Free tool · How much can it really lift?
Load capacity calculator
Work out how much a truck can safely lift when the load centre is further out than the capacity plate assumes.
How the calculation works
A counterbalance forklift is a see-saw with the front axle as the pivot. The truck's weight behind the axle balances the load in front of it. The capacity plate states how much the truck can lift when the load's centre of gravity is a set distance from the fork face, usually 500 mm on trucks up to about five tonnes.
Move the centre of gravity further out and the load's turning effect grows, so the safe weight falls. The calculator uses the simple rule most trainers teach:
Estimated capacity = rated capacity × rated load centre ÷ actual load centre. For a 2,500 kg truck rated at 500 mm carrying a load centred at 750 mm, that gives 2,500 × 500 ÷ 750 = about 1,667 kg.
The rule is deliberately cautious because it ignores the distance between the front axle and the fork face. It never increases capacity when a load is shorter than the rated centre. Capacity also falls as the mast goes higher and when an attachment is fitted, which the plate or load chart will show.
For the full explanation, with diagrams, read forklift stability and load centres explained and why attachments change the capacity.