Conveyor Belt Capacity Calculator (Tonnes per Hour)
Tonnes per hour carried by a belt conveyor from the belt speed, the cross-section of material on the belt and its bulk density, with the load on each metre of belt.
Results
The dashed line marks the value you entered.
What this tool does
Whatever passes a point of the belt in a second is the cross-section of the material times the belt speed, and multiplying by the bulk density turns that volume into mass. Use the bulk density of the loose, heaped material, not of the solid rock or grain, which is much higher. The cross-section depends on the belt width, the trough angle and how full the belt is, and the belt maker's or idler catalogue's tables give it; material may also slide back on a steep incline, so the usable section shrinks. The result is the capacity the belt can carry, not what is actually fed onto it.
Formula
capacity (t/h) = belt speed × cross-section of material × bulk density × 3.6
Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
vb | Belt speed | m/s |
ar | Cross-section of the material on the belt | cm² |
ro | Bulk density of the material | kg/m³ |
TH | Capacity | t/h |
KS | Mass flow in kilograms per second | kg/s |
KM | Material on each metre of belt | kg/m |
VH | Volume flow | m³/h |
Worked example
- Belt speed2 m/s
- Cross-section of the material on the belt300 cm²
- Bulk density of the material1600 kg/m³
- Capacity345.6 t/h
- Mass flow in kilograms per second96.00 kg/s
- Material on each metre of belt48.0 kg/m
- Volume flow216.0 m³/h
Limitations
- Density changes with temperature, moisture and composition. Use a value from the supplier's data sheet whenever precision matters.
- The result is an estimate based only on the values you type. Real situations often include factors this calculator does not know about.