How to Choose a Scissor Lift Table: 4 Questions That Decide It (With Real Capacities, Heights and Prices)

Choosing a scissor lift table comes down to four numbers: the heaviest load you will put on it, the height that load needs to reach, the height it starts from, and how many times a day you will pump it to the top. On Warehouse Gear Hub, the Apollolift single scissor table rated 440 lb with 39.4 in of lift is $295.00, the 1,760 lb single scissor is $375.00, the 770 lb double scissor that reaches 51 in is $595.00, and the 1,760 lb double scissor that reaches 59 in is $995.00. The four questions below take you from the load to the model number, with the working-height guidance quoted from OSHA's Technical Manual, OSHA's warehousing page and NIOSH's manual handling guidelines, and every capacity, platform size, height and stroke count taken from the Apollolift spec tables on our product pages.

What does OSHA say about lift tables?

OSHA treats a lift table as an engineering control for manual lifting, and it puts that kind of control first. Section VII, Chapter 1 of the OSHA Technical Manual, on back disorders and injuries, lists "Provide lift-assist devices, and lift tables" under engineering controls for manual handling tasks. The same section states that "Platforms and conveyors should be built at about waist height to minimize awkward postures" and tells employers to "Store heavy objects at waist level." OSHA's Ergonomics: Solutions to Control Hazards page calls engineering controls "the most desirable, where possible."

The height target comes from two more pages. OSHA's Warehousing: Hazards and Solutions page reads: "For cases over 35 pounds, raise the pallet so cases can be lifted between the knees and mid chest," and for picking, "Place high volume items near standing elbow height." NIOSH's Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling (Publication 2007-131) defines the power zone as "above the knees, below the shoulders, and close to the body," names "lift-assist devices like scissors lift tables or load levelers" as a fix, and sets the ceiling for a two-handed lift: "The maximum weight to be lifted with two hands, under ideal conditions, is 51 pounds."

Read together, that gives a lift table a specific job: hold the load between waist and elbow height, keep the operator's hands between the knees and the shoulders for the whole task, and take anything over 51 lb off the operator's back. The four questions below size a table to do that job.

Question 1: How heavy is the heaviest load, and where does it sit on the platform?

Rated capacity is the number in the model name, and it assumes the load sits centered on the platform. Apollolift's spec tables rate the single scissor tables we stock at 440 lb (A-2013), 1,100 lb (A-2004 stainless) and 1,760 lb (A-2005), and the double scissor tables at 330 lb (A-2003), 770 lb (A-2007) and 1,760 lb (A-2010). A 3,300 lb single scissor table with a 48 x 24 in platform (A-2015) is listed at $545.00 and was out of stock as of this writing.

Weigh the heaviest thing that will ride the table, including the pallet, bin or fixture under it, and buy a rating above that weight rather than at it. A load pushed to one edge of the plate, or hanging past it, loads one scissor arm harder than a centered load does, which is why the load stays inside the platform edges. Every Apollolift table here has an overload bypass valve that, per the product pages, protects the pump and the operator when the pedal is worked past the rating. A valve that refuses to lift is also a plain signal that the table is too small for the job.

Platform size is the other half of the question. The load has to fit inside the plate with nothing overhanging, and the six in-stock platforms run from 27.5 x 17.7 in on the A-2003 to 48 x 24 in on the A-2010. The A-2010 is the only one wider than 20 in, so a wide crate or a 24 in tote belongs there.

Model we stock	Scissor	Capacity	Platform (L x W)	Lowered to raised	Pedal strokes to full height	Casters	Price as listed
Apollolift A-2013, folding handle	Single	440 lb	39.4 x 19.7 in	13 to 39.4 in	25 or fewer	7.8 in rubber, 2 swivel with brake, 2 rigid	$295.00
Apollolift A-2005	Single	1,760 lb	39.3 x 20 in	16.5 to 39.5 in	70	6 in	$375.00
Apollolift A-2004, Type 304 stainless, folding handle	Single	1,100 lb	32 x 19.7 in	11 to 35.4 in	45	5 in	$1,245.00
Apollolift A-2003	Double	330 lb	27.5 x 17.7 in	11.9 to 43 in	30	4 in	$480.00
Apollolift A-2007	Double	770 lb	35.8 x 19.7 in	13.8 to 51 in	60	5 in	$595.00
Apollolift A-2010	Double	1,760 lb	48 x 24 in	18.7 to 59 in	70	6 in	$995.00

Read the capacity column against the platform column. The A-2005 and the A-2010 share a 1,760 lb rating, but one carries it on a 39.3 x 20 in plate and the other on a 48 x 24 in plate. Capacity tells you what the table carries; the platform decides whether the load sits on it with all four corners inside the edge.

Question 2: What height does the load need to reach?

Raised height is where single versus double scissor gets decided. A single scissor table reaches 35.4 to 39.5 in on the models we stock. A double scissor stacks a second pair of arms on the first and reaches 43 to 59 in from a similar footprint, and it pays for that reach with a taller lowered height, more pedal strokes and a higher price.

The method is a tape measure and the operator. Measure standing elbow height, knee height and shoulder height. Then measure the height of the load itself. The raised height you want puts the top of the load, or the surface being worked on, near elbow height, with the bottom of the load above the knees. Per OSHA's warehousing guidance, that is where a case over 35 lb gets handled, and per NIOSH it is the power zone. A 39.5 in single scissor with a 6 in tall tote on it presents the work at 45.5 in. The same tote on a 59 in double scissor sits at 65 in, so check that number against the operator's shoulder height before assuming more lift is better.

That makes the double scissor a tool for specific jobs rather than an upgrade across the board: feeding a conveyor, a machine bed, a truck deck or a shelf that sits above a single scissor's reach, or holding a short load at standing work height. The A-2003 raises to 43 in, the A-2007 to 51 in and the A-2010 to 59 in. If your tallest target is a 36 in bench, the single scissor A-2005 or A-2013 gets there with lift to spare and leaves $220.00 to $620.00 in the budget against the two larger double scissor tables.

Question 3: Where does the load come from, and what floor does the table cross?

Lowered height is the spec that decides how the load gets onto the table. The lowest platform in the group is the A-2004 stainless at 11 in, then the A-2003 at 11.9 in, the A-2013 at 13 in, the A-2007 at 13.8 in, the A-2005 at 16.5 in and the A-2010 at 18.7 in. The higher a table reaches, the higher its platform sits when fully lowered, because the folded scissor arms take up room.

Match that number to the surface the load starts on. A load that comes off a bench, a conveyor or the top of a pallet stack should slide across onto a platform at the same height, not get lifted onto it. A load that starts on the floor has to be lifted to the platform no matter which table you buy, so for floor pickups the 11 to 13 in tables keep that first lift short, and for anything over 51 lb the load should reach the table on a pallet jack or a stacker rather than in someone's hands. When loads arrive on pallets, a scissor lift pallet truck lifts the pallet itself: the Eoslift I15DE electric scissor lift pallet truck carries 3,300 lb on 27 x 43.3 in forks from 3.3 to 31.5 in and is listed at $2,786.00, and our straddle vs counterbalanced stacker guide covers lifting pallets higher than that.

Then look at the floor the table will roll across. Five of the six tables run 4 to 6 in casters. The A-2013 runs 7.8 in rubber casters, two swivel with brakes and two rigid, and per Apollolift's product page the big wheels take it across rough floors and the rubber wheels can be used outdoors. That makes the A-2013 the table for a cracked slab, expansion joints or a trip to the yard. The A-2013 and the A-2004 also have handles that fold down, which matters when the table lives under a bench between jobs. The other four have fixed uprights.

Question 4: How many times a day will you pump it to full height?

Every table in the group is raised by a hydraulic foot pump and lowered by a finger release that, per Apollolift, "smoothly lowers even heavy loads." The number that separates them is pedal strokes to full height: 25 or fewer on the A-2013, 30 on the A-2003, 45 on the A-2004, 60 on the A-2007, and 70 on both the A-2005 and the A-2010.

Multiply by your day. A table raised to full height five times a shift is a foot pump job on any model here. One that cycles 40 times a shift on the A-2010 is 2,800 pedal strokes a day for one operator, which is the point where a manual table stops being the ergonomic fix and becomes the next complaint. Two things change the math. Most lifts are partial, so a table that only needs to rise 20 in uses a fraction of the rated strokes. And a table parked at working height all day and loaded by hand is pumped once in the morning.

When the full-height count is high, move the lifting to a motor. The Eoslift I15DE above has an electric pump. Powered lift tables are not on our site as of this writing; call us with the capacity, platform and cycle count and we will quote one.

Which scissor lift table should you buy?

Match the job to the line that describes it.

• Loads under 440 lb, a rough floor or trips outside, storage under a bench: Apollolift A-2013 ($295.00). 39.4 x 19.7 in plate, 13 to 39.4 in, 7.8 in rubber casters, folding handle, 25 strokes or fewer to the top.
• Heavy loads to bench height on smooth concrete: Apollolift A-2005 ($375.00). 1,760 lb on a 39.3 x 20 in plate, 16.5 to 39.5 in, 70 strokes to the top.
• Washdown, lab or food service: Apollolift A-2004 ($1,245.00). 1,100 lb, Type 304 stainless steel frame and platform, 11 to 35.4 in, folding handle, which Apollolift recommends for laboratories, seafood and food service.
• Light loads to a 43 in target in a small footprint: Apollolift A-2003 ($480.00). 330 lb on a 27.5 x 17.7 in plate, 11.9 to 43 in, 30 strokes.
• Mid-weight loads to conveyor or machine height: Apollolift A-2007 ($595.00). 770 lb on a 35.8 x 19.7 in plate, 13.8 to 51 in, 60 strokes.
• Heavy, wide loads to the highest point in the range: Apollolift A-2010 ($995.00). 1,760 lb on a 48 x 24 in plate, 18.7 to 59 in, 70 strokes.
• Over 1,760 lb, or 40 or more full lifts a shift: call before you buy. The 3,300 lb A-2015 is listed at $545.00 and was out of stock at the time of writing, and powered tables are quoted by phone.

All six are in the Scissor Lift Table Carts collection, alongside the EKKO ES series aerial work platforms, which lift people and are a different machine from a load table. We price match, and we quote volume and B2B orders. If the job lands between two lines, call 1-800-794-1049, 8 AM to 4 PM Central, with the load weight, the operator's elbow height and the floor condition, and we will size it in one call and send a written quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a single and a double scissor lift table?

A single scissor table has one pair of crossed arms and, on the Apollolift models we stock, raises a load to 35.4 to 39.5 in. A double scissor table stacks a second pair of arms on top of the first and raises to 43 to 59 in from a similar footprint. The trade for the extra reach is a higher lowered height (11.9 to 18.7 in against 11 to 16.5 in), more pedal strokes to the top (30 to 70 against 25 to 70) and a higher price ($480.00 to $995.00 against $295.00 to $375.00 for the steel singles). Buy the double only when the target height is above what a single reaches.

How much weight can a scissor lift table hold?

The rating on the model, with the load centered on the platform. The in-stock Apollolift tables are rated 330, 440, 770, 1,100 and 1,760 lb, and a 3,300 lb single scissor is listed at $545.00 for when it returns to stock. Every one has an overload bypass valve that protects the pump and operator past the rating. Keep the load inside the platform edges, weigh the heaviest load with its pallet or bin included, and buy the rating above that number.

What height should a lift table be?

High enough that the top of the load sits near the operator's standing elbow height and the bottom stays above the knees. OSHA's Technical Manual says "Platforms and conveyors should be built at about waist height to minimize awkward postures," OSHA's warehousing guidance says cases over 35 lb should be "lifted between the knees and mid chest," and NIOSH puts the power zone "above the knees, below the shoulders, and close to the body." Measure the operator and the load, add them, and pick the raised height that lands in that zone.

Can you ride on a scissor lift table?

No. The tables in this guide are load-positioning equipment, and the safety standard that covers them is ANSI MH29.1, "Safety Requirements-Industrial Scissor Lift," published through MHI. People go up on an aerial work platform built for the job, such as the EKKO ES series in the same collection, which is a different machine with its own training requirements. Keep the platform clear of people, keep hands and feet out of the scissor mechanism, and lower the table before rolling it.

Does OSHA require a lift table?

We found no OSHA rule that names a lift table as a requirement on its own. What OSHA publishes is guidance: its Technical Manual lists "Provide lift-assist devices, and lift tables" as an engineering control for manual handling, and its ergonomics solutions page ranks engineering controls as "the most desirable, where possible." NIOSH's manual handling guidelines name "scissors lift tables or load levelers" as a lift-assist option and set 51 lb as the two-handed maximum under ideal conditions. A lift table is how most shops meet that guidance for loads that would otherwise be lifted from the floor.

How much does a scissor lift table cost?

On Warehouse Gear Hub as of this writing, the Apollolift A-2013 440 lb single scissor is $295.00, the A-2005 1,760 lb single scissor is $375.00, the A-2003 330 lb double scissor is $480.00, the A-2007 770 lb double scissor is $595.00, the A-2010 1,760 lb double scissor is $995.00, and the A-2004 1,100 lb stainless single scissor is $1,245.00. A scissor lift pallet truck with an electric pump, the Eoslift I15DE, is listed at $2,786.00. We price match and quote volume orders.