An incline conveyor is a powered belt conveyor that moves product up or down a grade between two elevations, such as floor-to-floor or floor-to-mezzanine. A belt over a slider or roller bed, often fitted with cleats, carries cartons, totes, bags, and parts across the change in height without a manual lift. The transition geometry where product moves from horizontal onto the grade and back to flat is what keeps loads from slipping back, tipping, or jamming.

Key facts

•   Moves product between floor levels without a manual lift or second handling step

•   Slider bed units adjust up to 30 degrees; cleated units run from horizontal to 45 degrees

•   Belt widths from 10 in. to 36 in., with capacities up to 100 lbs. per linear foot

•   Cleats catch product on steep grades that would otherwise slide back on a smooth belt

•   Adjustable nose-over discharge hands product off cleanly from incline to horizontal

•   Connects horizontal case lines across floors and feeds mezzanines, trucks, and rail cars

What is an incline conveyor?

Warehouse material flow runs across two planes. Horizontal conveyor moves product through transport, accumulation, and sortation on a single level. Incline conveyor handles the vertical change, carrying product from one elevation to another so the horizontal lines on each floor stay connected. When a pick line on the ground floor feeds a mezzanine pack station, or product moves from a building up into a truck or rail car, an incline conveyor bridges the gap.

The belt rides over a slider bed for lighter product or a roller bed for heavier mixed loads. On steeper grades, raised cleats spaced to the product length catch each item so it cannot slide back down the climb. The engineering that decides whether the unit runs clean is not the angle, it is the transition: cleat spacing matched to the load, belt grip matched to the surface, and nose-over radius matched to the product length.

Incline conveyor types

Specifications below reflect verified Hytrol model data. Final configuration is engineered to your load, angle, and rise.

Source: Hytrol model specifications. Configurations verified against manufacturer model data.

Where is incline conveyor used?

•   Floor-to-floor transfer between picking, packing, and shipping levels

•   Floor-to-mezzanine feeds into pack stations and value-added areas

•   Building to truck or rail car loading and unloading

•   Steep climbs for bags, loose parts, and product that slips on a smooth belt

•   Connecting horizontal case lines that sit on different elevations

How does incline conveyor differ from case conveyor?

Incline conveyor and case conveyor solve different problems and work in sequence. Case conveyor moves cartons and totes horizontally through transport, accumulation, merging, and sortation on a single level. Incline conveyor changes the elevation of product, carrying it up or down a grade between two levels. Most facilities run both, with incline units feeding and receiving from the horizontal case lines on each floor. The distinction is the plane of travel: case conveyor owns horizontal handling, incline conveyor owns the vertical change.

Plan an incline conveyor system

HOJ engineers and integrates incline conveyor as an independent integrator, matching slider bed, roller bed, or cleated platforms to your rise, product mix, and existing horizontal lines, then engineering the cleat spacing and nose-over geometry around your loads. Talk to an automation specialist.