How Guindaste Prices Are Quoted (and Why Not Listed)
If you have ever searched for an overhead crane online, you have noticed the pattern: almost no serious manufacturer publishes a price list. That is not a marketing trick. A 5-ton LD single-girder crane and a 5-ton QD double-girder crane share a capacity number and almost nothing else — different dead weight, different wheel loads, different duty class, different control system. Quoting both from one price table would be inaccurate for one of them. This article explains how a real crane quotation is built, what drives the number up or down, and what you should prepare before requesting one.
Why There Is No Published Price List
A crane is a structural machine designed around your building, not a catalog product picked off a shelf. Four variables change the price before any commercial term is discussed:
- Span and lift height — a 10-ton crane at 10 m span and 6 m lift is a different machine from the same 10 tons at 22.5 m span and 18 m lift. Girder depth, wheel base and end carriage all change.
- Duty class — a crane working 8 hours a day in a warehouse (A3/A5) versus a YZ metallurgical crane working continuously in a foundry (A7/A8) are priced differently even at identical capacity.
- Structure type — LD single-girder, LH hoist double-girder, and QD universal double-girder at 20 tons sit at three different price points.
- Components and standards — Schneider/Siemens/ABB/SEW drives, GB/T 3811 versus FEM 1.001 or CMAA #70 design, and certification scope (CE, EAC, SASO, SONCAP) all move the final figure.
Because of this, a responsible quotation is a calculation, not a lookup. At Chunhua Guindaste, the standard turnaround for a complete technical-commercial quotation is 4 hours once the required inputs are received.
What a Quotation Actually Contains
1. Technical specification sheet
Capacidade, span, lift height, duty class, travel speeds (long travel, cross travel, hoist), power supply (380V/50Hz, 415V/50Hz, 440V/60Hz), control method (pendant, radio remote, cabin), and the design standard applied. This is the document you compare between suppliers — not the total price.
2. Scope of supply
What is included and what is not: crane bridge and end carriages, hoist, crane runway rails (usually buyer-supplied), festoon or conductor rail, bumpers, overload limiter, and whether installation and commissioning are in scope. Two quotes that look 20% apart are often not quoting the same scope.
3. Price breakdown
Equipment price, optional items, packing (typically export wooden case or steel frame), and freight terms — FOB Xangai/Ningbo, CIF, or DAP to your site.
4. Commercial terms
Payment schedule, production lead time (typically 30–45 days for standard models), warranty (12 months), and documentation package for customs and site acceptance.
The Practical Inputs You Should Enviar
To get an accurate quote on the first pass, send these six items:
- Capacidade required — in tons, and whether it is a rated load or a lifting-attachment-inclusive load.
- Span — center-to-center distance of the runway rails, in meters.
- Lift height — hook travel from floor to top position.
- Working environment — indoor warehouse, outdoor yard, foundry, container terminal, or explosion-proof area.
- Duty cycle — hours per day and lifts per hour, so the correct class (A3 to A8) can be assigned.
- Power supply and destination port — this determines voltage, frequency, and certification requirements.
If you do not know the duty class, describe the operation and the supplier should assign it. If a supplier quotes without asking these questions, the quote is a guess.
How the Number Moves: Three Concrete Examples
Example A — LD single-girder, 5T, 16.5 m span
A standard warehouse crane with CD/MD guindaste elétrico, pendant control, A3–A5 duty. This is the entry point of the overhead crane range (LD covers 0.5–20T). Cost is dominated by the single girder, the hoist, and the end carriages.
Example B — QD double-girder, 50T, 22.5 m span
Two girders, a dedicated trolley, higher wheel loads, heavier runway requirements, and usually cabin or radio control. The QD range (5–150T) is specified when the load, span, or duty exceeds what a single girder handles economically.
Example C — MG double-girder gantry, 20T, outdoor yard
Rail-mounted gantry with cantilevers, weather protection for the hoist and electrics, and rail cleaning considerations. Site wind load and rail foundation become part of the technical review. RMG container gantry and shipbuilding gantry sit at the top of this category and are quoted strictly project-by-project.
Red Flags in a Guindaste Quote
- A price given before span, lift height and duty class are confirmed.
- No mention of the design standard (GB/T 3811, FEM 1.001, DIN 15018, or CMAA #70).
- Vague component brands — "international brand" instead of Schneider, Siemens, ABB, or SEW.
- No certification scope stated for your destination country (CE, EAC TR CU 010/020, GCC/SASO, SONCAP, KEBS).
- Garantia shorter than 12 months, or no stated production lead time.
How to Get a Fast, Accurate Quote
Enviar the six inputs above to Chunhua Guindaste and you will receive a specification sheet, scope of supply, price breakdown, and delivery terms — tipicamente within 4 hours. There is no MOQ; single-unit orders for LD pontes rolantes, KBK light rail systems, jib cranes, or DHP electric chain hoists are quoted on the same process as multi-unit projects. Production runs 30–45 days for standard models, backed by a 12-month warranty.
Contact: WhatsApp +86 193 9277 7259 | Email yuhua0095@gmail.com | chinacraneexporter.com
Manufacturing partner: Hefei Chunhua Hoisting Machinery Co., Ltd, founded 2003, Hefei, Anhui, China — serving 60+ countries with 5 crane categories and 81 standard models.