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Understanding how a lift is built helps building owners and managers understand why maintenance matters, what can fail, and what a competent installer should be doing during a project. I’m Ross Darcy, Operations Manager at Future Lift Services. We manage the full installation process for commercial and residential lifts across Essex and London, from shaft preparation and component delivery to commissioning and handover. This guide covers the manufacturing and installation process with practical notes on where quality control matters most — and where shortcuts lead to problems.
An essential part of many buildings’ convenience and accessibility are lifts. You might not be familiar with the specifics of elevator installation or construction, even though you may know how to maintain the lift on your property to guarantee the comfort and safety of guests.
In 2022, there were over 20 million elevators and escalators making the lives of individuals easier, and that number is set to continue growing.
Even though most of us never really give them much thought, installing and manufacturing them actually involves some really interesting steps.
What Are the Different Types of Elevators?
A modern building’s lift is an essential feature that makes it possible for us to move between levels quickly and easily. But not every lift is made equally. The main types of elevators include:
Traction Elevators: these devices propel the vehicle up and down the lift shaft by means of an electric motor that drives a traction sheave. The majority of high-rise structures use them.
Hydraulic Elevators: elevators that employ a hydraulic system to raise and lower the vehicle are known as hydraulic elevators, and they are usually seen in low-rise buildings.
MRL (Machine Room Less) Elevators: classified as MRL or gearless elevators, they employ a direct drive motor to do away with the necessity for a separate machine room.
Vacuum Elevators: the elevator cars are propelled by a vacuum created by air pressure. They are intended for usage in small buildings and at homes.
Passenger lifts are the most popular kind of lifts, which are used to move passengers between levels of buildings. They can be utilised in commercial, industrial, and residential structures and are available in a range of sizes.
Freight elevators are larger elevators used to move materials and cargo between storeys in buildings. Usually, they are located in industrial buildings and warehouses.
Dumbwaiters are small, specialised lifts used in restaurants, hotels and other business facilities to move food and other objects between floors.
Residential lifts are usually smaller than commercial lifts and made for usage in residential buildings. They can be added to newly built homes or adapted into ones that already exist.
Step by Step Guide to How Elevators Are Built
Step 1: Car Panels
To get started, someone must locate some metal sheeting. Typically, these are ordered in large quantities and kept in the factory’s warehouse until needed.
Once in hand, forklift trucks and other vehicles are used to move masses of sheet metal from the warehouse to the main manufacturing floor. The metal sheets are delivered, and after that, they are manually loaded onto a conveyor belt so that the process may begin.
After that, the metal sheets are sent into a plasma cutting machine, which burns several holes in them so that the lift car walls can be formed. In this method, different parts are made based on the shape and purpose of the particular wall panel.
The plasma cutting machine is also used to cut metal sheets to order for other necessary parts, such as brackets and plates.
When finished, the panels are taken out of the machine and placed in storage in preparation for the following stage of production. The metal sheets are then bent into the necessary angles by inserting the cut panels into a specialised press machine.
Quality Control at Step 1: What to Look For
The steel grade used for car panels matters more than most people realise. Passenger lift car panels are typically fabricated from cold-rolled mild steel (to BS EN 10130 or equivalent) for standard commercial applications. Stainless steel panels — typically Grade 304 brushed or satin — are specified for high-use or healthcare environments where hygiene and cleanability are priorities. A reputable lift installer will be able to tell you the steel specification of the car components they are supplying. Panels that have been cut or bent incorrectly cannot be reliably corrected on site; dimensional accuracy at the fabrication stage determines whether the finished car meets the tight tolerances required for door alignment and guide shoe clearances.
Step 2: Assembling the Lift Car
The assembly process may start after the lift car’s primary component panels are prepared. When necessary, panels are put together using a variety of welding techniques and fastened together with nuts and bolts.
This is carried out by knowledgeable and experienced human labourers. Panels are measured and inspected frequently during the procedure to ensure they fulfil the high construction requirements and local building codes.
Any flaws are either rejected or fixed on the spot. Once the primary panels are put together, additional components such as cables, insulation, lighting, brackets, steel beams and so on are added as needed.
Once it is finished, the heavier lift door is also positioned and, if necessary, attached or mounted to the main lift car.
Quality Control at Step 2: Door Alignment and Clearances
The door is the component that causes the most lifetime maintenance issues in a passenger lift. At the assembly stage, the door hanger, track, and safety edge system must all be aligned to within 1–2 mm. Doors that are hung slightly out of plumb at the factory will drift further out of alignment under operating loads, resulting in contact sensor faults and premature hanger roller wear. On FLS installation projects, we carry out a door alignment check as part of our pre-commissioning inspection, before any handover paperwork is signed. If alignment is outside tolerance, we require the installer to rectify it before acceptance.
Step 3: Structural Components and Coating
Lengths of tubular steel are measured and cut to size to form the lift car’s primary structural components. In order to be fitted on the lift cars, additional components for the main lift rails, etc., such as stronger duty brackets, are also cut and bent into the proper shape as needed.
Similar to before, components are assembled and welded together as needed in order to be installed on the main lift vehicles.
When necessary, finished pieces are hung from hooks and given a spray wash to clean the metal of any dirt or other impurities. After allowing them to dry, unique heavy-duty coatings are sprayed on them.
This coating helps keep the parts from rusting and deteriorating with time and use, extending their useful lives. The parts are prepared for installation on the main lift cars after the coating has dried.
Quality Control at Step 3: Guide Rail Straightness
The guide rails are the precision components of the installation — a passenger lift runs on steel guide rails that must be straight to within the manufacturer’s tolerance (typically 0.5 mm per metre of rail). Bent or misaligned rails cause car sway, vibration, and accelerated guide shoe wear. Rail alignment is checked during installation using a laser plumb line. The quality of the rail brackets and their fixing to the shaft structure is equally important: inadequate fixings allow rail deflection under load, with the same symptoms. On multi-stop installations, FLS measures guide rail straightness at each bracket fixings before the car is hung. This step adds time to the installation but prevents the most common source of passenger comfort complaints — lateral movement on travel.
Step 4: Installing the Elevator
After every component is manufactured and ready for installation, it is shipped to the location. The elevator shaft is ready, the rails are put in place, and various components, including the lift motor equipment and cabling, are linked and fitted as required.
After that is finished, the main lift car may be linked and fitted, and the finishing touches can be applied. All internal lighting, control system, the emergency telephone and ornamental panelling have been tested and linked.
Once all that is complete, the lift is now ready to be used by the building occupants. It is then recommended that the lift undergo an elevator service or inspection every six months in line with LOLER regulations.
Looking for expWhat Commissioning and Handover Should Include
A properly commissioned lift is not simply a lift that moves up and down. Before FLS signs off any installation, the commissioning checklist covers: full load test (car loaded to rated capacity plus 10% overload test); door cycle test at minimum 50 cycles in each direction; safety gear drop test; governor calibration verification; all floor level checks (car floor to landing floor within 5 mm); emergency lighting and alarm test; intercom function test; and LOLER thorough examination by an independent competent person. The last item is the one most often skipped on smaller installations. A new lift requires a thorough examination before it enters service under LOLER Regulation 9(1)(a). This must be carried out by an independent competent person — not the installing contractor. We arrange this independently for every installation we complete.
Looking for Expert Lift Installation?
The building of a lift car involves some basic principles, notwithstanding the initial complexity of lift production. Gaining a fundamental comprehension of the production process will aid in better comprehending the operations of your lift and assist in identifying any possible problems with your lift vehicle.
Future Lift Services are experts in lift installation, maintenance, and modernisation for all types of commercial and residential facilities. We are CHAS accredited, SMAS WorkSafe approved and SafeContractor certified, and we manage the full project from shaft survey through to LOLER commissioning.
Get in touch with us today to find out more about our modern lift services or to request a free, no-obligation quote with us, based in London and Essex.
How Are Elevators Built FAQs
How are lifts constructed?
Steel is the primary building material utilised for the majority of modern elevator models. The lift framework, crosshead, and beams are made of steel, typically cold-rolled mild steel for standard applications or Grade 304 stainless for high-use environments, and a motorised pulley system or direct drive motor is installed in the machine room or, in MRL models, within the hoist way itself.
What holds up an elevator?
A robust metal hoist cable is fastened to the top of the elevator cab. The cable passes over a sheave, which resembles a pulley wheel with grooves and holds the cable firmly, as it climbs the lift shaft. The counterweight, connected to the opposite end of the cable, balances the car weight and reduces the motor load.
What’s at the bottom of an elevator shaft?
The area at the bottom of the shaft, between the lowest landing door and the ground, is known as the lift pit. It is made up of four concrete or concrete block walls and a concrete base slab. The pit must meet minimum depth requirements under the Lift Regulations 2016 and BS EN 81-20, typically a minimum of 1.0–1.5 metres for passenger lifts, to provide a safe buffer space for engineers working below the car. landing door and the ground, is known as the lift pit. It is made up of four concrete or concrete block walls and a concrete base slab.