Buyers ask for the price of a 10-tonne crane and get three quotes spread across a 60% range. Nothing is wrong with any of them. They are pricing three different machines that happen to share a tonnage. Until you know which variables move the number, comparing quotes is guesswork — and the cheapest one usually wins by leaving something out. This piece breaks the price into the seven factors that actually drive it, names the costs that never appear on a quotation, and shows you how to compare two proposals on equal terms.
Why Two Quotes for “the Same Crane” Differ by 60%
Capacity is the least interesting number on a crane enquiry. Duty class, span, hoist brand, control type, and electrification move the price far more. A quote that omits duty class, wheel loads, and scope of installation is not a cheap quote — it is an incomplete one, and the difference reappears as a variation order later.
Factor 1 — Capacity
Why price does not scale linearly with tonnage
Doubling capacity does not double the price. Going from 5 to 10 tonnes typically adds 30–45%, because the hoist frame steps up but the girder, end carriages, and controls scale more gently. Going from 20 to 40 tonnes adds proportionally more, since the structure starts driving the cost.
The standard-tonnage saving
Standard capacities — 1, 2, 3, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 30 tonnes — use standard hoist frames, drums, and rope. Ask for 8 tonnes and you will often pay more than the 10-tonne, because nothing standard fits. Round up to the next standard step.
Factor 2 — Span and Lift Height
The span cost curve
Girder deflection rises with the cube of span, so steel weight climbs sharply as the bay widens. Price per metre is nearly flat to about 20 m, rises noticeably to 30 m, and rises steeply beyond. Trimming a span by three or four metres, where the layout allows, saves more than most buyers expect.
What extra lift height actually costs
Lift height is comparatively cheap: more rope, a bigger drum, and sometimes a taller hoist frame. Adding two metres of lift is usually a modest percentage. Adding two metres of span is not. If you have to spend somewhere, spend on height.
Factor 3 — Duty Class
The most under-priced and most important variable
Duty class sets wheel diameter, gearbox rating, brake sizing, rope safety factor, and girder fatigue design. Moving from Class II to Class IV on the same tonnage and span commonly adds 20–35% to the crane price.
What under-classing saves now and costs later
Under-classing is the most common way buyers “save” on a crane, and the most expensive one. Nothing fails at commissioning. It fails around month thirty — rope wear, brake fade, wheel flange scoring, gearbox heat — in a bay that cannot afford to stop. Two unplanned shutdowns usually erase the saving, and the third one is pure loss.
Factor 4 — Girder Configuration and Crane Type
A double girder crane of the same capacity and span typically costs 30–60% more than single girder, driven by extra steel, heavier end carriages, a top-running trolley, and walkways. Underslung and top running cranes cost broadly similar amounts as machines; the difference lands in the building work around them.
Factor 5 — Hoist, Drives, and Controls
Hoist brand and origin
The hoist is the highest-value single component and the widest price band on the whole quotation. A European-brand hoist can cost two to three times an economy import of the same rating. What you are buying at the top end is duty life, spares availability, and predictable service — which matters enormously in continuous operation and very little in a job shop that lifts twice a day.
VFD vs contactor control
Contactor control gives two fixed speeds and hard stops. VFD gives smooth acceleration, precise spotting, and much less shock loading on the structure. It adds cost, and it typically pays back through reduced load swing — operators stop waiting for the pendulum to settle, and cycle times drop measurably in high-frequency operations.
Pendant, radio, or cabin
Pendant control is standard. Radio control adds a modest amount and lets the operator stand clear of the load — worth it in foundries, hot work, and anywhere sightlines are poor. Cabin control is a significant cost and is reserved for heavy, continuous, long-span applications.
Factor 6 — Power Supply and Electrification
Festoon vs conductor bar
Festoon systems are cheaper and proven, but they need side clearance and the cables wear. Conductor bars cost more up front, occupy less space, and last far longer in dusty or hot environments. In foundries, galvanising lines, and cement plants, the bar typically pays for itself in avoided cable replacement.
Panel specification and enclosure rating
An IP54 panel and an IP65 panel look identical on a drawing and differ substantially in price. In dusty or humid shops, the higher rating is the difference between a panel that lasts a decade and one that starts tripping in year two. Check the rating on every quote you compare.
Factor 7 — Site, Structure, Freight, and Installation
Runway steel and civil work
Frequently the largest hidden line item. Runway beams, rails, corbels, column strengthening, and foundations can add a sum comparable to a fraction of the crane price — and are sometimes excluded from the crane quotation entirely. Confirm in writing who supplies what.
Transport, erection, and commissioning
Long girders need specialised transport and, in some cases, route permissions. Erection needs a mobile crane on site, a cleared bay, and two to five days of access. Ask whether the quoted price includes the mobile crane hire — it very often does not.
Load testing and certification
Load testing at 125% of rated capacity, test weights, third-party inspection, and the competent-person certificate required in most Indian states all carry cost. These are mandatory, so a quote that excludes them is simply deferring the invoice.
The Costs That Do Not Appear on the Quotation
Operator training
Untrained operators are the leading cause of premature component wear. A day of training protects a machine you will run for twenty years.
Annual inspection and AMC
Budget for statutory annual inspection plus a maintenance contract. A rough planning figure is 2–4% of crane value per year, higher for heavy duty.
Spares and consumables
Rope, brake pads, contactors, festoon cable, and wheels are consumables on a working crane. Stock the fast-moving ones; the cost of holding them is trivial against a day of lost production.
Downtime
The real number. Calculate what one hour of stopped production costs your bay, then reconsider every specification decision through that lens. It usually justifies the higher duty class immediately.
How to Compare Two Quotes Fairly
Line the quotes up against these fields before looking at the totals:
- Rated capacity and duty class, stated explicitly
- Span, lift height, and speeds for all three motions
- Girder configuration and crane type
- Hoist make, model, and country of manufacture
- Control type — contactor or VFD, per motion
- Electrification type and panel IP rating
- Scope: runway steel, rails, transport, erection, load test
- Wheel loads and reactions provided
- Warranty period and what it covers
- Delivery lead time from drawing approval
- Spares availability and service engineer location
If a quote leaves any of these blank, ask before you compare. The blanks are where the difference lives.
Where to Save Money and Where Not To
Save on: span, where layout allows; cabin control you do not need; auxiliary hoists you will not use; over-specified capacity bought “for safety.”
Do not save on: duty class, hoist quality for continuous duty, safety fitments, panel IP rating, structural verification, or load testing.
FAQs
What is the rough price range for an EOT crane? Too wide to be useful without a specification — the same tonnage can vary by more than double across duty class, span, and hoist selection. Send capacity, span, lift height, and cycles per hour, and you will get a number that means something.
Is a double girder crane worth the extra cost? It is when capacity, span, or duty demand it. It is not when a correctly classed single girder does the job. Let the four numbers decide, not the price gap.
Do imported hoists cost less overall? Sometimes on purchase, rarely on lifetime cost if spares are import-dependent. Ask where the nearest stocked spares are held before choosing on price.
Why do suppliers quote so differently for the same enquiry? Because they are filling the blanks in your enquiry with different assumptions. A complete enquiry produces comparable quotes; an incomplete one produces a lottery.
Should installation be bought from the crane manufacturer? Generally yes. It keeps one party responsible for alignment, commissioning, and warranty. Splitting supply and erection creates a gap that both parties will point at when something goes wrong.
Conclusion
Before you compare a single price, complete your specification: capacity, duty class, span, lift height, controls, electrification, and scope. Then judge quotes on what they include, not what they total. Ask every supplier to fill the same eleven fields.
Heben Crane quotes with the full specification visible — duty class, wheel loads, scope, and lead time stated on the proposal — so you can compare like with like and know exactly what is in the price.
Send your requirement to Heben Crane and get a fully itemised quotation with nothing left blank.
