How to Measure Your Old Filter Belt

Measure it once, properly

Each step shows what it produces and which field on the engineering form it fills. Work down the list and the form fills itself.

1. 01

   Measure the width

   Measure across the cloth face, perpendicular to the direction of travel. Take the measurement at three points along the belt and write down all three — if they differ, the belt has been pulled out of shape and we need to know that.

   You produce Width in mm, at three points

   Fills form field cloth_width_mm (E3)

   Common mistakeDo not pull the tape as a straight chord across a sagging belt. Let the tape follow the cloth face.

2. 02

   Measure the length or circumference

   On an endless belt, mark a start point with chalk or tape, then walk the tape along the belt for one full lap back to the mark. If the belt cannot be turned, take the roll centre distances and say clearly that the figure is derived, not measured.

   You produce Length in mm, and whether it is measured or derived

   Fills form field cloth_length_mm (E4)

   Common mistakeA used belt has usually stretched. Send what you measure today and tell us it is a used belt — do not correct it yourself.

3. 03

   Identify the joint

   Work out which of the four joint types you have: clipper hooks joined by a pin, a PAD seam worked into the fabric, interlocking spirals with a pintle wire, or a lapped and bonded joint. If you are not sure, photograph it and let us identify it.

   You produce Joint type, plus close-up photos of both faces

   Fills form field drawing_photo + message (E6)

   Common mistakeOne photo of one face is not enough. The failure is often only visible from the other side.

4. 04

   Look at the edges

   Note how the edges are finished and how worn they are. Photograph both edges, and say which is the drive side as you face the discharge end.

   You produce Edge condition photos, left and right

   Fills form field drawing_photo (E6)

   Common mistakePhotograph the edge before you cut the belt off the machine — edge damage tells us how it was running.

5. 05

   Copy the machine nameplate

   Brand, model and serial number, exactly as printed. If the plate is gone or unreadable, that is fine — the form accepts unknown, and the belt dimensions carry the job.

   You produce Machine brand and model, or unknown

   Fills form field equipment_brand / equipment_model (E1 / E2)

   Common mistakeLight the plate from an angle. A straight flash usually washes out the stamped text.

6. 06

   Record perforation or drainage detail

   If the cloth is perforated or has a defined drainage zone, photograph it against something that gives scale, and note where the zone starts relative to the edge.

   You produce Photos of the perforation or drainage zone

   Fills form field drawing_photo (E6)

   Common mistakeShoot square-on, not at an angle — hole spacing is impossible to read from a slanted photo.

7. 07

   Vertical pressure filters: the plate

   Vertical pressure filters only

   On a tower press or stacked pressure filter, the plate is what defines the cloth. Record the filtration area per plate and the plate dimensions, from the machine data sheet where you have it.

   You produce Plate area in m2 and plate dimensions

   Fills form field plate_area_m2 (E5)

   Common mistakeThis step only applies to vertical pressure filters. On a vacuum belt filter, skip it.

Measurement to form field, in one table

No filter cloth specification figures are published on this page. What the cloth ends up being built to comes out of your measurements and the duty you describe, not out of a table we printed in advance.

Came here from a fault?

All filtration problems →