Lesson 1 of 3Lift types and sizes
Types of lift.
The lifts you will meet in UK buildings fall into six broad types, set apart by what they carry and how they move. Here is a short map of each, with a link to the page that covers it in depth.
Six types of lift.
Lifts are grouped by what they carry and how they move. Almost every lift in a UK building fits one of six types, and each has its own page on our site.
Passenger lifts
Traction lifts, with or without a machine room, that carry people in offices, flats, hotels and public buildings.
Hydraulic lifts
Pushed up by an oil-driven ram. Used for passengers and heavy goods in low and mid-rise buildings.
Platform and access lifts
Slow lifts that give step-free access to wheelchair users and people with impaired mobility.
Goods lifts
Built to move loads. On a goods passenger lift people travel with the goods; a goods-only lift carries no one.
Vehicle lifts
Carry cars and other vehicles between the floors of a building, such as down to a basement car park.
Dumbwaiters
Small service lifts that carry food, linen or documents between floors. They are not designed to carry people.
Two special kinds of lift are built on passenger lifts: firefighting lifts, designed and protected so that firefighters can use them during a fire, and evacuation lifts, which can help people leave a building in a fire, especially people who cannot use the stairs. Our lesson on firefighting and evacuation lifts explains both.
How the types differ.
| Type | Carries | How it usually moves | Where you often find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger lift | People | Ropes or belts over a sheave turned by an electric machine, balanced by a counterweight | Offices, flats, hotels, hospitals and public buildings |
| Hydraulic lift | People or heavy goods | An oil-driven ram pushes the car up; it comes down as the oil returns to the tank | Low and mid-rise buildings, and goods lifts with heavy loads |
| Platform lift | Wheelchair users and people with impaired mobility, with a companion if the platform is big enough | Slowly, at no more than 0.15 m/s, usually while a button is held | Public buildings, schools, shops and homes, often where a passenger lift will not fit |
| Goods lift | Goods, with people travelling alongside on a goods passenger lift | Traction or hydraulic | Loading bays, warehouses, shops, hospitals and back-of-house areas |
| Vehicle lift | Cars and other vehicles | Traction or hydraulic, built for heavy loads | Car parks, showrooms and buildings with basement parking |
| Dumbwaiter | Small goods such as food, linen and documents, never people | A small electric or hydraulic drive | Kitchens, restaurants, care homes and offices |
There are two main ways of moving a lift. A traction lift hangs from ropes or belts that run over a grooved sheave turned by an electric machine, with a counterweight balancing the car. A hydraulic lift is pushed up by a ram, driven by oil from a pump, and comes down as the oil is let back to the tank.
Our lesson on how a traction lift works explains traction in depth, and our hydraulic lifts page compares the two drives.
Passenger lifts.
Most passenger lifts are traction lifts. Lifts with a machine room above the shaft are common in older buildings and are still chosen for higher speeds and taller buildings. Many newer lifts are machine room-less (MRL), with a compact machine inside the shaft and the controller in a cabinet at a landing. Our lesson on machine room-less lifts shows where everything goes.
Some passenger lifts, mostly in low-rise buildings, are hydraulic. Their pump unit sits in a small room or cabinet near the shaft, and a ram pushes the car up.
Every passenger lift car built to the Lifts Regulations 2016 carries a plate showing its rated load in kilograms and the maximum number of passengers. In buildings other than dwellings in England, Approved Document M calls a passenger lift “the most suitable means of vertical access” and sets a minimum car size of 1100 mm wide by 1400 mm deep. Our lesson on lift sizes and dimensions covers car and shaft sizes.
Our passenger lifts page explains how we look after traction and MRL lifts.
Platform lifts and other access lifts.
A platform lift gives step-free access to people who use wheelchairs or find stairs difficult. It moves slowly, at no more than 0.15 metres per second, and is usually driven by holding a button for the whole journey, so it stops as soon as the button is released.
Approved Document M prefers a passenger lift. It says a platform lift, “although not equivalent to a passenger lift, may be considered” in existing buildings where a passenger lift cannot be accommodated, and in exceptional circumstances in new ones, such as a listed building. It also notes that platform lifts travel slowly and may not suit lone users who tire easily.
- Vertical platform lifts carry a wheelchair user, and a companion if the platform is big enough, between floors. Approved Document M expects an enclosed liftway once the travel is more than 2 metres. Most are built to BS EN 81-41.
- Step lifts raise a wheelchair user over a short change in level, such as a few steps at an entrance.
- Through-floor lifts carry a person, often in a wheelchair, through an opening in the ceiling, usually between two floors of a home.
- Inclined platform lifts and stairlifts follow the line of a staircase. They are built to BS EN 81-40.
Our platform lifts page covers the platform, step and through-floor lifts we maintain. Our lesson on accessible lifts and the law explains the duties behind them.
Goods lifts, service lifts and dumbwaiters.
Goods lifts are built for loads, and there are two kinds. The difference decides whether anyone may travel in the lift.
- A goods passenger lift is mainly for goods, usually with people travelling alongside them, such as staff with a trolley. It is built to the same standard as a passenger lift, BS EN 81-20, and its plate shows how many people it can carry.
- A goods-only lift is not designed to carry people at all. Some are big enough to walk into for loading, but nobody travels in them. BS EN 81-31 is the standard for these accessible goods-only lifts.
A service lift is a small goods-only lift, such as a dumbwaiter, that carries food, linen, documents or medicines between floors. BS EN 81-30:2025, which replaced BS EN 81-3 at the end of 2025, covers electric and hydraulic service lifts with a rated load of no more than 300 kg that are not intended to carry people. The carriers it covers are small: no more than 1.0 m² in floor area, 1.0 m deep and 1.2 m high.
People also use “service lift” for a back-of-house goods lift, so it is worth checking which is meant.
Never ride in a goods-only lift
Never travel in a dumbwaiter, a service lift or any lift marked for goods only, and never climb into one to free a stuck load. If something is stuck, stop using the lift and call your maintenance provider.
Our goods lifts and dumbwaiter lifts pages explain how we look after each.
Vehicle lifts.
A vehicle lift carries cars and other vehicles between the floors of a building, for example from street level to a basement car park where there is no room for a ramp. Vehicle lifts are built for heavy loads, with large platforms and wide doors.
Parking stackers, open parking platforms and the vehicle hoists used in workshops also lift cars, but they are different machines, built to different standards, and they are not covered here.
Our vehicle lifts page explains which vehicle lifts we look after.
Which rules apply to each type.
The type of lift decides which design rules it was built to.
- Passenger and goods passenger lifts: new lifts that permanently serve a building must meet the Lifts Regulations 2016. Most are designed to BS EN 81-20, the main standard used to show that they do. Older lifts were built to the rules in force when they were installed.
- Platform lifts and stairlifts: the Lifts Regulations exclude lifting appliances that move no faster than 0.15 m/s, so these come under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 instead, usually built to BS EN 81-41 or BS EN 81-40.
- Service lifts and dumbwaiters: these are machinery too, because a person cannot easily enter their carrier. They are built to BS EN 81-3 or its replacement, BS EN 81-30.
Once a lift is in use, the ongoing duties are much the same for every type. Where a lift is provided for use at work, LOLER requires a thorough examination by a competent person: at least every 6 months for lifts that carry people and at least every 12 months for goods-only lifts, unless a competent person’s examination scheme specifies other intervals.
HSE guidance says a passenger lift in a block of flats, used mainly by the people who live there, is not work equipment, so LOLER does not apply to it. It should meet section 4 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 instead, and HSE says that examining and maintaining it to the LOLER and PUWER standards will probably satisfy that duty.
Our guide to LOLER explains the regulations, and our lesson on passenger lift regulations sets out the full picture.
How to tell which type you have.
You rarely need to look at the machinery. The paperwork usually says what the lift is.
- The plate in the car shows the rated load and, on lifts that carry people, the maximum number of passengers.
- The latest report of thorough examination identifies the lift and gives its safe working load. Our lesson on how to read a LOLER report shows where to find each detail.
- The maintenance records and contract describe the lift, its drive and its controller.
- Your maintenance provider can confirm the type, the manufacturer and the standards it was built to.
Safety first
Machine rooms, pump rooms, landing cabinets and lift shafts are locked for a reason. Never open them, enter a shaft or pit, or open lift doors with a release key unless you are trained and authorised to do so. If someone is trapped, use the alarm or call your maintenance provider. If anyone is in danger, call 999.
Check your understanding.
Three quick questions on this lesson. Choose an answer to check it, or open the answer below each question.
-
What pushes the car of a hydraulic lift upwards?
Show the answer
B. A ram driven by oil under pressure. A pump forces oil into a cylinder, which pushes the ram and the car up. The car comes down as the oil is let back to the tank.
-
What is the highest rated speed Approved Document M expects for a platform lift?
Show the answer
A. 0.15 metres per second. Approved Document M expects a lifting platform’s rated speed not to exceed 0.15 m/s. Lifting appliances that move no faster than this are outside the Lifts Regulations 2016.
-
Who can travel in a dumbwaiter?
Show the answer
B. Nobody. Dumbwaiters and other service lifts are for goods only. Nobody should ever travel in one or climb into one.
Sources.
The primary sources for this lesson. We checked them when the lesson was last updated on 18 October 2026. How we research and check our lessons.
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Related reading
Not sure which type of lift you have?
Talk to an engineer. We can identify your lift and explain what it needs to stay safe and reliable.
Common questions.
Quick answers to common questions about this topic.
What are the different types of lift?
The main types are traction passenger lifts, with or without a machine room, hydraulic lifts, platform and other access lifts, goods lifts, vehicle lifts and dumbwaiters. Firefighting and evacuation lifts are passenger lifts with extra features for use in a fire.
What is the difference between a platform lift and a passenger lift?
A platform lift moves at no more than 0.15 metres per second and is usually driven by holding a button for the whole journey. A passenger lift is faster and answers calls automatically. Approved Document M treats a passenger lift as the most suitable way between storeys and allows a platform lift mainly where a passenger lift cannot be accommodated.
What is the difference between a goods lift and a dumbwaiter?
A goods lift is big enough for people to walk in and load it, and on a goods passenger lift people travel with the load. A dumbwaiter is a small service lift for things like food, linen or documents. Its carrier is too small to travel in, and nobody should ever ride in one.
Can people travel in a goods lift?
Only if it is a goods passenger lift, designed for people to travel with the goods and fitted with a plate showing how many people it can carry. Nobody should travel in a goods-only lift, a service lift or a dumbwaiter. If you are not sure which you have, ask whoever manages the building or its maintenance provider.
Does LOLER apply to every type of lift?
LOLER applies to lifts provided for use at work, whatever their type. Lifts that carry people need a thorough examination at least every 6 months and goods-only lifts at least every 12 months, unless a competent person’s examination scheme specifies other intervals. HSE guidance says a passenger lift in a block of flats, used mainly by residents, is not work equipment and should meet section 4 of the Health and Safety at Work Act instead.