable throughput at the operating speed.
Bucket volume: Effective bucket volume.
Mass per bucket: Material mass in each filled bucket.
Buckets per minute: Rate of bucket discharge at the head.
Motor power: Required motor power including lift, scooping, and friction losses.
Motor power: Motor power in horsepower.
Head shaft torque: Torque at the head shaft for coupling and bearing selection.
Casing width: Minimum internal casing width.
Casing depth: Minimum internal casing depth (front to back).
Belt/chain tension: Maximum tension in belt or chain for selection.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Design throughput = 50, Lift height = 30, Bulk density = 800, Bucket width = 300 = 9 input(s) provided
Calculate Belt/chain speed
Belt/chain speed = max(0.5, min(4.0, requiredSpeed))
1.22 = 1.22
Calculate Actual capacity
Actual capacity = (massPerBucket * beltSpeed * 3600) / (bucketPitchM * 1000)
50 = 50
Calculate Bucket volume
Bucket volume = bucketVolM3 * 1000
5.67 = 5.67
Calculate Mass per bucket
Mass per bucket = bucketVolM3 * fillFraction * bulkDensity
3.4 = 3.4