Overview
ISO 5285:2012 - Conveyor belts: Guidelines for storage and handling provides practical, non-prescriptive guidance to create suitable conditions for storing, packing, lifting and moving conveyor belts. It applies to most types of conveyor belting but is not applicable to light conveyor belts (see ISO 21183‑1). The standard complements rubber storage guidance in ISO 2230.
Key topics and requirements
- Packing and coiling
- Belts are normally shipped coiled; large/heavy coils may require wood or steel cores with square holes sized for bars (preferred bar sizes: 50, 100, 150, 200 mm).
- Coils should be wound tight and square to prevent telescoping.
- Strapping and protection
- Use textile, plastic or steel strapping with adequate breaking load and width to avoid cutting the belt.
- Remove combustible packaging before taking belts underground; heavy or long-distance shipments may need timber drums or crates.
- Storage environment
- Indoor storage preferred; outdoor storage only with protection (tarpaulin) unless belts are fully synthetic and weather-resistant.
- Avoid extreme temperatures, direct heat, high humidity, strong UV/light, ozone sources (e.g., fluorescent lamps, high-voltage equipment) and contact with acids, oils or solvents.
- Follow rubber storage best practice in ISO 2230.
- Form of storage and stacking
- Store coils with the central axis horizontal and raised off the ground when outdoors (pallets preferred).
- Stack nesting tiers carefully; maximum storage stack height: 3.5 × D (D = roll diameter); maximum transport stack height: 2.5 × D.
- Rolls over 10 Mg (10 000 kg) should be supported on a bar through the core.
- Lifting and short-distance transport
- Preferred lifting: insert a steel bar through the core and lift via spreader bar; do not sling around coil circumference.
- Forklift use: cushion forks or use a boom nose attachment sized to fit core hole (boom length ≥ two-thirds of reel width).
- If no mechanical handling, roll belts in the correct direction to avoid uncoiling or telescoping.
- Running belts onto structure
- Guidance for mounting new rolls to existing or new conveyor frames, including temporary joints, rope hawsers and sledges to prevent flapping.
Applications and users
ISO 5285:2012 is useful for:
- Conveyor belt manufacturers and packers
- Warehouse and logistics managers handling belt inventory
- Mining, quarrying and bulk-material handling operations
- Maintenance and installation teams, safety officers and procurement professionals
It helps reduce damage, extend belt service life, and ensure safe handling and transport.
Related standards
- ISO 2230 - Rubber products: Guidelines for storage (referenced for preferred storage conditions)
- ISO 21183‑1 - Light conveyor belts: principal characteristics and applications (exclusion reference)
Keywords: ISO 5285:2012, conveyor belt storage, conveyor belt handling, belt packing, belt lifting, belt transport, storage guidelines.