Reports recently surfaced online of some strange situations in elevators. They sparked debate about what really lies behind the signs that indicate "maximum weight" or even "maximum number of passengers" allowed in the elevator. Internet users shared stories of the weight limit warning alarm going off with nobody inside. Others claimed that their elevator had kept the sign indicating the maximum number of people, but the maximum weight had been reduced. How is a humble elevator user to make sense of this bewildering landscape? We spoke to some experts to get to the bottom of things.

When an elevator is overloaded, it makes a warning noise. But is that assessment based on the number of people inside, or on their overall weight?

Member of public
Don’t they all have signs with a maximum weight? I think it’s based on weight.

Member of public
Some people are thinner and some fatter. Elevators do say things like, “12 people,” but they also give a number of kilograms. But if everyone inside is thin or they’re all children, then maybe it can carry more people.

Reports came out, describing an experience of stepping onto an elevator that says it could carry up to seven people, but the warning noise came on before that limit was reached. Elevator companies say that the limit is not really connected to the number of passengers.

Hsieh Lai-chin
Elevator expert
It’s about the weight of the load. It produces a voltage that goes back to the top.

The sign telling you the maximum number of people that can step into the elevator is actually based on the standing room. What’s most important is the maximum load the motor can handle. A story emerged of a residential elevator that was replaced; the original had said it could carry 15 people or 820 kilograms. The new elevator said 15 people or 720 kilograms. The number of people was unchanged, but their allocated weight had fallen dramatically!

Hsieh Lai-chin
Elevator expert
If the motor is old, for example, or it’s been replaced, and it’s an old one, then they think, “I’ll lower the weight a bit to make it safer.” It’s about protecting the facility.

Reducing the maximum weight limit is primarily to protect the motor of the elevator. But sometimes, that warning sign can start up with only one person inside – or none at all.

That might be because a sensor in the elevator has detected that the elasticity of the equipment is exhausted, or perhaps that the equipment has got out of position. Such situations require an engineer to come and check it over, to prevent anything more dangerous from happening.

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