ASME B30 Standards Comparison Chart

Short answer: Match the equipment to its ASME B30 volume: B30.2 overhead and gantry cranes, B30.3 tower cranes, B30.5 mobile cranes, B30.6 derricks, B30.9 slings, B30.10 hooks, B30.16 hoists, B30.20 below-the-hook lifting devices, B30.22 articulating boom cranes, B30.26 rigging hardware and B30.30 ropes. The chart below adds the OSHA rule behind each.

Not sure which ASME B30 volume covers your equipment? This guide is a lookup: match your crane, hoist, or rigging to the right standard, see the OSHA rule that backs it, and know which inspection category and removal criteria apply. Use it to build an inspection program that checks every machine against the right rule.

We are 3P Safety Inspections, a third-party crane inspection company working all 50 states. Our inspectors hold NCCCO cards. We inspect to OSHA and the ASME B30 codes, and we do not sell or rent cranes — so our reports just give you the facts.

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Which Volume Covers Your Crane

Match the crane to its B30 volume:

• Mobile, rough-terrain, or all-terrain crane — B30.5
• Crawler or lattice-boom crane — B30.5
• Truck-mounted or boom-truck crane — B30.5
• Tower crane — B30.3
• Overhead or bridge crane — B30.2
• Gantry crane — B30.2
• Monorail or underhung crane — B30.11
• Articulating (knuckle-boom) crane — B30.22
• Derrick — B30.6

Which Volume Covers Your Hoist

Hoists have their own volumes by type:

• Overhead underhung hoist — B30.16
• Base-mounted drum hoist — B30.7
• Lever hoist (come-along) — B30.21
• Manual and powered chain hoists — B30.16

Which Volume Covers Your Rigging

Below-the-hook gear is where most volumes get used day to day:

• Slings — wire-rope, chain, synthetic — B30.9
• Hooks — B30.10
• Wire rope — B30.30
• Lifting beams, spreaders, and magnets — B30.20
• Shackles, links, rings, and turnbuckles — B30.26

How the Volumes Line Up With OSHA

OSHA 1926 (construction) and 1910 (general industry) set the legal duty; ASME B30 fills in the how. The chart below maps the common equipment to its B30 volume and the backing OSHA rule, so you can see at a glance which two rules govern each machine. When our report flags a part, it names both.

Match the Inspection Category to the Volume

Every B30 volume uses the same three-tier inspection logic, but the intervals shift by equipment and service. As a rule of thumb:

• Initial — before first use of new, altered, or repaired equipment
• Frequent — daily to monthly on cranes and hoists. Before each use on slings and rigging
• Periodic — 1 to 12 months, documented, by a qualified person
• Severe service and harsh environments shorten every interval

When Equipment Falls Under Two Volumes

A single lift often touches several B30 volumes at once, and each part is judged by its own. Pick a mobile crane making a rigged lift: the crane is B30.5, the wire rope is B30.30, the hook is B30.10, the slings are B30.9, and the shackles are B30.26. Miss one and you have inspected the crane but not the lift. This is the most common gap we see — a clean crane report with the rigging never checked to its own standard.

A complete inspection follows the load path from the drum to the load, naming the volume for every piece along the way.

Build a Program From the Chart

The fastest way to a compliant program is to list every machine, name its B30 volume and OSHA rule, and set the inspection category and interval for each. We can do that mapping for your whole fleet in one pass, so nothing gets checked to the wrong standard — or missed entirely.

Which ASME B30 Volume Covers Your Gear

The Standards Behind These Checks

We tie each finding to the rule it checks against:

• OSHA 1926.1412 — cranes on construction sites
• OSHA 1910.179 and 1910.180 — cranes in plants
• ASME B30.5, B30.3, and B30.2 — mobile, tower, and overhead cranes
• ASME B30.9 through B30.26 — slings and rigging hardware
• ANSI A92 — aerial work platforms
• EM 385-1-1 — federal and military job sites

What You Get in Your Report

You walk away with proof you can file:

• A spreadsheet you can load into your CMMS
• A signed record for your files
• A punch list of what to fix first
• A clear PDF report with photos
• Each finding tied to a photo and a rule

Why Owners Pick 3P Safety Inspections

We do not sell or rent cranes, so the report has no angle. We hit our times and skip the jargon. You know the cost before we start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Authoritative References