ASME B30.20 Explained: Below-the-Hook Lifting Device Standards & Compliance

If you spec, purchase, or operate below-the-hook (BTH) lifting equipment, such as spreader beams, lifting beams, coil hooks, clamps, or custom fixtures, you’ve likely seen “ASME B30.20 compliant” on a spec sheet or nameplate. But what does that actually mean, who it applies to, and how does it differ from ASME BTH-1, which comes up in the same conversations?

Below, we’ll break down what ASME B30.20 covers, how it works alongside BTH-1, and what it requires of manufacturers, safety managers, and operators.

What Is ASME B30.20?

ASME B30.20 is the consensus safety standard published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers that governs the marking, construction, installation, inspection, testing, maintenance, and operation of below-the-hook lifting devices, which connect a crane or hoist hook to the load.

“Below-the-hook” is a broad category. B30.20 organizes it into six distinct types, each covered in its own chapter of the standard:

Most of what we design and build here at ELT, including spreader beams, lifting beams, coil handling equipment, and custom below-the-hook fixtures, falls under the structural and mechanical lifters chapter of the standard, the section most relevant to the majority of industrial and manufacturing lifting applications.

The standard was most recently updated in 2025. That revision added coverage for adjustable and modular spreader bars and clamps, clarified how multiple-rated-load devices should be marked, and updated the load-testing methodology — which matters if you’re comparing older equipment to what’s being built and certified today.

ASME B30.20 vs. ASME BTH-1: What’s the Difference?

This is the question we hear most often, and it’s a fair one—the two standards are closely related but address different questions.

ASME BTH-1 is a design standard. It sets the minimum structural, mechanical, and (where applicable) electrical criteria engineers must follow when designing a below-the-hook lifting device, including load factors, allowable stresses, fatigue life, and related engineering criteria. It’s the standard our engineering team designs to before we build a lifting beam or spreader bar.

ASME B30.20 is an operational standard. It doesn’t tell you how to engineer the device — it specifies how the finished device must be marked, installed, inspected, tested, maintained, and used once it’s in service.

A simple way to think about it: BTH-1 governs how a device is designed and built; B30.20 governs everything that happens to it after that, for the rest of its working life. A properly engineered BTH-1 device still needs to comply with B30.20’s inspection and marking requirements to be used safely and legally on a job site; the two standards work together, not as alternatives.

What ASME B30.20 Requires

Marking and Labeling

Every below-the-hook lifting device covered by B30.20 must have a durable, legible identification label or nameplate that includes:

• Manufacturer’s name and trademark
• Rated load (the maximum load the device is designed to lift)
• Serial or ID number
• Device weight
• Any additional data or warnings relevant to safe use

For devices with more than one rated load (for example, an adjustable spreader beam whose capacity varies with beam extension), the 2025 edition adds specific guidance on how to mark those multiple ratings so an operator isn’t left guessing which capacity applies to a given configuration.

Inspection

B30.20 requires that below-the-hook devices be inspected by a qualified person at intervals based on how frequently and how severely the equipment is used — a device in constant, heavy-duty service needs to be inspected more often than one used occasionally. Document and retain inspection results, and remove any device that fails inspection from service until it’s repaired or replaced.

This mirrors the inspection framework used elsewhere in the B30 series (the same logic behind proof load testing and OSHA compliance): inspection isn’t a one-time event; it’s an ongoing program tied to how hard the equipment is actually working.

Testing

New devices, as well as any device that’s been repaired or modified, must be load-tested before being returned to service. Qualified personnel must perform testing, and the results—load applied, date, and outcome—must be documented and kept with the equipment’s records.

Maintenance and Operation

B30.20 also sets expectations for how devices should be maintained and operated over time, including operator qualification, safe rigging practices when attaching the device to a load, and requirements to avoid exceeding the rated load marked on the equipment.

Who Needs to Care About This?

Equipment buyers and safety managers need B30.20 compliance to satisfy OSHA’s general duty clause and protect their workforce — non-compliant below-the-hook equipment is a common finding in safety audits and incident investigations.

Operators need to understand the marked rated load and inspection status of any device before rigging it to a load.

Manufacturers and fabricators (like ELT) need to design to BTH-1 and build, mark, and document equipment so the end user can meet their own B30.20 inspection and operational obligations. That’s why we include nameplates, rated load documentation, and load test certificates with every device we produce—they’re not paperwork for its own sake; they make B30.20 compliance possible downstream.

Common Compliance Mistakes

A few issues come up repeatedly when we talk with customers about the equipment in their facilities:

1. Missing or illegible nameplates. Rated load markings wear off or are painted over, leaving operators to guess at capacity.
2. No inspection records. Equipment is inspected informally, but nothing is documented, leaving no defensible record for an audit or after an incident.
3. Using multi-configuration equipment without checking the applicable rating. Adjustable and telescoping spreader beams have different capacities at different settings — using the wrong one is a B30.20 marking issue as much as an operator training issue.
4. Continuing to use modified equipment without re-testing. Any repair or modification requires a new load test before the device returns to service.

Building Below-the-Hook Equipment to Both Standards

BTH-1 and B30.20 aren’t boxes to check — they’re the framework that keeps below-the-hook lifting equipment predictable and safe under load. When you’re sourcing spreader beams, lifting beams, or custom lifting fixtures, confirming that the manufacturer designs to BTH-1 and documents to B30.20 is one of the simplest ways to reduce risk before the equipment even reaches your floor.

ELT designs and builds all below-the-hook lifting devices to meet ASME BTH-1 design criteria and B30.20 marking and testing requirements, and provides full documentation for every unit—standard, configured, or fully custom. If you have questions about compliance for existing equipment or need a below-the-hook device engineered for your specific application, our engineering team can help.