Differences Between Crane Girder and Beam
Crane girders and beams are 2 different steel members in crane structure; they together form the main structure that carries the trolley and hoist of bridge/gantry cranes, transferring loads safely across the span with minimal deflection and high fatigue strength. Here are the differences:
- Crane Girder: The crane girder is the core horizontal load-bearing member of the crane structure. It directly supports the end truck movement, bears the load, and transmits force to the support system. It is the key member that determines the crane’s load-bearing capacity, rigidity, stability, and service life. It is a standard member for both gantry crane and bridge/overhead crane.
- Crane Beam: The crane beam, also known as a crane runway beam/girder, is a horizontal structural member that supports the crane rail and carries the loads transmitted by the crane wheels to the factory building structure. It can be considered as part of the factory building, so it only exists in the bridge or overhead crane structure.
Comprehensive Crane Girder and Beam Fabrication
AGICO is a solid steel fabrication service provider in China. If you are looking for crane structure steel solutions for your crane install and maintenance, contact us now for professional information from our engineers. Here are the special offers for crane girder fabrication service:
- Customized to the working conditions (CMAA service level): Incorporating “strength + stiffness + fatigue life” into the design envelope reduces ongoing maintenance.
- Full-line support and integrated delivery: main beams + runway beams + platform railings + installation and commissioning + regulatory documentation
- Optional hot-dip galvanizing and heavy-duty corrosion protection systems: Suitable for coastal and chemical environment spiles: Maximum bending angle 25°, bending in the middle of the web.
Crane Girder and Beam Fabrication
AGICO has the fabrication ability for various types of steel girders for bridge and gantry cranes. Available as single or double girders in box type, welded H type or truss types with precision welding, stiffness control and fatigue resistance. Crane runway beams are supplied with runway interfaces, rail clips, end stops, buffers, walkways and handrails, manufactured under EN 1090 / AWS with full MTC & NDT records and corrosion protection (zinc-rich epoxy or galvanizing). Service duty per CMAA for reliable, safe handling in steel mills, shipyards, ports, energy and manufacturing plants.
Optional Crane Girder and Beams
AGICO supplies crane girders and beams for eot cranes – gantry crane and overhead/bridge crane, which are fabricated basically in 2 different forms: single girder and double girder.
For example: gantry crane single girder and double girder, overhead crane single girder and double girder. The fabrication methods depends on the girder types: box girder, H-beam girder, truss girder. For box girder production, we use complete long steel plate to weld the girder body. This design brings following benefits:
- Eliminates the hidden dangers of butt welds
- CNC-controlled preset camber ensures the crane never sags
- Standardized mechanical welding improves weld quality
- The crane’s overall appearance is neat and elegant
- Full-panel splicing makes it more suitable for fixture applications
Why Choose AGICO
Gantry Crane Girder Delivery
Gantry Crane Girder Assembly
AGICO has rich experience in manufacturing girder and beams for eto crane structures, and we have been supplying customized bridge girders to crane manufacturers for over 10 years, our market has expanded to the Middle East, India, Europe and Latin America countries at present. AGICO Girders and beam members have participated in the crane engineering of following construction projects:
- Manufacturing and Heavy Industry: Steel Structure Plants, Machinery Manufacturing, Equipment Assembly Lines
- Steel/Nonferrous Metals/Shipbuilding: Ladle Cranes, Carriage Tippers, Dockyard/Stage Lifting
- Energy and Infrastructure: Power Plants, Wind/Hydropower Plants, Material Handling
- Ports and Logistics: Warehousing and Distribution Centers, Port Area Transshipment
- Building Materials/Cement Production/Chemical Industry: Clinker Lines, and Large Equipment Lifting
Crane Girder and Beam Related Components
Besides the main girder and runway beams, AGICO also supplies a series of related components for your crane, all parts are pre-installed and tested before delivery to you. Following are the most frequently used crane parts:
- Bridge Girder + end truck connection plate/bolt kit
- Track clamp/cleat, end stop, buffer, limiter
- Walkway, handrail, ladder, maintenance platform
- Runway beam packaged (including columns/supports, finished and painted according to EN 1090)
Quality Control of Crane Girder and Beam Fabrication
Steel raw materials used for crane girder components shall be featured by high strength, good weldability, fatigue resistance, and high toughness. Common steel grades include Q345B, Q355D, S355J2, SM490, and ASTM A572 Gr.50, and high-strength steels such as Q460, S460M, and SM570 are often used for heavy-duty gantry cranes and bridge cranes. Here are the details of steel grades for crane girder and beam fabrication:
| Application Level / Typical Use | China (GB / GB/T) | Europe (EN 10025) | USA (ASTM / AISC) | Japan (JIS) | Yield Strength (MPa) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light-duty crane beams (≤ 10 t, single-girder) | Q235B / Q235C | S235JR / S235J2 | ASTM A36 (Grade 36) | SS400 | ≥ 235 |
| Medium-duty crane beams (10–50 t, double-girder or bridge cranes) | Q345B / Q345D / Q355B / Q355D | S355JR / S355J2 / S355ML | A572 Gr.50 / A992 | SM490A / SM490YB | ≥ 345 |
| Heavy-duty crane beams (50–300 t, gantry/shipyard cranes) | Q390D / Q420D / Q460C | S420M / S460ML | A709 Gr.50 / A709 Gr.50W | SM520 / SM570 | ≥ 420–460 |
| Low-temperature / high-impact regions (cold climates, ports) | Q355D / Q355E / Q460E | S355NL / S460NL | A572 Gr.60 / A709 Gr.50T2 | SM490YB / SM520T | ≥ 355–460 |
| Weathering / outdoor service (reduced maintenance) | Q355NH / Q450NQR1 | S355J2W / S355K2W | ASTM A588 / A709 Gr.50W (weathering) | SMA490 / SMA570 | ≥ 355–450 |
Girder Fabrication Process Control
The fabrication of crane girder and beam follows strict national standards, we provide girder fabrication strictly following drawings and requests from customer:
- Design/Operation Classification: CMAA 70/74 (American standard for bridge/gantry cranes, service categories A–F affect load and component selection)
- Manufacture and Certification: EN 1090 (European standard for steel structure implementation and CE), ISO 3834 (weld quality) (Runway beams page often uses EN 1090-3 practices)
- Welding: AWS D1.1/corresponding national standards
- Safety Regulations: OSHA/local safety regulations (subject to project site requirements)
