How to Read an Attachment's Product Description - Weight, Volume, Width and What They Mean

In short: In an attachment's product description, it's worth looking first at the mount designation, then the weight, and finally the volume or width. The mount decides whether the product fits the machine at all; the weight decides whether the machine can actually lift it; the volume and width decide how fast and precisely the work goes.

The mount designation comes first

Most of our products are named in a format like "S40 Digging Bucket 120L 620mm" or "SMS Pallet Forks 1000mm". The first part (S40, SMS, Big BM, Avant/Multione and so on) shows which quick coupler the product fits. If that designation doesn't match your machine's mount, the product won't fit, regardless of the other numbers.

If you're not sure what mount your machine has, see more detailed guidance on our excavator mounts page, or write to us with the machine's make and model.

Weight - the most underrated number

• What it affects: the attachment's weight adds to the machine's own weight and affects lifting capacity, stability, and how far the boom can be extended.
• Common mistake: focusing on the bucket's volume while forgetting that a heavy empty bucket leaves less margin for filling it.
• What to do: check the machine manufacturer's manual for how much attachment weight the machine can carry in the specific configuration, before choosing the maximum.

Volume and width - depend on the nature of the work

• Volume (in liters): shows how much material the bucket holds at once. A larger volume means fewer cycles, but more weight.
• Width (in millimeters): shows how wide a track the bucket leaves. For trenching, the width needs to match the trench width; for loading work, it needs to be enough for fast work.
• Two width numbers: for example on cable buckets, "400/250mm" means a different width at the top and bottom - this is useful information, not an error in the product description.

Other designations worth checking

• Material and teeth: whether the bucket has steel teeth or a smooth cutting edge affects suitability for hard ground.
• Machine class suitability: some products list which machine class (for example 1-3 tons) the product is meant for - this is additional information alongside the mount, not instead of it.

If the numbers don't add up

If the mount fits but the volume or width seems too large or too small for the machine, it's more sensible to ask before ordering. A wrong estimate of volume means either an unstable machine or inefficient work, and that's harder to fix later than checking it before purchase. See all products on our all attachments page.

Tell us the machine's make, model and the work you're planning, and we'll help interpret the product description and find a suitable product. Get in touch via our contact page.