DirectIndustry's metal conveyor chain index tracks 35 manufacturers offering 184 individual products, with European and Japanese brands such as Tsubakimoto, REGINA (28 listings), Bosch Rexroth, SEDIS, Cross & Morse, pewag, and Renold anchoring the catalogue [S1].
China-side volume is concentrated on Alibaba (483 supplier matches) and Made-in-China, where foundries such as Dongchuan Chain (Changzhou), Guizhou GZG Transmission, Kaito (Suzhou), and Yi Wu Sikai Trading report ISO 9001, SGS, and CE certifications [S2][S3][S7][S8].
Standards and Pitch Geometry That Define the Catalogue
ISO 606 is the most cited conveyor chain dimensional standard in the DirectIndustry dataset, with Tsubakimoto's RS-B series explicitly built to "conform to ISO 606 standard Type B" for drop-in replacement of European manufacturing equipment [S1]. ISO 1275 governs Tsubakimoto's RF double-pitch attachment chain, where chain pitch is doubled versus an RS attachment chain to suit conveying duty [S1]. Pitch values in the public listings span 6.35 mm (RS series minimum) to 260 mm (4B102LA), with the 25.4 mm to 101.6 mm band covering the bulk of general-purpose steel conveyor chain.
Width ranges stretch from 3 mm to 191 mm, and tensile ratings are quoted from 65 kgf on the lightest RS series up to 700 kN (about 71,400 kgf equivalent) on 4B Braime's 4B102LA forged drag chain [S1]. The same product family runs in 102 mm, 142 mm, 175 mm, 216 mm, and 260 mm pitch steps, and is heat-treated from high-grade alloy steel to give a ductile core under shock loading [S1]. Buyers cross-referencing these figures should anchor on ISO 606 for short-pitch transmission-derivative conveyor chain and on ISO 1275 for double-pitch attachment geometry.
Forged, Steel and Plastic — How the Three Families Compare
Forged steel drag chain (4B102LA, Bolt-N-Go) leads on tensile capacity: 150–700 kN for standard link, 180–350 kN for the Bolt-N-Go flight system, which uses bolt-on flights rather than welded flights to allow field assembly [S1]. Plain steel roller chain derivatives (Tsubakimoto RF, RS, RS-B) sit one tier lower, at 65–4,170 kgf tensile across 8–32 mm width, with chain pitch 6.35–50.8 mm on the RS series [S1]. The Tsubakimoto 881T radius-running steel chain uses a double-hinge design that lets a single sprocket serve both 800 and 821 series chains, simplifying spares holding [S1].
Plastic and stainless modular chain fills the wet, food, and chemical zones. Yi Wu Sikai's LBP821 double-hinge straight-running plastic roller chain lists at US$80, while the HBP882 ball-transfer variant lists at US$68 and the POM flexible curve chain (XM83, 82 mm wide) at US$13.50 [S2]. H1108A at 12.7 mm pitch is the food-grade workhorse at US$10 per metre equivalent [S2]. Buyers specifying conveyor chain duty should match family to environment: forged alloy for abrasive elevator and mill service, stainless/steel for general production lines, and POM or polypropylene for washdown or food contact.
Who Each Supplier Tier Fits
European and Japanese OEMs (Tsubakimoto, REGINA, Renold, SEDIS, Cross & Morse, 4B Braime, Bosch Rexroth) publish the deepest spec data — pitch, width, tensile, attachment standard — and back chain with material traceability and heat-treatment certification; they are the right first call for high-cycle, safety-of-function lines such as automotive paint, beverage canning, and overhead power-and-free systems [S1].
China-based volume manufacturers fit high-MRO, cost-driven applications. Dongchuan Chain in Wujin District (Changzhou) lists conveyor, roller, and forged chain plus ISO 9001 system certification; Guizhou GZG Transmission markets driving, conveyor, and agricultural chain; Kaito (Suzhou) cross-sells road-milling bits, track pads, and conveyor chain for construction machinery [S4][S7][S8].
Specialist plastic fabricators such as Yi Wu Sikai (27 years on conveyor chains, modular belts, and sprockets) and India's ESBEE Machinery (ISO 9001 certified) cover spiral, gripper, and Z-elevator builds for beverage, tissue, tobacco, and battery lines [S2][S6]. Neither is the right pick for forge-grade drag chain in cement or mining.
Sourcing Channels, MOQ and Lead-Time Reality
DirectIndustry operates as a specification and lead-routing index rather than a transactional store; Tsubakimoto RF, RS, RS-B, 881T and 4B102LA entries all carry "Get latest price" or RFQ buttons rather than fixed SKU pricing [S1]. Alibaba's conveyor chain search returns 483 supplier matches with a "Get Quotation Now" workflow, and Made-in-China's dedicated conveyor-chain-link-foundry page lists 33 manufacturers across 99 products with a 7-plant-area filter active [S3][S5].
Plastic chain on Yi Wu Sikai's site shows transparent single-unit pricing — H567 transition plate US$2.50, H1108A 12.7 mm pitch US$10, XM83 82 mm wide US$13.50, H20160830 spiral conveyor build at US$9,999, Z-bucket elevator at US$4,999 — useful as a benchmark for project budget asks [S2]. Alibaba pricing on heavy-duty overhead conveyor chain reads US$7–16 per metre for the 7–16 m quote band [S9]. For roller chain and silent chain sub-types, a buyer should expect 4–8 week lead time from Chinese mills on non-stocked pitch, dropping to 1–2 weeks on common 12.7 mm, 19.05 mm, 25.4 mm, and 50.8 mm pitch.
Failure Modes and Limits Buyers Overlook
Pitch elongation beyond about 3% on roller chain is the standard end-of-life limit; it shows up as sprocket-tooth jumping and timing drift on attachment-driven conveyors. RS-B chains rated to 6,120 kgf, 2,250 kgf, 1,600 kgf, and 1,320 kgf are sized for ISO 606 Type B geometry and should not be substituted for Type A without rechecking sprocket bore and width across the keyway [S1].
Forged drag chain (4B102LA) tolerates 150–700 kN tensile but its ductile-core heat treatment is tuned for impact, not for sustained high-cycle fatigue at maximum rating; derating 20–30% for continuous 24/7 bulk-handling service is a defensible engineering position. Plastic modular chain (POM, PP) has a far lower temperature ceiling — typically 80–100°C continuous for POM and lower for PP — and is the wrong pick for hot-product lines such as glass bottling exits or bakery oven discharge. For chain conveyor selection, derate published tensile by at least the service factor the OEM quotes, and never specify plastic chain where steel ratings are demanded for safety guarding.
What to Verify Before Placing the PO
Confirm three documents before any conveyor chain order: ISO 9001 system certificate for the manufacturing site (held by Dongchuan Chain, Guizhou GZG, ESBEE, Yi Wu Sikai [S2][S6][S7][S8]); ISO 606 or ISO 1275 dimensional-compliance attestation for steel chain; and material test certificate for plastic chain that names resin grade (POM, PP, PE) and food-grade migration compliance if the line carries edibles [S1][S2].
Cross-check the listing pitch against the sprocket in service, then ask the supplier for a sample link — most Chinese factories will ship a 5–10 piece cut sample at unit price plus courier. For cable drag chain and drag chain cable applications in CNC and automation, the spec is a different product family (energy chain rather than conveying chain) and should not be confused with conveyor chain catalogues from REGINA or Tsubakimoto, which focus on bulk-material conveying and overhead power-and-free.
Trackable next signals: watch for new 4B102LA higher-pitch variants above 260 mm from 4B Braime, additional ISO 1275 attachment geometries on REGINA's 28-listing catalogue, and any food-grade POM or PP migration certificate updates from Yi Wu Sikai's 27-year-old moulding operation. For related selection logic on aerospace silent chain duty, the Silent Chain Selection: Pitch, Guide Form, Load, and Spec Boundaries reference lays out the same pitch/load/standard template for a different chain family.