Industrial cranes are often used for construction and engineering purposes. These types of cranes are designed to perform repeated tasks, day in day out to a level that is often automated. They are built from highly strengthened steel, which increases their cost considerably compared to standard cranes. As a result they are often hired from crane lending companies.

There are several different types of cranes that can be used for engineering purposes, but a main distinction between them is whether they are mobile or fixed. A fixed crane will be less versatile than a mobile crane, since it is static and cannot move to different lifting sites. While a mobile crane will be able to travel around, but won’t have the lifting capacity of a fixed crane.

These characteristics will determine what crane can be used for an engineering task and is often decided in the planning phase before any work has begun.