Conveyor Belt Tension Calculator

Belt tension from load, friction, and system geometry.

Conveyor length

Lift height (+/−)

Throughput

t/hr

Belt speed

m/s

Belt width

Friction factor (f)

Drive wrap angle

Belt rating

N/mm

Carrying idler spacing

Tab to move between fields

Effective tension (Te)

1,467 N

Tight-side tension (T1)

2,029 N

Slack-side tension (T2)563 N

Minimum sag tension4,794 N

Governing tension4,794 N

Wrap factor (Cw)1.38

Belt safety factor133.51

Gravity takeup weight977 kg

Material load55.6 kg/m

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the belt length and conveyor incline angle.
Set the material load in pounds per foot and belt weight.
Input drive efficiency and friction coefficient.
Review effective belt tension (Te), maximum belt tension (T1), and slack-side tension (T2).
Use maximum belt tension to verify belt rating is adequate for the application.

How the result changes with Conveyor length

Conveyor length: Center-to-center pulley distance.
Lift height (+/−): Vertical rise (positive) or decline (negative).
Throughput: Material flow rate in metric tonnes per hour.
Belt speed: Belt linear velocity.
Belt width: Belt width in millimeters.
Friction factor (f): CEMA artificial friction factor.
Drive wrap angle: Total belt wrap on drive pulley(s). Single = 180–210°, dual = 360–420°.
Belt rating: Belt tensile strength rating per mm of width.
Carrying idler spacing: Distance between carrying idler sets.

Effective tension (Te): Net force the drive must transmit to move the belt.
Tight-side tension (T1): Maximum tension on the belt at the drive pulley.
Slack-side tension (T2): Tension on the return side of the drive pulley.
Minimum sag tension: Minimum tension to limit belt sag to 2% of idler spacing.
Governing tension: Highest tension the belt must withstand (max of T1 and sag tension).
Wrap factor (Cw): Drive traction multiplier from Euler belt friction equation.
Belt safety factor: Ratio of belt rated strength to governing tension. Target ≥ 6.7 for typical applications.
Gravity takeup weight: Counterweight mass needed for gravity takeup system.
Material load: Linear material mass along the belt.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Conveyor length = 100, Lift height (+/−) = 0, Throughput = 500, Belt speed = 2.5 = 9 input(s) provided
Calculate Effective tension
Effective tension = frictionResistance + gravityComponent
1467 = 1467
Calculate Tight-side tension
Tight-side tension = abs(effectiveTension) * wrapFactor
2029 = 2029
Calculate Slack-side tension
Slack-side tension = Math
563 = 563
Calculate Minimum sag tension
Minimum sag tension = ((materialPerMeter + beltMassPerMeter) * g * idlerSpacing) /
4794 = 4794