Belt or Chain, Belt vs. Chain – Not Really

What makes a belt better than a chain and vice versa? The answer is nothing. Belts are no better than chains, it all depends what your specific needs for your project are and what product you are trying to move. When choosing a belting material these need to be taken into consideration. Each material has pros and cons making them more suitable for some applications rather than others.


Belted conveyors are also great if you have a more specialized application because they offer more customization options. They allow you to do such things as backlighting them, make them a suction belt, magnetizing them, and much more. Finally, belt conveyors are often cleaner than chain conveyors because they accumulate less debris. This makes belts a good choice for food, medical, or pharmaceutical applications.

A chain conveyor


Another good application for chains are conveyor systems that requires curves. Because chain belts are more flexible they make curved systems easier. Chain belts can also carry much heavier loads than belt conveyors and deal better with a mass flow of products.

Belt vs. Chain is not a good way of thinking when considering your conveyor application. A better way of thinking would be to consider what products you’re moving and what function the conveyor is going to be used for and then after you answer those questions see what belt material is best suited for that project’s needs.

In some applications a belt might be the better choice and in others a chain might be more suitable. Really it’s not one or the other, it’s what technology works best for the current application you’re dealing with.

Leave a Reply
