Cibes Primo and Cibes Air Platform Lifts: Planning Guide

What are the Cibes Primo and Cibes Air, and where do they fit?

The Cibes Primo is a screw-driven, shaft-included vertical platform lift; the Cibes Air is its indoor-only sibling, both for homes and select commercial buildings.

The Cibes Primo is a vertical platform lift driven by a screw and nut. Cibes delivers it with a ready-made shaft in steel panels (glass optional) "so that you do not need to build one." The machinery fits inside the shaft, so there is no machine room. Controls are hold-to-run: the rider holds the floor button to travel and releases it to stop. Speed is 30 fpm.

The Cibes Air® shares the Primo's 17 sizes and core specification but is indoor only, with a designed platform interior and handrail controls. Cibes lists it under "Home Elevators" on its US site, but the technical brochure gives it the same hold-to-run controls and 30 fpm speed as the Primo.

The Primo outdoor concept is a Primo configuration for platform sizes 15 and 16 only. Cibes also calls it the "Cibes Primo Outdoor" and the "Cibes Outdoor Lift".

The Primo is made in Sweden, at the Cibes factory in Gävle, and sold in the US by Cibes Symmetry of Peoria, Illinois, part of Cibes Lift Group. It replaces the Cibes A5000; Cibes calls it the same product with an updated design and 17 sizes instead of 6. Plan new projects from Primo documents, not A5000 drawings.

Cibes Symmetry's New Jersey dealer page lists Mobility123 as a Cibes Symmetry representative for vertical platform lifts in northern New Jersey.

Where it fits

• Homes, for indoor access with up to 4 stops.
• Public and commercial buildings. Cibes marks sizes 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16 as compliant for commercial applications; the plan reviewer decides for each project.
• Sites without a pit. The lift can stand on the floor with an access ramp at the bottom landing; on a public accessible route, check the ramp first (section 04).
• Existing or site-built shafts (Primo), built by others.
• Outdoor access with a Primo in size 15 or 16.

Where it does not fit

• Outdoors with an Air, or with any other Primo size.
• More than 4 stops or more than 23 ft of travel.
• Openings that must be 1 1/2 hour fire-rated (sections 03 and 04).
• An accessible route in new construction where the code does not permit a platform lift (section 07).
• A layout that needs a 42 in side door with standard Cibes doors (section 03).

How do the Primo, the outdoor concept and the Air compare?

The Primo, the Primo outdoor concept and the Cibes Air share core specifications but differ in installation location, door types and shaft materials.

Both models share the specification in section 03 and the same standard safety equipment: safety edges on the top of the platform and the floor, overload protection, emergency stop and alarm button, telephone, battery emergency lowering, manual lowering and battery backup.

EcoSilent is Cibes' low-friction drive. The technical brochure (T09) prints "Screw and nut (EcoSilent)" in the drive row for both models. The options brochure (2025.06) and the Primo page call EcoSilent an option. The Air page lists it under standard equipment but calls it optional elsewhere on the same page. Confirm in the quotation whether EcoSilent is included, especially if the project depends on the noise or energy figures in section 05.

What sizes, travel and door openings are available?

The Primo and Air come in 17 platform sizes, travel up to 23 ft over 4 stops, with door openings from 25 5/8 to 41 3/8 in.

Cibes' 2025 public-buildings brochure gives a 14 ft maximum travel. The newer technical brochure (501.09/26, September 2026) gives 23 ft. Use 23 ft as the product limit, and settle any travel over 14 ft with Cibes and the AHJ before the design is fixed (section 07).

T09 lists minimum headroom only for the door configuration (Cibes' Primo page reads "full-height door"). It does not define where headroom and top height are measured, and it gives no headroom for a gate configuration. Take both from the project-specific drawings. Cibes' 2025 public-buildings brochure quotes an 89 in overhead; plan to T09's 90 5/8 in minimum headroom (door) and the project drawings.

Platform, shaft and cut-out by size (in, width x depth)

The cut-out is Cibes' term for the minimum size of the pit and of each floor opening. Sizes apply to both the Primo and the Air.

"Commercial" is Cibes' note: "Platform size is compliant for commercial applications." The size 17 note reads: "For code-compliant applications requiring a 90-degree lift configuration with the lowest landing on the B side, a custom door is required." Cibes adds: "Shaft and cut out sizes may vary depending on lift configuration. For exact measurements, please ask Cibes for project specific drawings."

Door opening width by size (in)

In the T09 plan drawings, side D is the machinery (mast) side, side B is opposite it, and sides A and C are the two sides between. Side A or C widths are the same for every door type.

Across all sizes and door types, T09 door opening widths run from 25 5/8 in to 41 3/8 in. T09 calls these "door opening width" and does not say whether they equal the clear width measured under the ADA. Confirm clear widths with Cibes before you fix the layout (section 07).

Doors and gates (T09 p4)

• Every door and gate model is offered with a concealed automatic opener as an option, and in customized width and height.
• Door glazing is laminated and tempered safety glass. The doors and gates are not 1 1/2 hr fire-rated for the USA.
• Full-height doors are available at every floor. Gates are available only at the top floor.
• AL5 is Cibes' standard door for outdoor lifts. AL6 ("super panoramic") is an outdoor option.
• T09 illustrates gate layouts for 2 landings and full-height door layouts for 2 or 3 landings, each with single entry, opposite and 90-degree openings.

What does the building need to provide?

The building provides a load-bearing wall, a pit of 0, 2 or 2 3/4 in (or a level floor), and floor openings sized to the cut-out table.

• Structural loads. Cibes does not publish structural loads for the Primo or Air. Request project-specific drawings from Cibes and have the design professional confirm the support wall, the slab and any ceiling fixings.
• Access ramp. Cibes' documents differ on whether the ramp for a pitless installation is included or optional. The public-buildings brochure says a pitless lift "is delivered with an access ramp"; the options brochure says the ramp "is available as an option". Confirm it in the quotation.
• Access ramp, accessible routes. On a public accessible route, have the design professional check the ramp as a change in level: ADA 303.4 requires a change in level over 1/2 in to be ramped and to comply with 405 or 406, and 405.2 sets a maximum running slope of 1:12 (steeper short ramps are permitted in existing buildings only under Table 405.2). Cibes publishes no slope or rise for the ramp, so confirm it with Cibes or plan the lift with a pit.
• Delivery. Cibes builds its lifts from standardized modules and states that this makes delivery in flatpacks possible. Cibes does not publish shaft weight, module sizes or the access path the delivery needs; request them with the project-specific drawings.
• Finishing items (options). Aluminum finishing profiles fill floor and ceiling gaps around the lift. A pit plate, a cover plate under the platform and a powder coated rear side of the platform are available. The top of the machinery side stays open even with a shaft ceiling; Cibes offers a machinery roof to keep dust out of the machinery.
• Fire separation. Where the building needs a rated hoistway, the design professional and the AHJ decide how it and its openings are provided.

What power, wiring and controls does it need?

The Primo and Air need a dedicated 230 VAC, 60 Hz, 16 amp, single-phase circuit, with fuse and cable sizing confirmed by a licensed electrician.

• Controls and access options. Controls are hold-to-run. Call button options include the standard button, an extra-large 2 x 2 in button with remote box and cable, a remote call button, a wireless elbow button and a touchscreen call button with an integrated level indicator.
• More access options. Other options are level indicators at the landing doors and on the platform, infrared lapheld controls (for lifts with 4 stops maximum), voice announcement and an arrival gong. For remote call buttons, Cibes tells owners to consult national and local accessibility standards for mounting height.
• Door openers and locks. Concealed door openers are integrated in the door frame, and their opening and closing speed can be set. Lock options are key locks, code locks and tag (RFID) locks. Auto lock programming locks all lift doors after a preset delay, after which only key holders can use the lift. Central lock programming locks and releases all doors from one central locking device.
• EcoSilent figures. Cibes publishes noise and energy figures only for lifts with the EcoSilent drive: about 215 kWh per year (2-stop lift, 141 3/4 in travel, 20 trips per day; tests by Liftinstituut B.V.) and 40 dB measured 78 3/4 in from the lift at constant speed with a 330.7 lb load (tests by Springwell Audio AB). Cibes states EcoSilent lifts use 45% less energy than lifts without it. No figures are published for the standard drive.

Can the Primo go outdoors, and what weather options exist?

Only the Primo, in platform sizes 15 and 16, has an outdoor concept, with weather-resistant doors, sealed shaft panels and optional heating and AC-ready features.

Only the Primo, and only in platform sizes 15 and 16, has an outdoor concept. The Air is indoor only.

Standard outdoor equipment listed on Cibes' Outdoor Lift page: a slanted outdoor roof, door canopies in plexiglas or steel, rust proof AL5 aluminum doors, sealed weather-resistant call buttons (stainless steel, IP55 seal), sealed glazed shaft panels with rubber seals, a bottom frame with anti-corrosive coating, and an electrical compartment with flooding protection.

Options in Cibes' options brochure and Outdoor Lift page:

• Roof slope configurable in 3 directions; snow fence for the roof; roof prepared for a gutter.
• Plexiglas canopy (light rain and snow), steel canopy (heavy rain and snow), LED lit plexiglas canopy.
• Air conditioning ready lift (connection box prepared).
• Fan heater that keeps the machine room at ambient temperature in cold weather.
• Heating pads that warm the door lock mechanisms and prevent freezing; heating solutions for electronic components.
• Drip plate at the base of the shaft that leads rainwater away from the lift.
• AL6 super panoramic aluminum doors; tag, key or code locks; lighting options.

The Outdoor Lift page lists the roof and canopies as standard, while the options brochure presents roof and canopy types among the outdoor options. Confirm the full weather package in the quotation.

• Temperature. Cibes' Outdoor Lift page states the outdoor lift "is designed for a temperature range of approximately 14° to 86°F", with AC ready and heating options for more extreme climates. That range does not appear in the technical brochure.
• Not published. Cibes publishes no IP rating for the outdoor lift as a whole (only the IP55 call buttons), no foundation, slab or drainage specification, and no salt-air or coastal package. The design professional designs the foundation and drainage for each project. Cibes also publishes no indoor operating temperature or humidity limits; ask Cibes before placing a lift in an unconditioned indoor space.
• Layout. For outdoor lifts with doors at 90 degrees, Cibes recommends the larger of its two outdoor sizes, to make it easier to turn a wheelchair at exit. Cibes also states a masonry shaft is possible outdoors but not needed.

Which codes and approvals apply in New Jersey and Pennsylvania?

New Jersey requires a construction permit for every Primo or Air; Pennsylvania exempts single-dwelling lifts but requires a Department of Labor & Industry permit for others.

• What Cibes states. The technical brochure (501.09/26) names no standard. Other Cibes documents call the Primo "ASME compliant" and the Cibes range "ASME certified" or "ADA and ASME compliant", naming no standard, edition or part. The public-buildings brochure also cites CE type certification to the European Machinery Directive, a European certification, not a US approval.

• Confirm the code path. The codes below reference ASME A18.1, the platform lift standard, which has separate private residence parts. Cibes does not say which part the Primo and Air follow.

• Confirm the travel variance. The Access Board notes that A18.1 limits vertical platform lift travel, and Cibes says travel over 14 ft "may require a variance" (NJ: Request for Variation, UCC F160; PA: Elevator Safety Board). Confirm the part, the 880 lb rating and the travel with Cibes and the plan reviewer before the design is fixed.

• New Jersey. The lift is an "elevator device" and needs a construction permit, even in a home (N.J.A.C. 5:23-12.1(e); 2.14). Since August 17, 2026 the elevator subcode uses ASME A18.1-2023 (IBC/2024 Chapter 35), with a six-month grace period for applications under the prior code (1.6(a)). Layouts are sealed by a New Jersey licensed architect or engineer and, in State-jurisdiction towns, reviewed by DCA. A commercial lift needs the building subcode official's Platform Lift Certification letter.

• New Jersey, private residences. A private residence lift (Groups R-3, R-4 and R-5, not accessible to the public) is exempt from periodic inspection and registration; where DCA is the elevator subcode official, a report sealed by a New Jersey licensed engineer or registered architect accepts it (SLCI-Admin 001-2020). Other wheelchair lifts are inspected and tested at least yearly. Installers are licensed elevator mechanics or work under a licensed mechanic's supervision (N.J.S.A. 45:14H-5a, and the licensing board's rules, N.J.A.C. 13:44M-2.1 and 13:44M-5.2(c)).

• Pennsylvania. A lift used only by the occupants of one dwelling unit in a solely residential building is outside the Uniform Construction Code's elevator chapter (§ 405.1(b)(3)); ask the municipal building code official about permits for related work. Other lifts need a Department of Labor & Industry permit, acceptance inspection and certificate of operation (§§ 405.3, 405.5, 405.6). ASME A18.1-1999 with addenda applies to permit applications made before December 20, 2026, and A18.1-2017 from that date (§ 405.2).

• Accessibility (public buildings). ADA 410.1 requires A18.1 (1999 or 2003), and 206.7 limits lifts on new-construction accessible routes to listed locations. NJ enforces IBC/2024 Chapter 11 with ICC A117.1-2017; PA, the 2018 IBC provisions, which reference ICC A117.1-2009 (confirm the edition with the building code official). For the Primo and Air:

• Clear floor space is 30 x 48 in minimum (ADA 410.3), and the Access Board says any seat must sit outside it.

• Doors need 32 in minimum clear width at the ends and 42 in at the sides (410.6). The widest standard door opening, 41 3/8 in, is under the side-door minimum; size 17 needs a custom door for some 90-degree layouts (section 03).

• Self-closing manual doors suit only two landings with opposite doors (Cibes' standard doors have concealed closers). Otherwise order the concealed automatic opener on every door and confirm with Cibes that it meets 404.3 and holds the door open 20 seconds minimum.

• T09 gives no clear opening height. Without 80 in vertical clearance, a lift cannot be on a new-construction accessible route (advisory 410.1).

Compliance is decided for each project; forms, deadlines and inspection rules are on the NJ and PA code requirements page.

Who does what on a Primo or Air project?

The owner, architect, general contractor, electrician, Cibes dealer and the AHJ each have defined roles, from defining use through code approval and final acceptance.

Order of work

1. Define the use, travel, stops and whether the lift is on a required accessible route.
2. Confirm the code path and rated load with Cibes and the plan reviewer.
3. Pick the size, door layout, pit depth and options; check door widths against ADA 410.6.
4. Get the dealer quotation with lift drawings and Cibes' project-specific drawings.
5. Design the support wall, slab, pit, floor openings and electrical supply; prepare sealed layouts and permit forms.
6. Build the site to the drawings; install; complete acceptance (inspection, or in NJ private residences the sealed report) and obtain the certificate.
7. Start maintenance and the periodic inspection cycle the jurisdiction requires.

What mistakes cause redesign or delay?

Common mistakes include using outdated brochures, misreading the ASME compliance claim, using the wrong pit depth, and undersized doors or electrical service.

• Planning from the January 2026 brochure (501.01/26) or the web size tables. Their shaft and cut-out sizes differ from 501.09/26 on most sizes. Floor openings and pits end up the wrong size.
• Treating "ASME compliant" as a code path. Cibes names no A18.1 edition or part, and the Access Board notes that A18.1 limits vertical platform lift travel. The plan reviewer decides which part applies and whether the travel and the 880 lb rating fit it, so the design can change late.
• Planning headroom from the public-buildings brochure's 89 in overhead. T09 gives 90 5/8 in minimum headroom (door), so the ceiling ends up 1 5/8 in too low.
• Laying out a 42 in side door with standard doors. The widest standard opening is 41 3/8 in. The layout fails ADA 410.6 unless Cibes supplies a custom door.
• Specifying tile or laminate with a 0 or 2 in pit. The custom floor needs a 2 3/4 in pit. A shallow pit poured in concrete has to be cut.
• Specifying an Air outdoors, or an outdoor Primo other than size 15 or 16. Cibes offers the outdoor concept only in Primo sizes 15 and 16, so the specification and layout change.
• Designing more than 14 ft of travel without checking the variance question. Cibes says it may require a variance; if the reviewer requires one late, the permit waits or the design changes.
• Pulling a 120 V circuit. The lift needs 230 VAC, 60 Hz, 16 amp, single-phase.
• Using the Cibes doors in a rated shaft. They are not 1 1/2 hr fire-rated for the USA.
• Quoting 40 dB and 215 kWh per year for a lift without EcoSilent. Those figures apply only to the EcoSilent option.
• Key-locking a lift on a public accessible route. The Access Board says a lift that users must request a key to operate does not meet the ADA independent-operation requirement; lock it only while the facility is closed.
• Ordering the standard phone for a commercial job. Cibes marks the ADA hands-free telephone as required for commercial applications.

What should each trade check before the lift is ordered?

Checklists let the architect or designer, general contractor and electrician confirm the code path, dimensions, structure and power before the lift is ordered.

What warranty and service does Cibes publish?

Cibes' general limited warranty covers defective parts only, excludes labor, and requires installation and maintenance by an authorized Cibes Symmetry dealer.

Cibes Symmetry does not publish warranty terms specific to the Primo or Air. Its general limited-warranty page, written for its vertical wheelchair lift, warrants against defects in material and workmanship, but the remedy is a materials-only replacement of defective parts; labor and service charges are excluded.

The page requires installation by a Cibes Symmetry factory authorized dealer and maintenance at intervals of no more than six months by a factory trained technician. The warranty runs to the original purchaser from the date of shipment, and the warranty card must be returned within 30 days of purchase. Ask for the warranty terms in writing with the quotation.

Cibes' public-buildings brochure says the lift needs regular service and maintenance to run properly and be safe to use. Cibes states that screw-driven lifts have a lifetime of about 25 years. Periodic inspection intervals are set by the jurisdiction; see NJ and PA code requirements.

Frequently asked planning questions

Sources and revision history