- What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
- The Eight Workshop Topics at a Glance
- Crane Selection and Configuration
- Setup, Location and Site Hazards
- Matting and Blocking
- Operator and Rigging Crew Qualifications
- Load Chart and Rigging Exercises
- Standard vs. Critical Lift Plans
- Verified Logistics: Issuer, Format and Unknowns
- Sequencing Your Review by Domain
- Last-Day Checklist
- FAQ
- Lift Planner Certification is issued by the Crane Institute of America and requires a written examination.
- The issuer lists eight workshop topics, from crane selection through developing standard and critical lift plans.
- Question count, exam duration and pass rate have not been verified, so ignore any figures you see quoted elsewhere.
- The workshop centers on mobile-crane lift planning and recommends rigging/signalperson preparation beforehand.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
This page condenses what a candidate for Lift Planner Certification needs to have at their fingertips. The credential comes from the Crane Institute of America and concerns planning lifts with mobile cranes: choosing the machine, configuring it, siting it, protecting the ground under it, assigning qualified people, and documenting the plan. If you are brand new to the credential, start with What Is LP Certification? and then return here for the condensed review.
One point of honesty up front. The issuer publishes eight workshop preparation topics and states that a written examination is required. Those topics are unweighted course topics, not a separately published, exhaustive exam blueprint. That means no one can honestly tell you "Domain 3 is worth a fixed percentage of the exam." This cheat sheet therefore treats all eight topics as examinable and gives you the working knowledge behind each one.
The Eight Workshop Topics at a Glance
Here is the whole credential on one screen. Each row is a workshop topic published by the issuer, paired with the planning question it answers.
| # | Topic | The Question It Answers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Selecting the right type and capacity crane | Which machine can safely do this job? |
| 2 | Choosing the correct crane configuration | How should that machine be set up (boom, counterweight, etc.)? |
| 3 | Crane setup and location | Where does it go, and is the position workable? |
| 4 | Identifying and eliminating site-specific hazards | What around the lift can hurt people or equipment? |
| 5 | Determining the correct size matting or blocking | Will the ground and supports carry the loads? |
| 6 | Determining operator and rigging crew qualifications | Who is competent to perform each role? |
| 7 | Load chart and rigging exercises | Do the numbers actually work? |
| 8 | Developing standard and critical lift plans | How is the plan documented and approved? |
For a deeper tour of each area, the full breakdown lives in our LP exam domains guide. The sections below give the must-know essentials for each.
Crane Selection and Configuration
Domain 1: Selecting the Right Type and Capacity Crane
Selecting the right type and capacity crane
Selection starts from the lift, not the crane. Gather the load facts first, then match the machine to them.
- Know the load weight, including rigging and any attachments that hang from the hook.
- Know the radius at which the load must be picked and set, plus the height required.
- Match crane type (for example, a mobile crane versus another configuration) to site access, mobility and duty.
- Capacity is read from the load chart at the working radius and boom length, never from the crane's headline rating.
The recurring trap here is treating the maximum rated capacity as the working capacity. It is only the best case under ideal conditions. Capacity falls as radius grows, so the right question is always "what can this crane lift at the radius I actually need?"
Domain 2: Choosing the Correct Crane Configuration
Choosing the correct crane configuration
The same crane can have very different capacities depending on how it is configured for the job.
- Configuration choices (boom length, counterweight, outrigger extension, and similar) determine which chart line applies.
- The configuration you plan must match the configuration the chart you are reading describes.
- Changing configuration mid-plan changes the numbers; re-check everything downstream.
Setup, Location and Site Hazards
Domain 3: Crane Setup and Location
Location is a planning decision with consequences for everything else. The position of the crane sets the radius, which sets the capacity, which may force you back to Domain 1. Expect questions that make you reason through that chain.
- Choose a position that keeps the required radius as short as practical.
- Confirm there is room for the crane to be set up as configured, including outrigger or footprint requirements.
- Consider access in and out, swing clearance and where the load will travel.
Domain 4: Identifying and Eliminating Site-Specific Hazards
Site-specific hazards
This topic rewards a habit of looking around the lift, not just at it.
- Overhead hazards, including energized power lines, are a classic planning concern.
- Ground conditions, underground utilities and nearby structures can affect where and how the crane sets up.
- Other trades, pedestrians and traffic share the site; the plan must address how they are kept clear.
- Weather and visibility affect whether a lift should proceed.
The word "eliminating" in the topic title matters. Where a hazard can be removed by relocating the crane or changing the sequence, that is stronger than merely warning people about it.
Matting and Blocking
Domain 5: Determining the Correct Size Matting or Blocking
Cranes are only as stable as what they stand on. This topic is about spreading concentrated outrigger or track loads over enough ground area that the soil or structure beneath can bear them.
Matting and blocking essentials
The core idea: bearing pressure equals load divided by contact area, so larger supports reduce pressure on the ground.
- The load on a support is the crane's reaction at that point, which can be far greater than the weight of the load being lifted.
- The ground's allowable bearing capacity limits how much pressure it can take; weak or unknown ground calls for larger supports and caution.
- Matting and blocking must be sized for the actual ground, not an assumed one.
- Cribbing and blocking need to be arranged so they don't create unstable, uneven support.
Key Takeaway
Do not assume the ground is adequate. Practice the pressure-equals-force-over-area relationship until you can reason through a sizing question quickly, and remember that outrigger reactions can greatly exceed the weight of the lifted load.
Operator and Rigging Crew Qualifications
Domain 6: Determining Operator and Rigging Crew Qualifications
A lift plan isn't complete until it names the right people for the right jobs. This topic asks you to match roles to competence.
- The crane operator must be qualified for the equipment and the type of lift being made.
- Riggers and signalpersons must be competent in their tasks; complex or critical lifts demand more.
- The lift planner's job is to confirm qualifications, not to assume them.
Note the connection to the issuer's own advice: the workshop recommends rigging and signalperson preparation. That is a strong hint that candidates are expected to bring working familiarity with rigging practices and communication, not to learn them from scratch in the room. If those areas feel thin, shore them up before you attempt the certification.
Load Chart and Rigging Exercises
Domain 7: Load Chart and Rigging Exercises
This is the calculation-heavy heart of the credential, and it is where preparation pays off most. The topic title says "exercises," which signals practical problems rather than recall of definitions.
Load chart skills
You should be able to take a scenario and arrive at a defensible answer using the chart.
- Locate the correct chart for the crane's actual configuration.
- Read capacity at the right radius and boom length, interpolating conservatively if the exact value isn't listed (when in doubt, use the more conservative figure).
- Subtract the weight of rigging, hook block, and any other deductions from gross capacity to get usable capacity.
- Compare the total load to usable capacity and decide whether the lift works.
Rigging skills
Rigging questions test whether you can choose and apply hardware and slings sensibly.
- Select slings and hardware with adequate rated capacity for the load.
- Understand how sling angle changes the force on each leg; shallower angles increase tension.
- Recognize the center of gravity's role in keeping a load level and stable.
- Account for the weight of rigging itself as part of the total load.
Standard vs. Critical Lift Plans
Domain 8: Developing Standard and Critical Lift Plans
The final topic ties everything together. A lift plan is the document that captures the decisions from the previous seven topics and communicates them to everyone involved.
| Aspect | Standard Lift Plan | Critical Lift Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Documents routine lifts within normal parameters | Documents lifts with elevated risk or complexity |
| Depth of detail | Covers the essentials: load, crane, configuration, setup, crew | More detailed, with added scrutiny of hazards, calculations and procedures |
| Review and approval | Follows the employer's normal process | Typically requires closer review and sign-off |
| What triggers it | Ordinary lifts | Employer or site criteria for a critical lift |
Because definitions of what makes a lift "critical" are typically set by the employer or governing standards, expect the exam to test the reasoning: why a given lift warrants the heavier plan and what additional elements it should contain. Know the contents a plan should capture: the load and its weight, crane and configuration, radius and capacity check, rigging, setup location and ground support, identified hazards, personnel and their roles, and the communication method.
Verified Logistics: Issuer, Format and Unknowns
It helps to separate what is confirmed from what isn't.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Issuing body | Crane Institute of America |
| Examination requirement | A written examination is required for certification |
| Workshop topics | Eight published preparation topics (listed above) |
| Subject focus | Mobile-crane lift planning |
| Recommended background | Rigging and signalperson preparation |
| Question count | Not verified |
| Exam duration | Not verified |
| Pass rate | Not verified |
| Exam blueprint weighting | Not published; topics are unweighted |
The official source for the workshop is the issuer's page at craneinstitute.com; check it for current scheduling and registration details. For related questions, see our guides on LP requirements, LP certification cost, and LP exam dates. Because specifics like fees and dates can change, confirm them with the issuer rather than relying on any secondhand figure.
Sequencing Your Review by Domain
If you only have a short window, sequence your review so that foundational topics come first and calculation practice gets the most repetition. This is one suggested order, built around how the eight topics depend on each other.
Selection, Configuration and Location
- Domains 1-3: they set the radius and configuration that every later calculation depends on.
- Practice reading a load chart for a single crane in several configurations.
Hazards, Ground Support and People
- Domains 4-6: hazards, matting and blocking, and qualifications.
- Work bearing-pressure sizing problems with different ground assumptions.
Calculations and Plan Writing
- Domains 7-8: heavy load chart and rigging repetition, then assembling a full plan.
- Finish with mixed practice that forces you to chain topics together.
Calculation topics sit late because they pull from everything earlier, but give them the most hours. For a fuller preparation framework, see the LP study guide, and if you're gauging effort, the LP exam difficulty guide and LP pass rate page explain what is and isn't known about how demanding the exam is.
Last-Day Checklist
Use this as a final scan the day before your exam. If any line makes you hesitate, that is where to spend your last hour.
- Can I explain why capacity must be read at working radius, not from the maximum rating?
- Can I match a load chart to the crane's actual configuration and apply deductions for rigging and the hook block?
- Can I size matting or blocking by reasoning from load, contact area and ground bearing capacity?
- Can I name the main site hazards a planner should look for and how to eliminate rather than merely flag them?
- Can I describe the qualifications expected of the operator, riggers and signalpersons?
- Can I calculate how sling angle affects leg tension?
- Can I list what belongs in a lift plan and explain what elevates a lift to critical status?
Key Takeaway
The eight topics form one chain: pick the crane, configure it, place it, clear the hazards, support it, staff it, check the numbers, and write it all down. If you can walk a sample lift through that chain without skipping a link, you are thinking like the credential expects.
If you're weighing the career side, our pages on whether the certification is worth it and the LP salary guide cover the broader picture, while LP jobs looks at where the credential is relevant.
FAQ
The Crane Institute of America. The issuer publishes eight Lift Planner Workshop preparation topics and requires a written examination for certification.
These details were not verified, so we do not state them. Check the issuer's official workshop page for current information rather than trusting unsourced numbers.
No weighting is published. The eight items are workshop preparation topics, not an exhaustive exam blueprint, so you should prepare all of them rather than guessing at percentages.
Load chart and rigging exercises. They involve hands-on calculation, and they depend on decisions from earlier topics such as configuration, radius and ground support, so repetition here pays off across the whole credential.
The issuer recommends rigging and signalperson preparation for the workshop. It is advised rather than described here as a strict prerequisite, so confirm the current requirements with the issuer and see our LP requirements page.