Contents
Overview
What affects crane hire cost
Crane hire cost depends on four things: the crane the lift needs, how long it stays, the access and ground on site, and the service you book, crane hire or a contract lift. We price hire by the day or the week, with overtime and one-off costs such as extra matting added on top.
In short
- One visit, every lift: the crane is booked by the day, so plan all the lifts on site into it.
- Count the lifting gear: slings and any spreader beam add to the weight on the hook, and so does the crane’s hook block. Include the gear in the weight you send, and the hook block is counted when the crane is sized.
- Measure the way in: note the gate width and any height limit on the route to the set-up area.
- Check the ground early: tell us about cellars or soft ground near the set-up area, so the mats can be planned before the day.
We supply cranes for crane hire and contract lifting anywhere in the UK, and price each job from the details you send us.
The crane
How the crane affects the price
The crane is the largest part of the price, and its size comes from the total weight on the hook taken together with the radius. Capacity falls as the radius grows, so a modest load set down a long way from the crane can need a much bigger machine than its weight suggests. Our guide What size crane do I need? explains how the size is worked out.
A bigger crane costs more to bring and to rig. A large all-terrain crane often cannot carry all its counterweight, also called ballast, on the road, so the rest comes on separate lorries and is fitted on site. The Liebherr LTM 1450-8.1 in our crane library, for example, takes up to 134 t of counterweight, while Liebherr gives its total on-road weight as under 96 t at a 12 t axle load.
Those ballast lorries add a one-off cost to the hire, and so does any extra matting.
How much ballast a crane needs changes from job to job. The same model can do one lift with the counterweight it carries and need extra loads for the next, which changes the price without changing the crane.
The type of crane matters as well. A spider crane, a pick and carry crane, a loader crane and an all-terrain crane cost different amounts to move and to run, so each is priced in its own way. Types of crane sets them side by side.
Charging
How crane hire is charged
We price crane hire by the day or by the week. The day covers the whole time on site, so a crane that spends an hour on the hook is still booked for the day. The working day runs from 08:00, and its length depends on the size of crane.
The table shows how each part of a quote is charged as standard. Your quotation confirms how it applies to your job.
| Part of the price | How it is charged |
|---|---|
| The crane and its operator | By the day or the week |
| Working day, smaller mobile cranes | From 08:00, 8 hours on site plus a half hour break |
| Working day, heavy cranes | From 08:00, 10 hours on site plus a half hour break |
| Time past the working day | Overtime, pro rata by the hour |
| Weekends, nights and public holidays | At a premium |
| Delivery and collection | Charged once, on the first day |
| Ballast transport and extra matting | Charged once, on the first day |
Waiting time sits inside the hire, the same as lifting time. If the crane is set up while the load is still bolted down or a permit has not arrived, the hire carries on all the same. Have the load free and the permits in hand before the crane arrives.
Working hours
Overtime and out of hours work
Time past the end of the working day is overtime. A job that runs late is charged for the extra hours only, and the hire does not roll into a second full day.
Weekend and night work carries a premium, and work on a public holiday does too. Paying it can still cost a business less overall: a weekday lift that shuts a street or stops a production line can cost more than the premium does.
Where a lift has to happen out of hours, tell us when you ask for the quote, so the price and the crew are planned around it from the start.
The site
Site conditions and access
The same lift on two different sites can need two different cranes. These are the site details that change the price:
- Access: whether the crane and its support lorries can get in and turn round. A narrow entrance or a weight limit on the way in can push the job to a larger or more specialised crane.
- Set-up space: a mobile crane needs room for its outriggers at full spread. On a reduced spread it has less capacity, which can mean bringing a bigger crane. Crane site preparation covers what the set-up area needs.
- Ground conditions: outrigger loads are concentrated, and weaker ground needs larger mats to spread them. Larger mats may need a lorry of their own, so the same crane on the same lift can cost more on soft ground. Our guide to outrigger mats explains how they are sized.
- What is overhead: power lines and nearby buildings limit where the crane can stand and how the load is flown. The HSE guidance Avoiding danger from overhead power lines covers planning work near a live line.
On a contract lift we submit the outrigger loads and mat details, worked through to ground bearing pressure, and the site’s own competent person confirms the ground is suitable.
Site photos, or a visit on a complex job, let us price the crane the site actually needs. Without them, we have to quote for the worst case.
Hire or contract lift
Crane hire or a contract lift
The service you book changes what the price covers. On crane hire we supply the crane and operator, and the crane works under your control and direction. Your own appointed person plans the lift. On a contract lift our appointed person writes the lift plan in house and we supervise the lifting operation.
We price a contract lift higher than crane hire with the same crane, because that planning and supervision are part of it. If you would otherwise have to bring in an appointed person and a lift team, compare the two totals before you choose. Crane hire or contract lift: what is the difference? sets out who provides what on each, including insurance.
Extras
Other costs that can appear on a quote
Depending on the lift, a quote can include some of these:
- Road closures and traffic management. In Great Britain, a temporary closure for works is made by the road’s traffic authority, by order or notice under section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, so allow time to apply.
- Out of hours working at weekends or at night, to keep a road clear or to avoid stopping work on site.
- Ground protection, such as extra mats or spreader plates, and any reinstatement afterwards.
- Moving a large crane by road. In Great Britain, mobile cranes travel under the Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003, and once a crane passes set weight or size limits, notice goes to the police or to road and bridge authorities before the journey.
- Extra crew on some lifts, such as a second slinger at roof level to release the slings, or riggers to position the load.
- Specialist lifting gear, such as spreader beams or purpose made lifting frames.
- Standby or abortive charges: standby if the crane is held up on the day, and an abortive charge if it is turned away and cannot lift.
In Great Britain, regulation 8 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) requires employers to make sure every lifting operation is properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner, so planning is part of the cost of every lift, whoever provides it. Our LOLER guide and the BS 7121 codes of practice cover what that involves.
Getting a price
How to get an accurate crane hire quote
Quotes stall when something simple is missing. Send us these and we can often quote the same day:
- What you are lifting, with its weight and rough dimensions. If the weight is an estimate, say so.
- Where it is now and where it has to go, including the height and how far it is from where a crane could stand.
- The site address, with photos of the access and the lift area, or a site plan.
- When you need the crane, and whether the date can move.
- Your appointed person, if you have one.
We quote in two ways. An indicative price helps you budget a project or price a tender before the details are settled. A firm price follows once the lift details and the date are fixed, and that is the one to work to.
When pricing a tender, budget for the service you will be able to use. A crane hire price looks lower, but if you have no appointed person you will need to bring one in or book a contract lift, so settle that before the tender goes in.
Detail also keeps the price down. It lets us quote the smallest crane that does the job safely, instead of one sized to cover whatever we were not told.
Questions
Common questions
How much does it cost to hire a crane in the UK?
We price crane hire job by job, from the size of crane and the days it is booked for. Overtime and items charged once, such as ballast transport, are added on top, so the price follows the job. Send us the weight and reach of the lift with a few site photos, and we can price it.
Is crane hire charged by the hour or by the day?
We charge crane hire by the day or the week. Setting up and packing away take time whatever the lift itself takes, so even a short lift is booked as a day. If the work runs past the end of the working day, the extra time is added as overtime and the booking stays a single day.
How long is a crane hire day?
Our crane hire day normally starts at 08:00, with 8 hours on site for smaller mobile cranes and 10 hours for heavy cranes, each with a half hour break on top. Setting up and packing away come out of that time, so a large crane that takes a while to rig leaves less of the day for lifting.
Is the operator included in crane hire?
Yes. Our crane hire includes a trained, CPCS or NPORS carded crane operator. Planning the lift is a separate role: on crane hire it falls to the appointed person you provide, and on a contract lift our own appointed person takes it on. Check which of the two services your quote is for before you compare prices.
Why does weekend or night crane hire cost more?
Out of hours shifts carry a premium on the hire, because the crew are paid more to work them, and public holidays are charged the same way. The premium can still work out cheaper than a weekday lift that means closing a busy road. Tell us when you enquire if the lift has to be out of hours.
What makes crane hire more expensive than expected?
Reach is a common cause: a light load placed far from where the crane stands can need a far larger crane. Tight set-up space, soft ground that needs extra matting, a road closure and waiting time on the day all add cost as well. Good information at the quoting stage lets the first quote allow for them.
Can I get a crane hire quote the same day?
We can quote the same day once we have the details of the lift and photos of the site. A lift with difficult access or unknown ground may need a site visit before we give a firm price, and an indicative price can cover a budget or a tender while that is arranged.
Get a quote
Get a price for your lift
Call us on 0800 008 6096 or email office@synergy-lifting.co.uk. Tell us what you are lifting and where on site it has to go, and we will quote the right crane for the job.
Find out more about our crane hire and contract lifting and machine delivery and installation services.
Related
Find out more
Get a quote
Ready for a quote?
Send us the details and we will come back with a quote, usually the same day for a desktop survey.
Or call 0800 008 6096
