Gross vs net capacity: meaning and why it matters
Gross capacity is the figure a load chart prints for one radius and boom length, before anything hanging from the boom is counted. Net capacity is what is left after every deduction comes off, which makes it the most the load itself may weigh. Compare the load to net, never to gross.
Why the chart prints gross
A chart is written for the crane, and the crane does not know what you will hang from it. The number in the cell assumes nothing about your hook block, your slings or a jib folded onto the boom. Those things are real weight on the boom, and the chart leaves it to you to take them off. That is why the first question on a lift is not "what does the cell say" but "what is left for the load after my gear."
Some manufacturers print charts that already include certain items, and the notes say so. Read the note before you assume. The practice charts on this site are gross, and their rule text says to deduct the hook block, all rigging and any attachment deduction the notes list.
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Which action creates side loading on a crane boom?
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A worked example on a practice chart
Take our invented chart PC-1, a telescopic crane on fully extended outriggers over 360 degrees. At a 60 ft boom and a 30 ft radius the cell reads 19,500 lb. That is gross.
| Step | Work |
|---|---|
| Hook block (from the chart notes) | 750 lb |
| Rigging (set by the problem) | 400 lb |
| Total deductions | 750 + 400 = 1,150 lb |
| Net capacity | 19,500 - 1,150 = 18,350 lb |
An 18,000 lb load fits under 18,350 lb with 350 lb to spare. An 18,500 lb load does not, even though it sits below the 19,500 lb gross figure. That gap, a load that is under gross but over net, is exactly what the written exam builds problems around.
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Common mix-ups
- Comparing the load to gross. It is the single most common slip. The load is checked against net.
- Subtracting only the hook block. Rigging, spreader bars and any attachment the notes name come off too. Add the deductions first, then subtract once.
- Mixing the two in a percent. Work a percent of capacity with the load alone against net, or with the load plus every deduction against gross. Putting the load alone over gross understates how loaded the crane is.
- Calling a printed cell "net" without checking. Charts differ. The notes say which kind of number you are reading.
On the NCCCO written exam
Load Charts carries about 27% of the Core exam under the 01/25 handbook, and the Core exam allows no calculator. Gross-to-net is hand arithmetic: three small numbers to add and one subtraction. Practice doing it on paper and writing the unit beside every figure so a radius or a boom length never sneaks into the sum.
Practice it
The net capacity worksheet lays the subtraction out step by step. Crane capacity deductions covers what counts as a deduction, and structural vs stability limits covers why the gross number is limited in the first place. The crane terms glossary lists every term in this set.
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Sources
Show the list
- 29 CFR 1926.1417: Operation, OSHA.
- 29 CFR 1926.1433: Design, construction and testing, OSHA.
- Mobile Crane Operator Candidate Handbook, CCO, Core outline tasks and weights (01/25 revision). Task numbers on this page follow it.
Facts checked 25 October 2026 against the sources listed above. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it within 2 business days.
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