Conveyors worked example

Conveyor Motor HP Screening with equivalent conveyor drive load of 8,000 lb: a worked example

What does the result look like when equivalent conveyor drive load reaches 8,000 lb? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. a facilities or maintenance engineer needs to know whether a conveyor load change may require a larger drive

The inputs for this scenario

  • Equivalent conveyor drive load: 8,000 lb (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 3,200)
  • Horsepower conversion factor: 0 HP / lb (unchanged)
  • Duty time basis: 8 hr (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Estimated motor horsepower = equivalent drive load × horsepower conversion factor) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 9.6 HP for total load, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1.2 HP / hr for hourly equivalent.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 8,000 lb for equivalent conveyor drive load.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0 HP / lb for horsepower factor.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where equivalent conveyor drive load sits at 3,200 lb and the headline result is 3.84 HP, this scenario comes in 150% above the baseline at 9.6 HP.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when equivalent conveyor drive load is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. The single conversion factor lumps friction, incline, and speed into one number, so it cannot replace a detailed drive-train analysis for final motor selection.

Results at a glance

  • Total load: 9.6 HP (headline result)
  • Hourly equivalent: 1.2 HP / hr
  • Equivalent conveyor drive load: 8,000 lb
  • Horsepower factor: 0 HP / lb

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Conveyor Motor HP Screening calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.