{"id":556,"date":"2026-10-14T12:29:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T04:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wipeoutcockroaches.com\/blog\/?p=556"},"modified":"2026-10-14T12:29:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T04:29:53","slug":"what-is-the-average-speed-of-an-enclosed-elevator-463e-11d1b0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.wipeoutcockroaches.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/14\/what-is-the-average-speed-of-an-enclosed-elevator-463e-11d1b0\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the average speed of an enclosed elevator?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever stepped into an enclosed elevator \u2014 you know, the kind with solid walls, no open shafts, that glide smoothly between floors \u2014 you\u2019ve probably had a tiny thought about how fast it\u2019s moving. Maybe it\u2019s 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: \u201cWhat\u2019s the average speed of these things, anyway?\u201d It\u2019s 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\u2019s in. Today, I\u2019m breaking this down like I do for every customer who calls or emails with questions about our products \u2014 mixing real-world science, industry standards, and what actually works for the buildings we equip. Enclosed Elevator<\/a><\/p>\n

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First, let\u2019s get one thing straight: there\u2019s no one \u201cone size fits all\u201d number for average elevator speed. It depends entirely on where the elevator is going, how far it travels, who it\u2019s for, and what building it\u2019s in. To make this make sense, let\u2019s start with how elevators are engineered. Enclosed elevators (what the industry often calls \u201cpassenger elevators\u201d for this exact design) are built to balance speed with passenger comfort. No one wants a ride that feels like a rollercoaster \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

For context, let\u2019s talk about the most common types of enclosed elevators you\u2019ll find today. If we\u2019re talking about low-rise buildings \u2014 think 1 to 5 stories, like small offices, retail centers, or townhouse complexes \u2014 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\u2019d waste space in the building for no reason. Plus, shorter rides mean you don\u2019t need speed to make them feel fast.<\/p>\n

Mid-rise buildings, the ones with 6 to 20 stories \u2014 think midtown office towers, neighborhood hospitals, or apartment complexes with multiple floors of residents \u2014 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\u2019s 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\u2019s another 190 seconds, so total trip time would be 230 seconds, or almost 4 minutes. But that\u2019s 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\u2019re not traveling the full distance every time.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 that\u2019s 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\u2019s the average speed here? Let\u2019s 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 \u2014 that\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019re not wasting time stopping for every single person.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s something I always tell my customers: speed isn\u2019t the only factor that matters for enclosed elevators. Comfort is huge, and that\u2019s 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 \u2014 usually between 1 and 2 fps per second (fps\u00b2) 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 fps\u00b2, it would reach full speed in 1 second, and most people would feel the pressure in their ears, like when you\u2019re in a car that floors it.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s fully loaded, compared to when it\u2019s empty. We design our motors to handle that, so the difference is minimal, but it\u2019s still a factor. That\u2019s why we test every elevator we manufacture at 100% load to make sure its speed stays consistent, even when it\u2019s carrying the maximum number of passengers.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about industry standards, because this isn\u2019t 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 \u2014 the fast movement changes air pressure inside the elevator, which hurts ears if you don\u2019t have proper ventilation and pressure controls.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the part that most people don\u2019t think about: average speed vs. perceived speed. You might be in an elevator that\u2019s technically moving at 3 fps, but it feels like it\u2019s 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\u2019s 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 \u2014 double the actual speed. That\u2019s the power of the enclosed space.<\/p>\n

Now, as someone who sells enclosed elevators for a living, I get asked all the time: \u201cHow fast should I get for my building?\u201d The answer isn\u2019t just about the maximum speed, it\u2019s 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\u2019t 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 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

I also want to address a common misconception: enclosed elevators are slower than other types, but that\u2019s not always true. Open shaft elevators (sometimes called external elevators) have to be slower because they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve 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 \u2014 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s wrap this up with a quick cheat sheet for average enclosed elevator speeds, to make it easy:<\/p>\n