Chain Conveyor Calculator

Chain pull and motor sizing from load and friction.

Conveyor length

Lift height

Product load per meter

kg/m

Chain speed

m/s

Number of chain strands

Chain + slat weight

kg/m

Chain friction factor

Drive efficiency

Tab to move between fields

Total chain pull

4,047 N

Motor power

1.43 kW

≈ 24 laptops

Chain pull per strand2,023 N

Motor power1.92 HP

Min chain breaking strength16.2 kN

Drive sprocket RPM19.3 RPM

Sprocket PCD297 mm

Drive torque707.1 N·m

Throughput54 t/hr

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the required material capacity in tons per hour.
Set conveyor length in feet and chain speed in feet per minute.
Input material bulk density and chain type.
Review chain pull force, required motor horsepower, and drive sprocket specifications.
Use outputs to select chain pitch, motor size, and drive components.

How the result changes with Conveyor length

Conveyor length: Center-to-center distance between drive and tail shafts.
Lift height: Vertical rise (0 for horizontal).
Product load per meter: Distributed product weight per meter of conveyor length.
Chain speed: Linear chain velocity. Typical 0.1-0.5 m/s.
Number of chain strands: 1 = single strand (center chain), 2 = dual strand.
Chain + slat weight: Weight per meter of one chain strand with attached slats/pans.
Chain friction factor: Chain-on-guide friction. Steel on steel ~0.25, UHMW guides ~0.15.
Drive efficiency: Combined motor, gearbox, and sprocket efficiency.

Total chain pull: Maximum total chain tension at the drive sprocket.
Chain pull per strand: Tension per chain strand (for chain selection).
Motor power: Required motor power at the drive shaft.
Motor power: Motor power in horsepower.
Min chain breaking strength: Required minimum chain breaking strength per strand (SF=8).
Drive sprocket RPM: Drive sprocket rotational speed.
Sprocket PCD: Pitch circle diameter for 9-tooth drive sprocket.
Drive torque: Torque at the drive shaft for gearbox selection.
Throughput: Material flow rate based on load and speed.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Conveyor length = 15, Lift height = 0, Product load per meter = 50, Chain speed = 0.3 = 8 input(s) provided
Calculate Total chain pull
Total chain pull = chainFriction + productFriction + gravityForce
4047 = 4047
Calculate Motor power
Motor power = (totalChainPull * chainSpeed) / (1000 * driveEfficiency)
1.43 = 1.43
Calculate Chain pull per strand
Chain pull per strand = totalChainPull / numChainStrands
2023 = 2023
Calculate Motor power
Motor power = motorPowerKw * 1.341
1.92 = 1.92