Passenger Lift Dimensions

Introduction

Architects and building developers consistently underestimate lift shaft space during design. They allocate floor area for the cabin but overlook pit depth, headroom clearance, and shaft wall thickness—errors that surface during construction and cost ₹5-15 lakh in structural rework.

The dimension problem goes deeper than space planning. Specifying the wrong cabin size for a building’s passenger volume forces either overcrowding during peak hours or wasted square footage serving light traffic. A 6-person lift in a 200-occupant office building creates perpetual bottlenecks; a 13-person cabin in a 4-floor residence wastes prime real estate.

This guide gives you precise dimensions for passenger lifts across capacity ranges. You’ll learn cabin sizes, shaft requirements, door widths, and compliance standards—enough to plan accurately before a single wall goes up.

Cabin Dimensions by Capacity

Small Capacity: 4–6 Persons (320–450 kg)

These cabins suit residential buildings, boutique hotels, and low-traffic commercial floors:

4-person (320 kg): 1,000 mm wide × 1,250 mm deep
6-person (450 kg): 1,100 mm wide × 1,400 mm deep

Floor area ranges from 1.25–1.54 m². Tight, but functional for general use.

Mid Capacity: 8–13 Persons (630–1,000 kg)

The most common range for commercial offices, hospitals, and apartment towers:

8-person (630 kg): 1,350 mm wide × 1,400 mm deep
10-person (800 kg): 1,600 mm wide × 1,400 mm deep
13-person (1,000 kg): 1,600 mm wide × 1,800 mm deep

Most building codes require this range for buildings above 8 floors or with occupancy exceeding 100 people per floor.

Large Capacity: 16–26 Persons (1,125–2,000 kg)

Hospitals moving beds, freight-heavy commercial buildings, and high-rise towers specify these:

16-person (1,250 kg): 2,000 mm wide × 1,600 mm deep
21-person (1,600 kg): 2,000 mm wide × 2,100 mm deep

At this scale, counterintuitive sizing matters. Wider is better than deeper for stretcher access—a 2,000 mm wide cabin lets a standard hospital bed enter straight, while deeper configurations force angled entry and slow transfers.

Door Dimensions

Standard vs Accessibility Widths

Standard door openings run 800–900 mm wide. Accessibility codes push this to a minimum of 900 mm for wheelchair compliance. Hospital and care facility installations need 1,100–1,200 mm to accommodate powered wheelchairs and stretchers.

Centre-opening doors suit high-traffic buildings—they open faster (2–3 seconds versus 4–5 seconds for single-panel doors) and reduce peak-hour wait times meaningfully across hundreds of daily cycles.

Door Height

Standard height runs 2,000–2,100 mm. Premium installations and panoramic lifts extend this to 2,400 mm, creating a more open visual experience without additional shaft width.

Shaft and Pit Dimensions

Shaft Sizes by Drive Type

Shaft dimensions must exceed cabin size to allow guide rails, counterweights, and clearances:

Traction lifts: Add 400–600 mm to cabin width and 400–700 mm to depth
MRL traction: Add 250–400 mm—compact overhead mechanism saves headroom
Hydraulic lifts: Add 300–500 mm width; cylinder placement affects depth

A 1,600 × 1,400 mm cabin typically needs a 2,100 × 2,100 mm shaft for standard traction systems.

Pit and Headroom Requirements

Pit depth (traction/MRL): 1,200–1,500 mm
Pit depth (hydraulic): 800–1,200 mm
Top clearance (headroom): 3,500–4,500 mm above the highest floor
Machine room (if required): 8–12 m² at shaft top

MRL designs cut top clearance needs by 500–800 mm—a real advantage in buildings with constrained structural headroom.

Load and Speed Impact on Sizing

Higher speeds require larger shaft cross-sections to accommodate aerodynamic buffering and tighter guide rail tolerances. Lifts running above 2.5 m/s need shaft walls set 50–100 mm further from the cabin than slow-speed equivalents.

Counterweight placement shifts based on speed and load. High-speed, high-capacity systems use rear counterweights, adding 300–400 mm to shaft depth compared to side-counterweight configurations common in residential lifts.

Customization Options

Standard dimensions get ignored more often than most suppliers admit. Around 35–40% of commercial installations involve at least one non-standard dimension to suit existing building footprints.

Customization options include:

Panoramic/glass cabins: Same internal dimensions; shaft widens 100–200 mm for structural framing
Stretcher lifts: Minimum 1,100 mm wide × 2,100 mm deep to meet medical transport standards
Compact residential lifts: Cabins from 800 × 1,000 mm; suited for single-person home installations

Non-standard sizing adds 15–25% to manufacturing costs and extends lead times by 3–6 weeks.

Standards and Compliance

IS 14665 (India) and EN 81-20/50 (European, widely adopted globally) govern passenger lift dimensions. Key requirements:

Minimum 0.4 m² floor area per person rated
Clear height inside cabin: minimum 2,000 mm
Door reopening force: maximum 150 N
Wheelchair access requires 900 mm minimum door width and 1,400 mm minimum cabin depth

NBC (National Building Code) India mandates lifts in buildings above 15 metres with shaft dimensions aligned to IS 14665 specifications. Non-compliant shafts get flagged during occupancy certification—retrofitting costs far exceed planning correctly upfront.

Common Questions

What shaft size should I plan for a standard 8-person office lift?
Plan for a 2,100 × 2,100 mm shaft minimum for an 8-person (630 kg) traction lift. MRL variants fit into 1,900 × 1,900 mm shafts in some configurations. Always confirm exact requirements with your lift supplier before finalising structural drawings.

How deep does the pit need to be for an MRL lift?
MRL lifts typically need 800–1,200 mm pit depth versus 1,200–1,500 mm for conventional traction systems. The exact depth depends on rated speed and capacity—faster lifts need deeper pits regardless of drive type.

Can I fit a wheelchair-accessible lift into a compact shaft?
Yes, but cabin width can’t go below 1,100 mm and depth below 1,400 mm for basic wheelchair access. The shaft then needs to be at least 1,600 mm wide and 2,000 mm deep. Compact MRL configurations make this feasible in buildings where every centimetre counts.

Conclusion

Passenger lift dimensions affect structural planning, compliance certification, and long-term operational efficiency—not just the cabin experience. Getting shaft sizes, pit depths, and door widths right during design costs nothing. Correcting them during construction is expensive and disruptive.

Share your building’s floor plan and occupancy numbers with a lift specialist before finalising structural drawings.

Contact our team today for a detailed dimension consultation specific to your building type and local code requirements.

Express Elevators provides complete dimension planning support for passenger lifts across residential, commercial, and healthcare projects. Our technical team works directly with architects and structural engineers during design phases—reviewing shaft allocations, pit configurations, and headroom requirements before construction begins.

We supply passenger lifts across the full capacity range: from compact 4-person residential cabins to 26-person hospital and commercial systems. Standard and custom dimensions are both available with full IS 14665 and EN 81-20/50 compliance documentation.

Every project includes detailed shaft drawings, pit specifications, and clearance requirements tailored to your building’s structural system and drive type. We catch dimension conflicts on paper, not on site.

Contact Express Elevators at expresselevators.co to receive a dimensioned lift layout for your project. Our engineers will review your floor plans, recommend the right cabin size, and provide complete shaft specifications ready for your structural team.