WH SCOTT
Lifting Beams, Spreader Beams & Lifting Frames
Bespoke beams and frames for balanced multi-point lifting — designed, fabricated and load tested by our own engineers, supplied or hired across the UK and Ireland.
What a Lifting Beam or Frame Actually Does
A crane hook lifts at a single point. Long, slender, fragile or off-centre loads rarely tolerate that — they bend, twist, or take a compressive squeeze from angled slings. A lifting beam, spreader beam or lifting frame moves the lifting points out to where the load can carry them, keeps the sling legs vertical and the load level.
WH Scott designs and builds these to order. Give us the weight, the geometry, the lift points the load can take and the headroom you have, and we will engineer the beam or frame around the lift — as a one-off, or as a modular system covering a range of loads.
Beam, spreader beam or frame?
- Lifting beam — one top attachment point, two or more lift points below. Works in bending, and needs the least headroom.
- Spreader beam — slings run to each end of the beam, which then works in compression. More efficient for long or heavy loads, but needs more headroom.
- Lifting frame — support on two axes, for loads that must stay level in both directions or be picked from four or more points.
Designed, Fabricated and Load Tested In House
Design and manufacture happen under one roof, so a bespoke beam does not wait on a third-party lead time. Where a project needs it we provide full design calculations, finite element analysis and fatigue and stress analysis, and our CE / UKCA services cover the conformity documentation that goes with it.
- Structural steelwork to BS EN 1090, with CE marking approval up to EXC2 and coded welders
- NDT by dye penetrant, MPI, radiography or ultrasonic inspection where specified
- Top and bottom flange stiffeners to resist sideways movement from a shifting load
- Proof load tested before dispatch, with test certification and a declaration of conformity
- Working load limit marked on both sides, safety yellow finish, and full material and component traceability
- Purchase or hire, including modular beams and spreader beams for variable lifts
- Rigging and attachments supplied from our lifting equipment supply range, so the beam arrives ready to work
Lifting Solutions
Part of a complete lifting range
This is one of the complete lifting solutions delivered by WH Scott across the UK and Ireland — from radio remotes, hoists and crane components to fully bespoke crane systems. Explore the full range to find the right fit for your operation.
What We Need to Know
Capacity alone does not size a beam. These are the details that shape the design:
- Load weight, centre of gravity and overall geometry
- Number and position of the lift points the load can actually take
- Headroom between hook and load, and the crane or hoist the beam will hang from
- Environment and duty — indoor, outdoor, marine, hot or corrosive, and how often it will be used
- Whether one adjustable or modular beam should cover several different lifts
A sketch or a photograph is enough to start. Where the lift is unusual or the load is high value, our lifting consultation service can specify the equipment before anything is cut.
Where Lifting Beams and Frames Are Used
Beams and frames come in wherever the load, rather than the crane, sets the limit: rail vehicles and long steel sections, precast concrete panels and beams, tanks, vessels and skids, machinery and plant installation, wind and renewables components, and marine and offshore handling. Thin-walled and fragile loads are common — anything that would deform under angled slings.
For flat, non-porous sheet and panel work, a vacuum lifting beam is often a better answer than slings and a spreader.
Lifting Beam Compliance in the UK and Ireland
A new beam or frame is machinery in supply terms. In Great Britain it must meet the essential health and safety requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, be UKCA or CE marked, carry its working load limit and come with a declaration of conformity. Ireland’s equivalent duties sit under S.I. No. 407 of 2008, and BS EN 13155 (I.S. EN 13155) is the harmonised standard for lifting beams.
In service it is a lifting accessory. Under LOLER 1998 that means thorough examination at least every six months, or to a written scheme of examination. In Ireland, Schedule 1 of S.I. No. 299 of 2007 names spreader beams and spreader frames at the same six-month period. As a LEEA member company we carry out both LOLER thorough examination and lifting equipment inspection in Ireland, so a beam we build can join the same programme as the rest of your equipment.
Get in Touch
Tell Us About Your Project
Whether you need a single piece of equipment or a fully engineered lifting system, our specialists can help. Tell us your load, environment and compliance requirements — we’ll do the rest.