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How to choose the right conveyor belt for your application

Choosing the right conveyor belt isn’t just about keeping your equipment moving—it’s about maximising uptime, reducing total cost of ownership, and safeguarding your operational efficiency. As global leaders in belt conveying, Smiley Monroe partners with OEMs and operators worldwide to deliver highly engineered, application-specific solutions. Here’s how to choose the right conveyor belt for your application—and what matters most in getting it right.

1. Understand Your Application: It All Starts with the Material

Every conveyor system is unique, but it always begins with what you’re moving. Key questions to ask:

  • What is the material type (abrasive, sharp, wet, hot)?

  • Is the material sorted or unsorted? What’s the maximum lump size?

  • What’s the drop height, load rate, and belt speed?

At Smiley Monroe, our belts are engineered to suit a wide variety of sectors, including quarrying, C&D waste, recycling, agriculture, and port material handling. Whether you're handling fines, wet materials or heavy impact zones, the belt needs to be tailored accordingly.

2. Match the Belt Construction to the Application

Choosing the wrong belt construction can cause premature wear, downtime and unnecessary cost. Consider:

  • Multi-Ply Belts like EP400/3 and EP500/3 are ideal for light to moderate applications. For example, secondary conveyors, screeners, stockpilers where material has already been processed and the impact and lump size is reduced.

  • ToughFlex® Belts are purpose-built for heavy-duty impact, featuring EPP carcass with longer lifespan and lighter weight. Ideal for primary conveyors where the material lump size is larger. 

  • Ripstop Belts offer superior puncture and rip resistance for demanding materials like rebar, concrete or demolition waste or where large material lump size is being dropped on to the conveyor.

These belts vary in tensile strength, cover thickness, and resistance properties—all critical to matching your operational demands.

3. Consider Your Operating Conditions

Your belt needs to handle more than just material—it needs to survive the environment:

  • Temperature range: Where the material handled is highly flammable or the risk of fire is high (such as underground mining, coke, coal), a flame retardantardent belt must be considered. These belts will self extinguish within seconds of coming into contact with a flame and therefore prevent larger incidents and damage. Smiley Monroe belts generally operate from -30°C to +70°C as standard, with specialised belts tolerating up to 600°C.  If you require a heat or flame resistant belt please speak to our team.

  • Incline angle: Different materials and belt profiles (flat or chevron) suit different inclines. For example we recommend specifying a chevron or cleated belt for conveyors at more than a 20 degree incline, especially when materials are loose and there is a risk of material rollback.

  • Exposure: Wet, oily, dusty or sharp environments require enhanced resistance properties (oil-resistant, flame-retardant, anti-static). Consider these properties for wood processing (tree sap can damage the top covers), recycling plants (oily household waste) and fertilizer plants. 

Smiley Monroe offers customisation for flameproof, oil-resistant, and heat-resistant belts to suit niche environments.

4. Evaluate Belt Profile and Accessories

Sometimes the shape of the belt is just as important as what it carries:

  • Chevron or profiled belts are ideal for steep incline applications.

  • Cleated belts provide extra grip and material separation.

  • Side rails and cross cleats extend the belt’s control and wear life.

Every cleat and sidewall option at Smiley Monroe is hot moulded for superior adhesion—no shortcuts, just long-life performance.

5. Think About Downtime and Maintenance

Machine uptime is everything. That’s why solutions like ZIP CLIP® belts are changing the game:

  • Self-installed in under an hour—no vulcanising crew required.

  • Permanent solution with factory-prepared joint strength equal to or greater than the belt.

  • Ideal for critical conveyors, rental fleets, or remote operations.

Case in point? Gaddie Shamrock Quarry in Kentucky reduced downtime by up to 33 hours per breakdown by switching to ZIP CLIP.

6. Partner with the Right Supplier

Choosing a belt is one thing. Having a true conveyor partner is another.

At Smiley Monroe, we’re proud to be known as the Giants of Belting. Our engineering team works directly with customers to understand every detail of their operation, from prototype to production to aftersales. Every belt we produce is quality tested, ID tagged, and backed by a warranty.

When you work with us, you’re not just buying a belt—you’re maximising uptime, safeguarding your investment, and moving your business forward.

In Summary: Conveyor Belt Selection Checklist

✅ Know your material: size, shape, abrasiveness
✅ Choose the right construction: EP Multi-Ply, ToughFlex®, Ripstop
✅ Match the belt to your conditions: heat, incline, oil, etc.
✅ Choose cleats or chevrons for material control
✅ Consider ZIP CLIP® for fast replacement
✅ Work with a trusted partner for long-term performance

Want to Talk Belts?

No one knows belt conveying like we do. Let’s solve your challenges together—get in touch at by emailing us here.