Every developer, architect, and contractor who has delivered a midrise or high-rise project knows the stress points: late-stage RFIs, urgent elevator redesigns, and endless clarification cycles, often triggered because the initial traction elevator design specs just didn’t fully lock in what the build team needed. At Kaiser Elevator, we’ve seen how the right submittal items can prevent a cascade of conflicts when specified up front. In this guide, we’ll break down the vital traction elevator submittal items we insist on as engineers, why each matters, how they fit into project delivery, and ways you can use them to budget, schedule, and coordinate correctly—right from the start.
Why RFIs Happen: Traction Elevator Specs and the Domino Effect
Traction elevators are among the most geometry- and interface-sensitive trades on any vertical build. Changes in elevator car size, speed, or capacity can immediately affect shaft dimensions, pit and overhead clearances, machine room configurations, and even structural embeds or MEP stub-ins. When any of this is missing or unclear in the initial submittal, teams start making guesses—and guesses spawn RFIs, change orders, and, worst of all, costly late redesigns.
Our Approach: Coordinated Traction Elevator Design Data
We believe the primary defense against schedule-disrupting RFIs is a detailed, code-compliant submittal package that leaves nothing to ambiguity. Our process is to front-load coordination: we work with your design team as early as possible and document the following absolutely essential elevator submittal items for traction projects.
1. Car Capacity, Speed, and Traffic Profile
- Rated capacity and speed: For commercial passenger elevators, we define the capacity in both pounds and kilograms, and specify the precise rated speed in feet per minute (and meters per second). This anchors everything from shaft sizing to electrical service needs.
- Intended traffic profile: Office, hotel, residential, hospital, freight, or mixed-use. This details the expected duty cycle and hours of operation so downstream systems are not undersized or overbuilt.
Submittal must-have: A single-page performance summary per elevator, outlining these numbers up front.
2. Precise Car and Door Dimensions
- Exact car interior width, depth, and height (clear to finishes, not just the shell).
- Door opening width and height—including confirmation of compliance with ADA and any jurisdictional requirements.
Inaccurate or missing dimensions lead to misaligned lobbies, accessibility oversights, and redesigns at the most expensive point—in the field.
3. Hoistway Sizing, Clearances, and Tolerances
- Clear inside hoistway width and depth, from one finished wall to the next.
- Locations of car, rails, counterweight, and required safety/working clearances.
- Stated construction tolerances—critical for structural teams to avoid overbuilding or last-minute patching.
We supply a hoistway “box” dimensional table per car and opening type, so architectural and structural teams can lock in shaft geometry and wall build-ups without future surprises. For further clarity on how shaft size impacts choices between hydraulic and traction, see our guide to shaft size considerations.
4. Pit Depth and Overhead
- Exact pit depth (floor to slab), taking into account buffer heights and code minimums for your elevator’s speed and travel.
- Overhead measurements, from the top floor to the structure above—distinct for traditional machine room and machine-room-less systems.
We supply these as dimensioned sections and confirmed values (in feet and inches), making sure structural and architectural teams are fully aligned with actual builder constraints.
5. Machine Room and Control Spaces (or Overhead)
- Detailed plan and elevation showing the machine position, controller, disconnects, access doors, and all necessary working clearances.
- Statement of ventilation or cooling requirements if needed for drive or controller equipment.
Including this data at the submittal stage avoids major headaches with wall placement, door swings, and future code issues. It’s far easier to shift a panel on paper than to demo a wall during punch list.
6. Rail Brackets and Structural Loads
- Guide rail plan and elevations with bracket types, vertical spacing, and, most importantly, precise vertical and horizontal loads per bracket.
- Buffer support reactions and pit wall embed details.
This lets structural engineers finalize all wall and core reinforcement, embeds, and hoistway framing before construction documents are issued, not after.
7. Electrical Power, Circuits, and Disconnects
- Main elevator power characteristics (voltage, phase, amperage, SCCR), coordinated with breaker sizing and feeder lengths.
- Separate circuits for cab lighting, machine room equipment, and auxiliary systems.
- Accurate locations and amperage ratings for all disconnects, shunt trips, and emergency power interfaces according to National Electrical Code and local ordinances.
Our submittal includes a “single line diagram” that MEP teams can overlay into their main power sheets, reducing future clarifications.
8. Ventilation and Environmental Controls
- Maximum allowable temperature and humidity in the machine or hoistway space.
- Required heat rejection values in BTU/hr for major components.
Clear communication here empowers the mechanical engineer to size cooling or ventilation now, not as a last-minute add after overheating tests during commissioning.
9. Door Entry and Sill Conditions
- Entrance elevation and section for each landing (including fire ratings, wall anchorage, and finished floor interface).
- Sill profile and recessed requirements (often a common location for field conflicts if overlooked).
- Door operator speed and reversal distances, confirming compatibility with building operations and code mandates.
We always check that entrance frames align with your wall types by the end of Design Development, giving interiors teams the clarity to finish their scopes with confidence.
10. Safety Systems, Devices, and Code References
- List of safety devices: from car and counterweight safeties to overspeed governors and rope brakes for unintended movement.
- Exact code and standard references, including ASME A17.1 edition and NFPA 70 edition being applied.
- Summary of required emergency functions: firefighters’ service, emergency power transfer, seismic or wind features if present.
We organize this as a code and safety matrix in the submittal, ensuring AHJs and your consultants can quickly find necessary compliance evidence.
The Recommended Submittal Structure for Traction Elevator Design
- Cover and Performance Summary Sheet: Project and elevator identifications, group configuration, capacity, and control system details
- Car and Entrance Drawings: Plan, section, and finish schedule
- Hoistway Plan and Section: Vertical and horizontal shaft dimensions to finished surfaces
- Machine Room/Machine Space Layouts: Plan and section views, egress, lifting points
- Structural Loads and Embed Sections
- Electrical Power Requirements: Single line diagram, power calculations
- Mechanical/Environmental Data: Heat loads, ventilation, acoustical criteria if applicable
- Controls, Safety, and Code Matrix
- Draft Operations & Maintenance Manual: As increasingly expected with modern elevator submittals for both ownership and regulatory review
Checklists for Each Trade: How We Help You Lock Specs Early
For Architects
- Align hoistway clearances and finishes to your floorplan
- Verify car sizes are not just code-compliant, but truly fit your program (including accessibility)
- Ensure lobby and corridor door alignments work (both visually and for egress)
- Check machine room placement for space and code compliance
For Structural Engineers
- Verify all rail and buffer loads and bracket spacings are input before construction documents
- Reinforce and embed wall and slab conditions proactively, no late addendums required
- Cross-check shaft notches, beam locations, and floor openings with elevator dimensions
For MEP Engineers
- Sync main and auxiliary power requirements with panel and feeder schedules
- Separate lighting, ventilation, and emergency system circuits as needed
- Size and confirm HVAC or ventilation for machine rooms or MRL hoistways to handle specified loads
- Align fire alarm and recall features with provided elevator controls documentation
Reducing RFIs and Late Redesigns With Kaiser Elevator Coordination
From our design experience at Kaiser Elevator, we see the difference when elevator submittals are not only comprehensive, but tailored to the realities of commercial, mixed-use, healthcare, and residential high-rise projects. By providing a thoroughly coordinated submittal set as described above, along with discipline-specific checklists and transparent lines of communication with your consultants, we drive projects forward and minimize late-stage stress.
And if you’re weighing traction versus hydraulic systems, our detailed technical content—like this breakdown of how early decisions impact shaft and pit dimensions—may help you clarify direction even sooner.
Getting Started: Next Steps to Lock In Your Specs
- Share your floor plans, sections, and any existing vertical transportation concepts with us early—even at schematic design.
- Request a full traction elevator submittal package and use our coordinated documentation to feed directly into your construction sets.
- Leverage ongoing design assistance, clarification support, and code guidance from our engineering team as you move through design milestones.
With a truly coordinated set of traction elevator design specs, your risk of RFIs shrinks, schedule risks diminish, and the need for late rework drops dramatically. For new construction, modernization, or special vertical transportation needs, it’s what makes our approach stand out—and saves our clients headaches.
If you’re planning a new project or want to discuss vertical transportation design in detail, you can reach out to us at Kaiser Elevator for a straightforward, engineering-driven conversation.
