A service lift is the umbrella term for a lift that moves goods rather than passengers. It covers a range of equipment, from compact dumbwaiters at one end to substantial goods lifts at the other, and what they all share is the job: carrying items between floors so that staff do not have to.
If you have come across the terms service lift, goods lift, and dumbwaiter and wondered how they relate, the short answer is that dumbwaiters and goods lifts are both types of service lift, sitting at opposite ends of the size scale.
The Types of Service Lift
Dumbwaiters
The smallest type of service lift. Dumbwaiters are compact lifts for food, crockery, documents, laundry, and light goods, and you will find them in restaurants, hotels, care homes, offices, and homes. They come in different configurations depending on how they are loaded, which our guide to the different types of dumbwaiter lifts explains. For typical dimensions, see our dumbwaiter size guide, and for business installations, our commercial dumbwaiters page.
Trolley Lifts
Trolley lifts are built for loads that need to be wheeled straight into the car at floor level, such as laundry trolleys, medical carts, catering equipment, and stock cages. They are typically rated for 100 to 300kg and are common in hotels, healthcare, restaurants, and retail. See our trolley lifts page for more.
Goods Lifts
Goods lifts cover everything heavier, such as palletised stock, bulky equipment, and larger volumes. They are typically rated for 300 to 2000kg, and because the range is so wide, they are almost always specified to suit the project. There are two kinds: goods-only lifts, which carry goods alone, and goods lifts rated to carry an operator, which allow a member of staff to travel with the load. Take a look at our goods lifts for more detail.
| Type | Typically moves | Typical capacity | Typical settings |
| Dumbwaiter | Food, crockery, documents, light goods | Light loads, see our size guide | Restaurants, hotels, care homes, offices, homes |
| Trolley lift | Wheeled trolleys, carts, and cages | 100 to 300kg | Hotels, healthcare, restaurants, retail |
| Goods lift | Pallets, bulky equipment, larger volumes | 300 to 2000kg | Warehouses, retail, hotels, industrial sites |
How a Service Lift Differs from a Passenger Lift
A service lift is built to move goods, and a passenger lift is built to carry people. A goods-only service lift must never be ridden. A goods lift rated to carry an operator is still a goods lift, but it is built to a higher safety specification because someone is travelling inside it. Our guide to the difference between a goods lift and a passenger lift goes into this in more depth.
Where Service Lifts Are Used
- Restaurants and hospitality, moving food, crockery, and linen between kitchens and service areas
- Hotels, moving laundry, supplies, and room service
- Healthcare and care homes, moving meals, supplies, and laundry (see how hospital dumbwaiters are used)
- Retail, moving stock between storage and the shop floor
- Offices and institutions, moving documents and supplies
- Warehouses and industrial sites, moving heavier goods and palletised stock
- Private homes, where a dumbwaiter carries laundry, shopping, and household items between floors
Regulation and Safety
Service lifts used at work are lifting equipment, which means they fall under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). That requires regular thorough examination by a competent person, alongside routine servicing to keep the lift reliable. BS EN 81-3 is the European standard associated with service lifts. Our guide to LOLER inspections and compliance explains how it fits together, and our guide to dumbwaiter servicing and maintenance covers the day-to-day side.
Choosing the Right Service Lift
Choosing comes down to two questions: what do you need to move, and where will the lift have to fit? Get those right and capacity, door type, and power supply tend to follow. Our service lift size guide walks through the sizing for trolley lifts and goods lifts. For a sense of what shapes the price, see our guide on what affects dumbwaiter lift cost. If you are not sure which type suits your building, get in touch and we can talk it through.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a service lift? A service lift is a lift that moves goods rather than people. It is an umbrella term covering dumbwaiters, trolley lifts, and goods lifts.
Is a service lift the same as a goods lift? Not quite. A goods lift is one type of service lift. The term service lift also covers smaller dumbwaiters and trolley lifts.
Is a dumbwaiter a service lift? Yes. A dumbwaiter is the smallest type of service lift.
Can a service lift carry people? A goods-only service lift cannot and must never be ridden. Some goods lifts are rated to carry an operator who travels with the load, but they are still built and used as goods lifts.
How is a service lift different from a passenger lift? A service lift is built to move goods, while a passenger lift is built to carry people. The design, safety systems, and use of each reflect that.
