Overhead crane

An overhead crane, featuring runways, bridge, and hoist in a traditional industrial environment.
Overhead crane at the Skanska precast concrete factory in Hjärup, Sweden.
Gantry-style overhead cranes of the Hainaut quarry in Soignies, Belgium.

An overhead crane, commonly called a bridge crane, is a type of crane found in industrial environments. An overhead crane consists of two parallel rails seated on longitudinal I-beams attached to opposite steel columns by means of brackets. The traveling bridge spans the gap. A hoist, the lifting component of a crane, travels along the bridge. If the bridge is rigidly supported on two or more legs running on two fixed rails at ground level, the crane is called a gantry crane (USA, ASME B30 series) or a goliath crane (UK, BS 466).

Unlike mobile or construction cranes, overhead cranes are typically used for either manufacturing or maintenance applications, where efficiency or downtime are critical factors.

Single Girder Overhead Crane

The single girder type overhead crane is the most common overhead crane. It is generally used for light applications, normally up to 10 tonnes.

Double Girder Overhead Crane

The double girder overhead crane structure is used for heavier applications up to 125 tons and reaching over 100 feet of span. It can also be used to gain lifting height because the hoist of the double girder overhead crane is placed on the beams and the hook fits between them.

Suspended Overhead Crane

The rails of a suspended overhead crane are secured to the ceiling of the building. The elimination of dedicated support columns provides additional floor space, but limits lifting capacity.