An escalator connects floors through a continuous moving stairway. Its value depends on where passengers arrive, how confidently they board and whether the exit can receive them. Selecting a machine by floor height alone leaves most of that transport problem unanswered.
JAFITA’s product portfolio includes commercial and public-transport escalator supply routes. Each proposal must identify the selected manufacturer and equipment configuration, with rise, inclination, step width, speed, duty and environmental protection stated together. Commercial equipment and a station escalator may look similar while having different operating and maintenance requirements.
The escalator combines a structural truss, circulating steps and chains, tracks, drive and braking equipment, handrails, balustrades, landing assemblies, controls and protective devices. It arrives as a defined equipment package that must be integrated with building supports, floor finishes, power and public circulation.
JAFITA coordinates the supply specification, factory route, technical submissions and delivery interfaces. The quotation should separately identify architectural cladding, building guards, fire or smoke interfaces, drainage, transport, installation, commissioning and local acceptance. These items affect a usable installation even where they are supplied by different contractors.
An escalator also needs an accessible alternative. Coordinate it with Passenger Elevators and the building’s wider circulation plan from the outset.
In retail, escalators connect shopping levels and influence the route visitors take through the building. Arrival patterns may change around opening time, meals and events. The landing must remain clear even when nearby displays, queues or temporary promotions change.
Transport buildings introduce concentrated passenger arrivals, extended operating hours and short maintenance windows. A station requirement should state the operating schedule, peak direction, periods of sustained loading and planned redundancy. “Heavy duty” needs those facts behind it.
For semi-outdoor or outdoor locations, describe the real exposure: wind-driven rain, temperature range, condensation, dust, salt or cleaning water. A roof does not necessarily keep the machinery dry. Environmental provisions need to follow the chosen equipment and building drainage design, not the appearance of the balustrade.
| Configuration decision | What it changes | What to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial or public-transport duty | Component duty, access expectations and maintenance planning | Sustained load profile and daily operating hours |
| Single unit or paired units | Directional capacity and service during an outage | Peak direction, alternative routes and queue space |
| Parallel or crossed arrangement | Passenger route between successive floors | Walking distance, sightlines and conflicts at landings |
| Inclination and transition geometry | Horizontal footprint and boarding experience | Available run, rise, permissible configuration and landing length |
| Indoor or weather-exposed version | Protection of structure, machinery and electrics | Actual exposure and the agreed protection package |
| Continuous or demand-responsive operation | Behaviour during quiet periods | Passenger detection, response and permitted control strategy |
An arrangement that fits an atrium visually may interrupt movement between floors. Review the complete journey, including how a passenger finds the next upward or downward unit.
A continuous arrangement places the next escalator close to the preceding exit, reducing the search and walking needed to continue through the building. An interrupted arrangement makes people cross a floor before boarding the next unit. That can bring them past shops, but also adds walking and creates conflicts with people approaching from other directions. The appropriate choice depends on the purpose of the journey: a station transfer and a browsing visit do not have the same priorities.
At an intermediate landing, draw both the arriving path and the next boarding queue. A short transfer is useful only if passengers can leave the first unit without being stopped by the queue for the second. Compare the linked units as a route, not as isolated machines with identical nominal capacities.
Capacity begins at the entrance. The number of steps passing a point does not equal the number of people transported. Hesitation, uneven occupancy and the mix of users affect boarding. A project capacity assessment must state its assumptions and consider the exit’s ability to clear.
Ride quality comes from the complete moving system. Step guidance, chain condition, drive behaviour and handrail movement interact. A smooth handrail alone does not demonstrate smooth step motion, and a factory observation does not establish the acoustic conditions in a reverberant atrium.
The steps follow tracks that control both position and orientation: a stepped surface through the incline must become a level band at each landing. Transition geometry gives passengers space to settle after boarding and prepare to leave. It also occupies length inside the equipment envelope. Reducing an end allowance on a building plan can therefore affect the movement geometry or machinery space, rather than merely removing unused floor area.
Energy strategy follows the traffic pattern. Continuous running may suit sustained demand. Reduced-speed standby or automatic start can be evaluated for intermittent traffic where the selected system and local requirements permit them. Ask for the defined operating sequence and calculation assumptions before comparing energy figures; no fixed saving applies to every building.
Service access supports availability. Drive access, removable panels and a practical component replacement route influence how maintenance can be organized without extensive disruption to the public area.
For a public-transport brief, separate peak demand from sustained duty. A brief burst of arrivals may create a queue even when daily usage is modest; extended loading affects the drive and transmission’s duty over time. The first needs a circulation and capacity response, while the second needs a suitable equipment and maintenance basis. Calling both “heavy traffic” hides the decision that has to be made.
The truss transfers equipment and passenger loads to the building supports. Tracks guide the steps through the inclined run and transitions. The drive, transmission and braking arrangement control their movement, while the handrail system provides a moving support for passengers.
At the landings, comb assemblies form the transition between moving steps and stationary floor areas. Balustrades, skirts and guards manage the boundary around the passenger path. Sensors and the control system monitor the conditions required for safe operation.
Use Escalator Components for component identification and replacement enquiries. For a complete machine, the step, chain, comb and control selections form an engineered system; dimensions that appear to match do not establish interchangeability.
The confirmed specification is issued for the selected equipment and project. The fields below define the information a useful proposal must contain; they are not a universal JAFITA model range.
| Parameter | Unit or format | Engineering significance |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical rise | mm or m between stated finished-floor datums | Establishes the vertical connection and influences the machine arrangement |
| Inclination | Degrees | Affects horizontal run, transitions and permitted operating combination |
| Nominal step width | mm | Describes the passenger tread, not overall equipment width |
| Rated speed | m/s | Must be considered with boarding behaviour, rise and applicable requirements |
| Horizontal steps and transition geometry | Count and drawing dimensions | Defines the approach to and departure from the inclined section |
| Operating duty | Hours/day and load profile | Supports selection of the drive, transmission and maintenance basis |
| Direction and control mode | Agreed operating sequence | Defines normal running and permitted changes in operation |
| Power supply | V, phase, Hz and load schedule | Enables electrical coordination without assuming one national supply |
| Environment | Temperature range and exposure description | Establishes required protection and any special provisions |
| Structural reactions | kN at identified support points | Enables the building engineer to assess the actual load paths |
| Equipment and delivery envelope | mm and kg | Establishes installation access, handling and receiving needs |
The selected datasheet should identify which values are fixed, which are optional and which require a special engineering review.
The building drawing needs the overall truss envelope, support locations, reactions, floor openings, landing recesses, finished-floor interfaces and service access. Nominal step width is only one dimension within that envelope. End geometry and balustrade projections also occupy space.
For an ideal straight incline with rise H and angle θ above horizontal, the horizontal projection is H ÷ tan(θ). Using an assumed 4.00 m rise gives the following geometric comparison:
| Assumed inclination | Ideal horizontal projection of the straight incline |
|---|---|
| 30° | 6.93 m |
| 35° | 5.71 m |
The difference is about 1.22 m. These values describe geometry only: they are not an offered model’s dimensions or evidence that both angles are permissible for the project. An actual escalator also needs curved transitions, horizontal steps, end machinery and landing interfaces. Supplier installation drawings include those elements, so the straight-incline calculation cannot be used as the total opening or support span.
The truss carries its own equipment mass and the specified passenger load to defined supports. Adding an intermediate support changes how those reactions are shared; the end reactions should not simply be divided equally between a larger number of supports. Confirm each reaction at its named location, together with the bearing and building-movement details. This is especially important where the architectural team wants an unobstructed space below the escalator.
Protect clear space at both landings and the required clearance to walls, ceilings, adjacent units and floor edges. Nearby architectural features can create hazards that are not visible in a simple side elevation. The building team must coordinate guarding, fire strategy and any crossing or trapping points.
Review the delivery route while the structure is still accessible. A machine can fit its final position yet be impossible to bring through the completed building as one assembly. Split delivery changes handling, assembly and commissioning scope. Project Planning establishes these interfaces before production release.
A project safety schedule should identify the actual braking and monitoring functions, emergency-stop devices, step and handrail supervision, protection at comb and handrail entry areas, guards, signs and required building interfaces. Each item needs a stated application; a count of “safety features” is not an acceptance method.
Shopping trolleys, wheelchairs and pushchairs need the appropriate alternative route rather than use of a conventional escalator. Passenger guidance should make that route easy to find. Operational staff need a defined process for taking equipment out of service, securing access and obtaining qualified technical assistance.
Applicable references may include the destination’s adoption of EN 115-1, ISO 8103-1 or ASME A17.1/CSA B44. Establish the adopted edition and approval route for the site. These references do not claim that every offered configuration holds every approval.
Balustrade treatment, handrail colour, decking, side cladding and lighting influence how the escalator sits within the architecture. Review available factory finishes alongside the architect’s adjacent materials, including reflected light and the visibility of entrances and exits.
Direction indicators, step demarcation and landing illumination serve an operating purpose as well as an appearance requirement. Decorative lighting must preserve clear safety information. Building-applied cladding needs an approved attachment method, weight allowance and access strategy.
Specify indoor, covered or exposed conditions before selecting finishes. A polished surface is not a corrosion specification. The order should identify the substrate, finish code, environmental suitability and responsibility for any cladding supplied separately.
The inspection basis should connect the approved configuration with identifiable equipment: unit number, rise, step width, drive and control selections, environmental provisions and finish schedule. Relevant checkpoints include truss dimensions, component identity, assembly condition, visible workmanship and the functional tests available at the selected factory.
For witness requirements, agree the method, conditions and records before the test stage. Factory testing does not establish final building clearances, installed support conditions or the complete site safety integration. Those belong in commissioning and local acceptance.
Translate performance expectations into an observable acceptance task. If noise is important near a reception desk, identify the measurement position, operating condition and contribution from the surrounding space. If operation from standby is specified, include the agreed detection and start sequence in the functional review. A general statement that the escalator “runs smoothly” leaves both parties without a clear basis for resolving a concern.
JAFITA’s Inspection and Testing and Quality Management pages explain how evidence and exceptions are handled. Any project-specific performance claim should point to its actual test or calculation basis.
Retail atrium scenario: A paired escalator arrangement links a main entrance level with upper-floor shops. The design review compares where people leave each unit, whether displays could obstruct discharge and how the next floor is reached. The result should inform the layout before the appearance package is selected.
Transport concourse scenario: Arrivals create brief, concentrated demand followed by quieter intervals. The brief considers directional capacity, the consequence of one unit being unavailable and access for maintenance during the operator’s permitted window.
These illustrative scenarios show how building use changes the selection task. For a delivered-project comparison, request a Matching Project Reference with the equipment category, operating conditions and actual supply scope identified.
The JAFITA corporate brochure introduces commercial and public-transport escalator categories. Project selection requires a more specific package: the proposed manufacturer’s datasheet, general arrangement, support reactions, electrical requirements, finish schedule, operating description and document list.
For construction coordination, request a drawing revision that identifies the equipment and approval status. A generic illustration is useful for orientation but cannot establish support details. Operating and maintenance manuals must correspond to the delivered configuration and required language.
The delivery plan needs package sizes and masses, unloading arrangements, the route into the building and an agreed assembly sequence. Confirm who supplies lifting equipment, temporary access and storage protection. Early delivery also needs a plan to protect steps, handrails and finishes from subsequent construction work.
Installation Support coordinates the equipment information needed by the qualified installation organization. The handover should establish operating responsibility, staff training, maintenance access, document ownership and acceptance records. Technical Training can address the agreed operational and technical scope.
For After-Sales Support, preserve the equipment number and component schedule. Handrails, combs, steps and rollers need exact identification, including relevant dimensions and version. A planned parts enquiry is more useful when it identifies wear condition and the next service window as well as quantity.
A different inclination can change the required run, but the allowable combination of rise, speed, transition geometry and local rules must be checked. It may also change the boarding experience. Review the complete envelope instead of adjusting only the angle on an architectural drawing.
No. Width is one input. Boarding behaviour, occupancy, traffic direction and clear landing space also matter. Capacity should be assessed against the actual arrival pattern, with the assumptions stated.
Not necessarily. A canopy may intercept direct rain while wind carries water onto the landings, where it can reach the lower equipment space. Temperature changes can also create condensation without a visible roof leak. Review the route water could take, the drainage provision and the protection of affected equipment. Specifying stainless-steel cladding alone does not address those mechanisms.
A project can request an operating arrangement that allows authorized direction changes, subject to the selected equipment and operating procedures. This must be planned with passenger control and alternative routes; it is not an automatic answer to a crowded landing.
Only to the approved interface and weight allowance, while retaining access, ventilation and required clearances. Coordinate the finish contractor’s drawings before closing the equipment enclosure.
Provide the existing equipment identity, verified support positions and openings, and the route available for removal and delivery. Matching the old step width and rise does not guarantee that a new truss, end geometry or support reaction will fit. Identify whether the surrounding floor finishes must remain in place, because that constraint can determine the viable replacement approach.
Send the destination, building use, floor levels, rise, layout drawings, desired passenger route and expected operating hours. Include available traffic information, indoor or external exposure, the planned installation window and any public-transport specification. For replacement, add the existing unit identity and a verified survey of the supports and openings.
Compare Escalators and Moving Walks when the transport task is still open. For parts and replacement work, see Escalator and Moving-Walk Components.
