Conveyors belt type
Saturday May-23 2026 14:26:13
Conveyors belts are used to transport materials from one place to another. Different types of conveyor belts have different conveying capacities and distances. For example, a sand and gravel plant may need to transport thousands of tons of stone per hour; while in a packaging workshop, the materials being transported might be cartons, bottled products, or components. Different materials, distances, and installation environments place completely different demands on conveyor belts. Choosing the appropriate conveyor belt type can reduce material spillage, belt misalignment, and frequent downtime for maintenance, making the equipment more compatible with the on-site working conditions.
Types of Conveyor Belting
In material conveying, there are five types of conveyor belts: flat belt conveyors, sidewall belt conveyors, steel cord conveyors, enclosed belt conveyors, and modular belt conveyors. They can adapt to different working conditions.
Flat belt conveyors are a common type of conveyor in factories. Walking into a logistics sorting center or packaging workshop, you can often see rows of flat, running conveyor belts continuously transporting cartons to the next process. Conveyor belt materials typically include PVC, PU, rubber, and polyester fabric. The equipment structure consists of a drive roller, a redirecting roller, a frame, and a conveyor belt, making installation relatively simple. This type of equipment is widely used for conveying bagged materials, cartons, electronic components, and general bulk materials.
When space is limited and materials need to be conveyed to higher ground, a sidewall conveyor is required. This type of conveyor belt has corrugated sidewalls on both sides and a partition structure in the middle. Once the material enters the conveyor belt, it is less likely to slip, even at conveying angles of 60° or even 90°. Many cement plants, coal transfer stations, and grain storage projects use this design. For lifting heights of 15 meters, 20 meters, or even higher, sidewall conveyors require less floor space compared to building multi-stage transfer systems.
In mining projects, conveyor belts are often seen traversing valleys or extending for kilometers along mining areas. These applications typically use steel cord conveyor belts. Their internal skeleton is composed of longitudinally arranged steel wire ropes, capable of withstanding significant tensile forces. Compared to ordinary fabric conveyor belts, they have lower elongation and less tension variation over long distances. The conveying capacity is approximately 500-12000 t/h. Steel cord conveyor belts are frequently used for long-distance bulk material transport projects in open-pit mines, port bulk cargo terminals, and large power plant coal conveying systems.
Some materials are prone to generating dust during transport, such as fly ash, cement powder, mineral powder, and fertilizer granules. If the conveying line passes through residential areas or factory roads, a closed belt conveyor solution can be chosen. Tubular conveyors are a common type. The conveyor belt is rolled into a cylindrical shape during operation, enclosing the material inside and reducing the impact of external wind on the material. For conveying lines that need to cross roads, rivers, or factory buildings, this type of conveying can reduce transfer nodes.
Modular belt conveyors are composed of multiple plastic modules. When a certain area wears out, it is not necessary to replace the entire conveyor belt; only the corresponding module needs to be removed. In beverage bottling workshops, curved conveyor systems are often seen operating continuously. While ordinary conveyor belts require additional design to achieve curves, modular conveyor belts can be combined in straight lines, curves, or inclines according to the production line layout. This type of equipment is commonly used for conveying bottled beverages, canned products, packaging boxes, and light industrial products.
How to Choose the Right Conveyors Belt Type?
Faced with different types of conveyor belts, how can we choose the appropriate belt based on the characteristics of the conveyed material and our needs? In reality, there is no single answer to the question of which conveyor belt to choose; the key is whether it suits the on-site working conditions.
If transporting tens of thousands of tons of ore daily along a conveyor line several kilometers long, a steel cord conveyor belt is more suitable for this situation; if the material needs to be lifted from the ground to a 20-meter-high storage silo, a sidewall conveyor can reduce intermediate transfer equipment; if conveying bagged products, cartons, or packaged items, a flat belt conveyor can often meet the requirements.
Besides conveying capacity and distance, we must also consider the particle size, moisture content, and operating temperature of the material. For example, conveying sintered ore with a temperature exceeding 120℃ requires a heat-resistant conveyor belt; when conveying powdery materials, a closed conveyor structure needs to be considered.
During the equipment selection phase, data such as hourly conveying capacity, maximum material particle size, conveyor line length, conveying angle, material temperature, and installation site space dimensions can be collected in advance to select a suitable conveyor solution.
Conveyor Belt Specification
| Conveyor Belt Type | Common Models / Specifications | Belt Width (mm) | Capacity (t/h) | Conveying Distance (m) | Working Temperature (°C) | Common Materials | Application Scenarios |
| Flat Belt Conveyor | B500, B650, B800, B1000, B1200, B1400 | 500-1400 | 20-3000 | 10-500 | -20 ~ 80 | PVC, PU, Rubber, Polyester Fabric | Cartons, Packages, Grain, Light Bulk Materials |
| Sidewall Belt Conveyor | DJ500, DJ650, DJ800, DJ1000, DJ1200 | 500-1200 | 50-6000 | 20-300 | -30 ~ 120 | Rubber Corrugated Sidewall Belt | Coal, Ore, Sand, Grain Elevating Conveying |
| Steel Cord Conveyor Belt | ST630, ST1000, ST1600, ST2500, ST4500 | 800-2400 | 500-12000 | 500-15000 | -40 ~ 150 | Steel Cord + Wear-resistant Rubber Cover | Mines, Ports, Power Plants for Long-distance Conveying |
| Pipe Conveyor Belt | Pipe Diameter Φ150, Φ200, Φ300, Φ400, Φ600 | 500-2000 | 100-5000 | 100-5000 | -25 ~ 120 | Tubular Rubber Conveyor Belt | Fly Ash, Cement Powder, Fertilizer, Ore Powder |
| Modular Belt Conveyor | 1000 Series, 1200 Series, 2400 Series, 400 Series | 150-2000 | 10-1500 | 5-200 | -50 ~ 120 | PP, PE, POM Modular Chains | Beverages, Packaging, Logistics Sorting, Food Processing |
Selection reference for different models
| Working Condition Requirements | Recommended Type | Recommended Model |
| Capacity less than 100 t/h, distance within 50m | Flat Belt Conveyor | B500, B650 |
| Capacity 100-1000 t/h, lifting height over 10m | Sidewall Belt Conveyor | DJ650, DJ800 |
| Capacity over 3000 t/h, distance over 1km | Steel Cord Conveyor Belt | ST1600, ST2500 |
| Dusty environment requiring enclosed conveying | Pipe Conveyor Belt | Φ300, Φ400 Tubular Belt |
| Curved conveying or assembly line conveying | Modular Belt Conveyor | 1000 Series, 2400 Series |
Bandwidth and transmission capacity correspondence
| Belt Width (mm) | Conveying Speed (m/s) | Reference Capacity (t/h) |
| 500 | 1.25-2.0 | 80-300 |
| 650 | 1.6-2.5 | 150-500 |
| 800 | 1.6-3.15 | 300-900 |
| 1000 | 2.0-4.0 | 600-1800 |
| 1200 | 2.0-5.0 | 1000-3200 |
| 1400 | 2.5-5.6 | 1800-5000 |
| 1600 | 3.15-6.5 | 2500-8000 |
| 2000 | 4.0-7.0 | 5000-12000 |
Application Areas of Conveyor Belts
Different conveyors belt types appear in different production scenarios. In the mining and metallurgical industries, steel cord and heavy-duty sidewall conveyor belts are used to continuously transport heavy bulk materials such as coal and iron ore. In warehousing, logistics, and e-commerce sorting centers, high-speed flat belt conveyors are handling packages and cartons precisely and quickly. In the food and pharmaceutical industries, FDA-compliant modular plastic conveyor belts are used in baking, meat processing, and pharmaceutical packaging lines to ensure hygiene during production. In ports, terminals, and the power industry, enclosed belt conveyors are responsible for the closed-loop transport of sand, fly ash, and grains.
The choice of Conveyors Belt Type not only affects the conveying equipment itself but also impacts subsequent operating costs, maintenance frequency, and production continuity. Flat belt conveyors are suitable for conventional conveying needs; sidewall conveyors can handle large-angle lifting; steel cord conveyors are suitable for long-distance, high-volume operations; enclosed conveyors are suitable for transporting powdery materials; and modular conveyor belts are more adaptable to complex production line layouts. For companies planning to purchase conveying equipment, it's essential to first clarify the conveying capacity, conveying distance, material characteristics, and installation environment. Once these basic data are clear, selecting the appropriate conveyor belt type becomes more straightforward and better suited to on-site requirements.
