How to read a forklift load plate, step by step

What the load plate is for

The load plate shows the heaviest load the truck can lift without tipping forward. That capacity is not fixed: it drops when the load is higher or its centre of gravity is further from the fork heel.

In the CACES® R489 theory test, load plates and charts are a separate theme with their own minimum score. Many candidates fail on this theme alone.

The 4-step method

To check whether a load can be lifted to a given height:

• 1. Take the real weight of the load, packaging and pallet included.
• 2. Estimate the distance from its centre of gravity to the fork heel (often half the depth of the load).
• 3. On the plate, take the row for the lift height you need, or the next height up.
• 4. Read the capacity at the matching load centre, or the next one up. If the load is heavier than that value, the lift is not allowed.

Common traps

Reading the rated capacity (at the top of the plate) instead of the capacity at the real height. Rounding the height or distance down instead of up. Forgetting the pallet's weight.

With an attachment (clamp, side shift, fork extensions), the plate for the truck and attachment together applies: the capacity is often lower.

Practise

Reading load plates is like mental arithmetic: a few exercises a day and you stop making mistakes. The Cariprep bank has questions for this theme, with a step-by-step correction for each reading.