Concrete Questions: How Thick Should a Concrete Slab Be for a Car Lift?

Here’s something you should know if you’re wondering about the automotive repairs industry:

Right now, there are over 76 million vehicles over 16 years old in the United States. 

These stats show how much of a market there is for automobile repair and servicing. It also shows the development and machinery required to make the shops a success. 

When it comes to concrete questions and how thick a concrete slab should be for a car lift? Take a look below at all that you need to know today!

Depth of Concrete Required for Installing a Car Lift

If you are looking at boosting the efficiency of your workshop or home garage, nothing will elevate its success more than a car lift. The most common question asked is how deep does the concrete need to be able to stall a two-post lift or a four post lift.

Manufacturers’ requirements are all slightly different depending on different climates and how hot or cold a place will be. Every manufacturer agrees that the reinforcing bar should be placed perpendicular and horizontally on the floor spaced equally to prevent any cracking of the concrete because of temperature changes.

The strength of the concrete should be at a minimum of 3,500 P.S.I with the aging time set at a minimum of 28 days. The maximum PSI should be around 4000 for your heavy lift installations. The aging time of 28 days should apply, although letting the concrete dry for even longer isn’t a bad thing.

The minimum thickness of a concrete slab for a lift weighing 8,500 lbs to 10,000lbs should be 4 inches and for a lift weighing 12,000 lbs to 18,000lbs, the minimum thickness should be 6 inches.

Important to note is that a 2 post lift will need to be bolted down while a 4 post lift doesn’t need to be because it disperses weight over a wider surface and is engineered to lift a vehicle without being anchored down.

Can You Renovate an Old Slab for Use?

Should your workshop have an existing slab that isn’t thick enough, fear not, as the old floor doesn’t need to be ripped out and laid again. What you can do is cut out a 4×4 square foot section of the old slab and pour new concrete to a depth of about 10 to 12 inches and tie this new section to the old slab with a re-bar drilled in.

This will save you time and money and is recommended by all major lift companies around the world. Remember like any other industrial equipment a car lift needs to be checked rigorously and the mounting bolts checked daily for any suspected cracks or failures of the concrete slab or equipment.

The Stronger, the Better

Installing a new car lift shouldn’t be taken lightly and the concrete slab is the foundation at which the whole shop will operate. If you are unsure remember the thicker the better and overcompensating isn’t a bad thing and some things are better left for the professionals to deal with!

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