Toyota Forklift on farm road

Forklift Derate Calculator

Summit’s Forklift Derate Calculator helps you quickly estimate your forklift’s reduced lifting capacity when handling off-center or extended loads — simply enter your rated load-center, load-center shift, and rated capacity to see the adjusted “derated” capacity.

Home Resources Derate Calculator

Disclaimer: This forklift derate calculator is for reference only. Use this calculator only as a guideline. This calculator assumes you are not lifting a load past 2 pallet heights or are using a reach truck. This calculator is based on OSHA’s safe load capacity formula. Always contact your forklift manufacturer or forklift professional, such as Summit ToyotaLift, to get an official de-rated capacity for your forklift, if you are adding an attachment to your forklift, reach out to Summit to get a new official data plate for the attachment.

How to use the calculator

  • Rated Load Center: The original horizontal load center that is rated for your forklift. This can be found on your forklift’s data card.
  • New Load Center: Your new horizontal load center for the load you are lifting which is found by adding X and Y together. This is usually the length from the mast to the center of the new load.
  • Rated Capacity: The rated capacity for the height you are lifting the load to. This can be found on your forklift’s data card. Remember to subtract any extra attachment weight that was not part of the original rated capacity of your forklift.

Example:
Rated Load Center: 24 in.
New Load Center: 28 in.
Rated Capacity: 5000 lbs.
DeRated Capacity: 4286 lbs.

Forklift Graphic for derate calculator
X = Load Center
Y = Effective Thickness

Find the Rated Load Center and Capacity

You can find the forklift’s rated load center and rated capacity on your forklift’s data card.

Rated Horizontal Load Center
Rated Horizontal Load Center
Rated Capacity
Rated Capacity

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