Choosing the right service lift comes down to two questions: what do you need to move, and where will the lift have to fit? Get those right and everything else — capacity, door type, power supply — follows naturally. Get them wrong and you end up with a lift that’s too small for the load or too big for the shaft.
This guide covers the sizing of trolley lifts and goods lifts — the heavier end of the service-lift range, used for wheeled trolleys, cages, pallets and bulky stock. If you’re sizing a smaller food-and-goods dumbwaiter, that’s a slightly different conversation: see our dedicated dumbwaiter size guide for typical dumbwaiter dimensions and capacities.
What counts as a service lift?
Service lift is the umbrella term for lifts that move goods rather than people. The family runs from compact dumbwaiters up to substantial goods lifts, and the right one depends almost entirely on load:
- Dumbwaiters — compact lifts for food, crockery, documents and light goods. Covered in our [dumbwaiter size guide].
- Trolley lifts — for loads that need to be wheeled directly into the car: laundry trolleys, medical carts, catering equipment, stock cages. Typically 100–300kg.
- Goods lifts — for heavier items, pallets and larger volumes. Typically 300–2000kg.
This guide focuses on the trolley-lift and goods-lift end. Both are designed and built in line with LOLER and BS EN 81-3 (the construction standard for service lifts).
Trolley lift sizes (100–300kg)
Trolley lifts are built around the idea that the load is wheeled straight in at floor level, so the car size is driven by the footprint of whatever’s being moved — a laundry cage, a catering trolley, a medical cart.
When sizing a trolley lift, the things that matter are:
- Car footprint — large enough to take your trolley with room to manoeuvre it in and out, not just to fit it.
- Internal height — enough headroom for tall cages or stacked loads.
- Floor-level (flush) loading — trolley lifts load at floor height so trolleys roll in without lifting; check the threshold detail.
- Door type — single entry, through-car (load one side, unload the other), or adjacent — chosen to match how goods flow through your building.
They’re common in hotels (laundry), healthcare (medical carts), restaurants (catering equipment) and retail (stock cages) — anywhere staff would otherwise be manhandling wheeled loads up stairs.
Goods lift sizes (300–2000kg)
Goods lifts cover everything heavier, such as palletised stock, bulky equipment, and larger volumes. Because the capacity range is wide, so is the size range, and these are almost always specified to the project rather than picked off a shelf.
It’s worth knowing that goods lift covers two types, both back-of-house and goods-first:
- Goods-only lifts — designed to carry goods alone, with no provision for anyone to ride in the car.
- Goods lifts rated to carry an operator — still goods lifts, but built so an attendant can travel with the load (think a staff member wheeling a cage or waste bins up with the lift). Because there’s a person inside, this type is built to a higher safety specification than a goods-only lift, which affects both specification and cost.
These are different from a passenger lift, which is a front-of-house, people-first lift in its own right. The attendant-rated goods lift stays firmly in goods-lift territory — it just carries the operator alongside the load. If staff will ride with goods, flag it early, because it changes how the lift is built.
Key sizing considerations for either type:
- Rated load — the single most important figure. Be realistic about the heaviest load the lift will carry, including the trolley or pallet itself, and the operator’s weight where one rides with the load.
- Car dimensions — sized to the largest item or the loaded pallet footprint, with manoeuvring room (and room for the operator on the attendant-rated type).
- Entrance configuration — single, through or adjacent, matched to your loading and unloading points.
- Pit and headroom — goods lifts need defined pit depth and overhead clearance; exact figures depend on the model and travel.
- Power supply — single or three-phase, depending on capacity.
How to choose the right size: a simple process
- Start with the load, not the lift. Identify the heaviest, bulkiest thing you’ll move regularly. That sets your minimum capacity and car size.
- Measure the loaded item. Include the trolley, pallet or cage — and leave manoeuvring room around it.
- Check the space you have. Available footprint, the height between floors, and where the structure allows a shaft. This often sets the practical ceiling on size.
- Decide how goods flow. Where do they load and unload? That determines whether you need single, through or adjacent doors.
- Confirm the technicals. Pit depth, headroom and power supply — these depend on the chosen model, and a supplier will give you exact requirements once they understand the project.
For a deeper look at matching capacity and configuration to your building, see our guide to choosing the right capacity and configuration.
Standard models vs. bespoke
Many projects are well served by proven standard models, which are quicker to specify and install. But where a space is awkward, a load is unusual, or the building constrains the shaft, a bespoke service lift sized to the exact opening and load is often the better answer. The deciding factor is usually whether your requirements fit within a standard envelope or fall outside it — a supplier can tell you quickly which camp you’re in.
Get sizing advice for your project
Sizing a service lift well means understanding the loads, the building and the workflow together — which is hard to do from a table alone. Husbands designs trolley lifts and goods lifts for buildings across the UK, and our team will give you exact pit, headroom and power requirements once we understand your project. Request tailored sizing advice today.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a trolley lift and a goods lift? Mainly capacity. Trolley lifts handle lighter wheeled loads (typically 100–300kg); goods lifts handle heavier items and pallets (typically 300–2000kg). Both are service lifts and both are sized to the load.
What size service lift do I need? Start from the heaviest, largest load you’ll move regularly — including the trolley or pallet — then check it against the space available. Those two figures set your minimum car size and capacity; the rest follows.
What’s the maximum capacity of a goods lift? In the service-lift range covered here, goods lifts typically go up to around 2000kg, with car size scaling to match. Higher capacities are specified to the individual project.
Can a goods lift carry people? There are two types of goods lift. A goods-only lift carries goods alone. A goods lift can also be rated to carry an operator, so a staff member can travel with the load — common in back-of-house settings. It remains a goods lift (not a passenger lift), but the attendant-rated type is built to a higher safety specification because someone rides with the load. If staff will ride with goods, mention it at the enquiry stage, as it affects the build.
Do I need a standard or bespoke service lift? If your load and shaft fit within a standard model’s envelope, a standard lift is faster and simpler. If the space is awkward or the load unusual, a bespoke lift sized to your exact opening is usually the better fit.
How big is a dumbwaiter compared to a trolley or goods lift? Dumbwaiters are the compact end of the range, for food and light goods rather than wheeled trolleys or pallets. For dumbwaiter-specific dimensions, see our dumbwaiter size guide.
