How to Calculate & Determine the Weight of a Load for Overhead Lifts

Knowing the weight of the load you're lifting is a crucial step in your lift plan. And today, we'll teach you how to calculate & determine the weight of a load for an overhead lift.

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Grab the load weight calculation pocket guide here:

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In this video we cover:
0:00 - Intro
0:55 - What needs to be added to your lifting plan?
1:19 - Simple methods to determine load weight.
2:56 - How to calculate the weight of a load for an overhead lift

Example load weight calculations:
3:59 - How to calculate the weight of an aluminum block
4:51 - How to calculate the weight of a steel pipe
6:26 - How to calculate the weight of a complex concrete shape
7:45 - Free resources you can use in the field

Correction:
5:38 - Sorry we made a mistake in our math when making this video. Here is the correction. V=πr2h ID is 2.75 ft Radius (r) = 2.75/2 = 1.375 ft h = 8 ft V = 3.14 * (1.375)2 *8 V = 3.14 * 1.89 *8 V = 47.49 ft3

Thanks for watching! If you found this video helpful, feel free to share it with a co-worker that might benefit from it as well. The goal of The Lifting & Rigging Channel is to help inform and educate the material handling community, so if it helps you, it might help someone else as well.

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Need help figuring your lifting plan? Contact us!

[roygcarter]

the instructor has it going on to keep workers that don't know a whole lot about our industry. Awsome, job. please tell the Gentleman he did great.

[deejoemosley]

This is very educational, so thanks for teaching the rest of us.

[syedyunus]

It is really helpful for the personnel working in the oil and gas construction field . Really appreciated and Thanks for your dedicated hard work.🎉

[rodb]

Once I had to determine the weight of a truck and if it was balanced or not. The method I use was to measure the air pressure in the tires and the area of contact of each tire. That way I get an accurate enough measurement.

[renegarza]

¡Gracias por compartir!

Blessings from Monterrey, México. 🇲🇽

[brokenspokesmtber]

Great video. good for newbies starting out with lifting and rigging. The link to your lifting & rigging best practices infographic is '404'

[psychosocialable]

You could also figure out the pipe volume by treating it as a solid and then subtract the hollowed out portion i.e. (pi*r²h)-(pi*(r-wt)²h)

[RobbsFamily]

About calculating the volume of that pipe. 1. Because you use the wall thickness and the diameter, it seems that the volume would calculate whether it was a pipe (hollow object) or a solid steel cylinder. So in step 3 your would end up with the same weight. 2. Why calculate wall thickness and diameter? Seems like you would use one or the other. Thanks

[rodb]

Great video, thanks. Using metric units avoid the unnecessary step of convert from different distance units but I understand that is not easy to change once you learn imperial. I just learn how to use both and don't have any problems.

[fhgkuni]

Thank you so much for valuable information ❤️

[truckeralvarez]

Finding out lifting points that you may know existed?? Here in the UK, we have standardised symbology that has to be very near ALL the lifting points.
I like your explanation but you have some missing factors that can't be checked as it is not that straight forward.
I specialise in lifting containers for the construction industry, knowing the exact weight is essential but sometimes you have to overcompensate a ton or two.
It could be container offices, welfare units, dry rooms, even generators.

[cgrooney]

Can someone explain why this chart shows "480 lbs per cubic ft. Of steel" everything i reference states it weighs 490 per cubic foot

[KeithStarr]

Please check your calculation on the volume of the pipe at 5:48 in the video as I checked it against my hand calculation and online calculator and get 4.61 cubic feet.

[frizell]

great vid, the pocket guide links are broken tho. is there another link?

[onwuatueloonyeka]

WHATS THE CORE DIFFERENCE IN CALCULATING SLING SWL AND CRANE SWL ???

[robloxmaniacdanceandshake]

This is great info... The core understanding... Much thanks... Keep these great videos coming!!...

[kimomichael]

How are load charts calculated
I mean if I have a 50 ton crane how to know how much it could lift at a specific raduis and length or how to calculate crane rated capacity

[simmoyhman]

Hello do you turn big things over with cranes?

[manishekar]

Hi please tell me tree leg choker hicth

[ikramullahkhan]

Devon Sir, All of your lecturers are quite knowledgeable but you speak in such a hurry manner that it becomes quite difficult to understand for all those whose native language is not english