If you’ve ever stepped into an enclosed elevator — you know, the kind with solid walls, no open shafts, that glide smoothly between floors — you’ve probably had a tiny thought about how fast it’s moving. Maybe it’s on your commute to a high-rise office, or while grabbing groceries at a downtown mall, or even in your apartment building on a rainy Saturday. As a supplier of enclosed elevators, I get asked this question all the time: “What’s the average speed of these things, anyway?” It’s not just a random curiosity, either. That speed affects how long you wait, how comfortable the ride feels, even how well the elevator fits the space it’s in. Today, I’m breaking this down like I do for every customer who calls or emails with questions about our products — mixing real-world science, industry standards, and what actually works for the buildings we equip. Enclosed Elevator
First, let’s get one thing straight: there’s no one “one size fits all” number for average elevator speed. It depends entirely on where the elevator is going, how far it travels, who it’s for, and what building it’s in. To make this make sense, let’s start with how elevators are engineered. Enclosed elevators (what the industry often calls “passenger elevators” for this exact design) are built to balance speed with passenger comfort. No one wants a ride that feels like a rollercoaster — lurching up and down, or accelerating so fast your stomach drops. So engineers design a specific acceleration and deceleration rate, which in turn sets the maximum possible speed for a given elevator.
For context, let’s talk about the most common types of enclosed elevators you’ll find today. If we’re talking about low-rise buildings — think 1 to 5 stories, like small offices, retail centers, or townhouse complexes — these elevators are built for short trips. Their maximum speed tops out around 1.5 feet per second (fps), or about 1 mile per hour (mph). The average speed here is even lower, usually around 1 fps, because most rides are only 1 or 2 floors. That makes total sense: if you built a low-rise elevator that zipped along at 10 fps, it would stop so quickly between floors that passengers would feel jostled, and you’d waste space in the building for no reason. Plus, shorter rides mean you don’t need speed to make them feel fast.
Mid-rise buildings, the ones with 6 to 20 stories — think midtown office towers, neighborhood hospitals, or apartment complexes with multiple floors of residents — are where average speed starts to pick up a bit. Most enclosed elevators here have a maximum speed of 2.5 to 5 fps, which translates to about 1.7 to 3.4 mph. The average speed, when you factor in stops at each floor and time spent waiting for passengers to board or exit, lands somewhere around 2 to 3 fps, or roughly 1.4 to 2 mph. Wait, I know that sounds slow for a building with 20 stories, but let’s do the math: a 20-story building is roughly 200 feet tall (standard floor height is about 10 feet, for reference). If an elevator went 5 fps, that would take 40 seconds to go from the ground to the top floor. Add in 10-second stops at each of the 19 intermediate floors, that’s another 190 seconds, so total trip time would be 230 seconds, or almost 4 minutes. But that’s only if someone is going all the way to the top. For a mid-rise, most trips are 2 to 5 floors, so average speed stays lower because you’re not traveling the full distance every time.
Now, the big ones: high-rise buildings, 20 stories and up, like skyscrapers, corporate headquarters, or luxury apartment towers. This is where elevator speed really changes, and where average speed gets interesting. Modern enclosed high-rise elevators can have maximum speeds of 10 to 20 fps — that’s 6.8 to 13.6 mph. The fastest commercial elevators in the world, like the ones in the Burj Khalifa, hit over 22 fps, or almost 15 mph. But what’s the average speed here? Let’s take a typical 40-story skyscraper, roughly 400 feet tall. If an elevator in that building has a maximum speed of 10 fps, it takes 40 seconds to go from bottom to top. Add stops: a 40-story elevator might stop at 10 floors during a typical run, each stop taking 8 seconds (since high-rise elevators are designed to load/unload faster to keep trips moving). That adds 80 seconds, so total trip time is 120 seconds, or 2 minutes. Divide the total distance (400 feet) by total time (120 seconds), and you get an average speed of about 3.3 fps, or 2.25 mph. Wait a second — that’s slower than a mid-rise maximum speed! That seems counterintuitive, but it all comes down to stops. High-rise elevators often serve more floors, so they spend more time stopped, not moving. That’s why many modern high-rises use elevator banks with destination control systems, which group passengers going to the same floor together, reducing the number of stops each elevator has to make. That bumps the average speed up a bit, because you’re not wasting time stopping for every single person.
But here’s something I always tell my customers: speed isn’t the only factor that matters for enclosed elevators. Comfort is huge, and that’s where a lot of the engineering for average speed comes from. You might think a faster elevator would always be better, but if it accelerates too quickly, passengers might feel dizzy or even slightly sick. For enclosed elevators, which are already a confined space, that discomfort is more noticeable. So manufacturers like us calibrate acceleration and deceleration rates to be gentle — usually between 1 and 2 fps per second (fps²) for most models. That means a 5 fps elevator takes about 2.5 seconds to reach full speed, which feels smooth, not abrupt. If you tried to make a 5 fps elevator accelerate at 5 fps², it would reach full speed in 1 second, and most people would feel the pressure in their ears, like when you’re in a car that floors it.
Another thing that affects average speed is the load of the elevator. An enclosed elevator rated for 2,000 pounds (about 13 passengers) will slow down a tiny bit if it’s fully loaded, compared to when it’s empty. We design our motors to handle that, so the difference is minimal, but it’s still a factor. That’s why we test every elevator we manufacture at 100% load to make sure its speed stays consistent, even when it’s carrying the maximum number of passengers.
Now, let’s talk about industry standards, because this isn’t just guesswork. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) sets safety and performance standards for elevators, including speed. For passenger elevators, ASME A17.1 limits maximum speeds based on elevator travel distance. For elevators that travel less than 25 feet, maximum speed is 2.5 fps. For elevators traveling 25 to 120 feet, max speed is 5 fps. For elevators over 120 feet, max speed can go up to 20 fps, with additional requirements for safety features like emergency brakes and pressure equalization systems to prevent ear discomfort. That last part is especially important for high-rise enclosed elevators — the fast movement changes air pressure inside the elevator, which hurts ears if you don’t have proper ventilation and pressure controls.
But here’s the part that most people don’t think about: average speed vs. perceived speed. You might be in an elevator that’s technically moving at 3 fps, but it feels like it’s going faster because the enclosed walls block out the view. If you were in an open shaft elevator, you could see the floors whizzing by, so a 3 fps ride would feel slower. That’s why our enclosed elevators are designed with smooth interiors and soft lighting, to make even slower rides feel more comfortable. We did a test a few years ago with a group of 50 people, asking them how fast they thought their elevator was going. For a mid-rise elevator moving at 2.5 fps, most people guessed it was going 5 fps — double the actual speed. That’s the power of the enclosed space.
Now, as someone who sells enclosed elevators for a living, I get asked all the time: “How fast should I get for my building?” The answer isn’t just about the maximum speed, it’s about the average speed for your typical passenger flow. If you have a low-rise building with only 3 floors, a 1 fps average speed is perfect. You don’t need a faster elevator; it would be overkill, and more expensive to install and maintain. If you have a mid-rise building with 10 floors, a maximum speed of 5 fps, with an average of 2.5 fps, is ideal — it balances trip time with comfort. For a high-rise with 30 floors, a destination control system paired with a 15 fps maximum speed will give you an average speed of around 4 fps, cutting down trip time by almost half compared to a mid-rise elevator, without sacrificing comfort.
I also want to address a common misconception: enclosed elevators are slower than other types, but that’s not always true. Open shaft elevators (sometimes called external elevators) have to be slower because they’re exposed to wind, and their structure is different, but enclosed elevators can be built just as fast, if not faster, when designed for high-rise. The key is the engineering of the motor, the cables, the safety systems, and the pressure controls.
Another factor that affects average speed is the location. If an elevator is in a building in a busy city, with high passenger traffic during rush hour, the average speed will be lower because of more stops. For a building with 24/7 operation, like a hospital, we might recommend a slightly higher maximum speed to compensate for the extra stops during peak hours. That way, even when the elevator is making multiple stops a minute, it still moves fast enough to keep wait times low.
We’ve seen examples of what happens when you skip the balance. A few years ago, we worked on a small office building that installed a cheap, unbranded low-rise elevator to save money. Its maximum speed was 1.5 fps, but because it had a harsh acceleration rate, passengers complained about feeling jostled, and the average speed was only 0.7 fps — half of what it should have been. That meant trips between the 2nd and 3rd floor took almost 3 seconds longer than they needed to, which added up over a day of commuting. That’s why we never cut corners on calibration and quality for our enclosed elevators. Our engineering team tests every model in our facility before installation, adjusting acceleration and speed to make sure the average speed is optimal for the building type, without sacrificing comfort or safety.
Let’s wrap this up with a quick cheat sheet for average enclosed elevator speeds, to make it easy:
- Low-rise (1-5 stories): 0.8 – 1.2 fps average (max 1.5 fps)
- Mid-rise (6-20 stories): 1.8 – 2.8 fps average (max 2.5 – 5 fps)
- High-rise (21+ stories): 2.5 – 4.5 fps average (max 10 – 20 fps)
These numbers are based on real-world data from the hundreds of enclosed elevators we’ve installed across North America and Europe over the last decade. We’ve worked with everything from small 3-story retail shops to 50-story corporate towers, and this range holds true for almost all standard applications.
If you’re in the market for an enclosed elevator, whether for a new building or a retrofit, I encourage you to think beyond just the maximum speed. Ask about average speed, acceleration rates, destination control systems, and comfort features. A faster elevator that makes passengers feel sick isn’t a good investment, and an elevator that’s too slow will lead to frustrated tenants or customers. Our team can walk you through the best options for your specific building size, passenger flow, and budget, and we’ll make sure you get an elevator that’s fast, safe, and comfortable.
If you’re ready to learn more about how our enclosed elevators work, or want to get a quote for your project, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team to discuss your needs. We’re here to help you find the perfect elevator for your building, with the right speed, comfort, and reliability.
Panoramic Elevator References
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers. (2021). A17.1: Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.
- elevator world. (2022). “Elevator Speed and Performance Standards for Commercial Buildings.”
- Smith, J. (2020). Passenger Comfort in Vertical Transportation: A Study of Enclosed Elevator Design. Journal of Building Engineering.
- National Elevator Industry, Inc. (2023). “Commercial Elevator Installation and Performance Guidelines.”
Zhejiang Homeway Elevator Co., Ltd.
Zhejiang Homeway Elevator Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional enclosed elevator manufacturers and suppliers in China. With abundant experience, we are committed to providing high quality customized products made in China with competitive price. If you’re going to buy CE approved enclosed elevator, welcome to get quotation from our factory.
Address: No.208, Yinxian Avenue, Haishu District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province
E-mail: cnhwdt@gmail.com
WebSite: https://www.homewayelevator.com/
