Conveyor Selection Guide.
A practical reference for engineers and plant managers — how to choose the right conveyor type for your load, throughput, and application.
Define Your Requirements.
Before specifying any conveyor, establish these five parameters. They determine which conveyor family, capacity, and configuration are appropriate.
The weight of the heaviest single item that will ride the conveyor. This drives belt/roller capacity selection. Standard belt conveyors are rated in lbs per linear foot; pallet conveyors in lbs per zone.
The total weight of all product on the conveyor at one time, fully loaded. This is used for belt pull and horsepower calculation. See the HP Calculation chart for the full methodology.
If product must queue on the conveyor — between stations, at a stop, or waiting for a downstream process — you need an accumulating conveyor. Zero-pressure or minimum-pressure, depending on product fragility.
Belt surface is preferred for fragile items, items with irregular bottoms, or small parts that would fall between rollers. Roller surface works for cartons, totes, and sturdy unit loads with flat bases.
If the conveyor must incline or decline, you need a powered incline conveyor. Use the Net Lift Chart to determine the incline load component for HP calculations, and the Box Tumbling diagram to verify your carton won't tip.
Conveyor Type Comparison.
Use this table to identify which conveyor family best fits your application profile.
| Conveyor Type | Products | Accumulation | Capacity | Best For | ACSI Models |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slider Bed Belt | Cartons, bags, small parts | No (standard) | 75–100 lb/ft | Transport, inclines, work stations with side tables | LPB, HPB |
| Roller Bed Belt | Heavier cartons, wire mesh option for drainage | No (standard) | 100+ lb/ft | Heavy carton transport, wet environments, inclines | 190RB, 190RBW |
| MDR (Motorized Roller) | Cartons, totes, polybags over belt | Zero-pressure ZPA | Per zone spec | Accumulation between stations, scan tunnels, e-commerce lines. Belted MDR zones and Poly-V driven rollers available. | 190MRA |
| Belt-Driven Live Roller | Cartons, totes | Min-pressure | 50–100 lb/ft | Long transport runs, economical minimum-pressure accumulation | 138/190 BDLR series, 138CAP, 190CAP |
| Chain-Driven Live Roller | Cartons, totes, medium-heavy unit loads | Zero-pressure | 100–500+ lb/ft | Heavy carton transport, curves and spurs, robust industrial applications | 22CRR, 350CRR |
| Line Shaft Live Roller | Cartons, totes | Zone controlled | 50–75 lb/ft | Economical long runs with single drive, zone accumulation via air gates | 190LS, 190LSE |
| Gravity Roller | Cartons, totes, wood boxes | Natural | Up to 200+ lbs | Pick lanes, shipping staging, sloped floor runs. No power required. See Rate of Fall chart. | 190SR, 251SR, 267SR |
| Gravity Skate Wheel | Light cartons, parcels | Natural | Up to ~50 lbs | Economical parcel and light carton flow. Minimal resistance. Zip Ship available. | Skate Wheel |
| Drag Chain | Pallets, skids | Zero-pressure (DCE) | Full pallet weight | Low-elevation pallet transport and staging. 12″ elevation available. | DC, DCE |
| Pallet Accumulator | Loaded pallets | Zero-pressure | Up to 4,000 lb/zone | Multi-zone pallet staging, shipping lanes, marshaling areas. Up to 30 zones per drive. | 251CDE, 251ACDE |
Choosing the Right Accumulation Type.
If your application requires product to queue on the conveyor, the type of accumulation matters — for product protection, energy use, and cost.
Product in each zone stops independently — no contact between queued items. Required for fragile goods, scan tunnels requiring gaps between cartons, and applications where back-pressure damage is a concern.
ACSI options: 190MRA MDR (cartons/totes), DCE (pallets), 251CDE / 251ACDE (heavy pallets)
Product queues with light contact pressure between items. Clutch-activated zones reduce (but don't eliminate) contact. Economical choice for durable cartons and boxes where light product-to-product contact is tolerable.
If product flows continuously from one end to the other with no queuing required, a standard non-accumulating belt or live roller conveyor is the most economical choice. This covers most transport, receiving, and incline applications.
Sizing — Width, Length & Speed.
Key sizing guidelines for specifying belt face width, conveyor length, and operating speed.
Belt Face Width
For belt conveyors, the belt face width (BF) should be the widest product you plan to convey, plus at least 2″ clearance on each side. Standard BF increments on the LPB are 8″, 10″, 12″, 16″, 18″, 20″, 24″, 26″, 30″. The HPB goes to 36″.
For roller conveyors and live roller conveyor curves, use the Curve Sizing chart to determine the between-frame dimension required to carry your widest package through a curve without overhang.
Conveyor Speed
Standard belt speed is 60 FPM. Variable speed is available as a factory option. For MDR (190MRA), speeds from 60–200 FPM are available. For throughput calculation: multiply speed (FPM) × 60 minutes × packing density to estimate units per hour at a given spacing.
Undertrussing for Long Beds
Belt conveyor beds over 10′ require undertrussing (support rods and brackets) to prevent bed sag. Use the Bed & Undertrussing Chart to determine the bracket type and configuration for your bed length up to 40′. ACSI can factory-build undertrussed beds or supply the undertrussing components separately.
Noseover Sections
Where a belt conveyor transitions from horizontal to inclined (or vice versa), a noseover section is required. Use the Noseover Arrangements chart for minimum bed lengths and angular adjustment ranges by model. The LPB noseover adjusts 0°–30° with a minimum 1′6″ bed; the HPB/FTC noseover adjusts 0°–30° with a minimum 1′4″ bed.
Common Conveyor Decisions.
These comparisons support searches such as what conveyor do I need, conveyor selector, belt conveyor vs roller conveyor, powered conveyor vs gravity conveyor, and pallet conveyor selection.
| Decision | Choose This When | Consider This Page / Family |
|---|---|---|
| Belt conveyor vs roller conveyor | Use belt when the product needs continuous support; use roller conveyor when the load has a stable bottom and rollers are appropriate. | Slider bed belt, belt-over-roller, gravity roller. |
| Powered conveyor vs gravity conveyor | Use powered conveyor when speed, metering, elevation, or automation is required; use gravity conveyor for economical manual or sloped flow. | Horizontal powered, gravity conveyors. |
| Cartons vs pallets | Cartons often fit belt, MDR, line shaft, or gravity conveyors; pallets usually require CDLR, drag-chain, slat, or heavy-duty accumulation systems. | Heavy-duty pallet handling, CDLR conveyors. |
| Zero-pressure vs minimum pressure | Use zero-pressure when products must not touch under pressure; use minimum pressure when light controlled contact is acceptable. | Zero pressure, minimum pressure. |
Conveyor Selection Questions.
Start with product type, load weight, product bottom, required throughput, accumulation needs, elevation changes, available space, and operating environment. For a quick recommendation, use ConveyorMatch™.
Useful details include load weight, product dimensions, system length and width, speed, throughput, elevation, accumulation requirements, controls, duty cycle, environment, and layout constraints.
Pallets usually require heavy-duty conveyor families such as CDLR, drag-chain, slat conveyor, or pallet accumulation conveyor, depending on load, pallet condition, direction changes, and controls.
Yes. Automated Conveyor Systems, Inc. manufactures both standard catalog conveyor models and custom engineered conveyor systems for industrial applications.
Ready to Specify Your System?
ACSI and our distributor network help you take a floor layout and application requirement list to a complete conveyor equipment specification. Standard catalog models, factory options, and custom-engineered equipment are all available.