Working Height Calculator
Working height and platform height are not the same thing, and mixing them up is one of the most common ways a machine ends up too short for the job. By industry convention, working height is roughly the platform height plus about two metres — the reach of a person standing on the platform. This calculator applies that convention so you can size a machine around the height you actually need to reach.
Enter the height of the task and, if you like, adjust the reach allowance from the usual two metres. The tool returns the platform height and working height you need, then lists the typical hire classes that cover it. Those class ranges are approximate — always confirm the exact specification of the individual machine before you commit.
Enter The Height
Industry convention: working height ≈ platform height + about 2 m (the reach of a person on the platform).
Enter the height you need to reach to calculate.
How This Works & Assumptions
The calculator applies the standard industry convention that working height ≈ platform height + 2 m, where the 2 m represents the reach of a person standing on the platform. You tell it the height you need to reach (the task height); it subtracts the reach allowance to find the platform height a machine must deliver, then adds the allowance back to state the working height.
Assumptions: the reach allowance defaults to 2 m but you can change it to match your crew and task. The platform height is not allowed to go below zero. The class ranges shown (19 ft ≈ 7–8 m, 26–32 ft ≈ 10–12 m, 34 ft boom ≈ 12 m, 45 ft ≈ 15–16 m, 60 ft+ ≈ 20 m and above) are approximate, typical class ranges — they are a guide to what usually covers a given height, not a spec for any one machine.
Always confirm the exact platform height, working height, capacity and outreach of the individual unit before you commit. This tool sizes for height only; it does not account for outreach, capacity, ground conditions or up-and-over needs.
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