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In industry, the most expensive motor is the wrong one. No matter how attractive the price, a motor whose feet won't sit in the base holes, whose shaft won't meet the coupling, or whose speed throws off the rhythm of the machine adds not a single bolt to a production line waiting on cargo. At HEM Motor we have been manufacturing and selling electric motors since 1979, and every week our order line presents the same scene: "Make it like the old one, I need a five-and-a-half kilowatt motor." Yet our motors rated 5.5 kW sit in stock in two different speeds, three different mounting types and several different frame sizes. This article explains which information to read from the old motor's nameplate before you pick up the phone and how to convey it, the mix-ups most often made during ordering, and the final checklist to run before you confirm. The goal is simple: your motor arrives correct on the first try, your machine runs the same day, and nobody wrestles with return shipping.
The Real Bill of a Wrong Delivery: Not Just the Freight Cost
When the wrong motor arrives, people assume the price paid is limited to the return freight. The real picture is far heavier. First your technician loses half a day trying to seat the motor; when the foot holes don't line up, the "should we have an adapter plate made" debate begins. Then the return process kicks in: the motor is repacked, the courier is awaited, the "whose fault is it" correspondence with the seller drags on. By the time the correct motor sets off a second time, the production line has been down two or three days at best. In a plant with high hourly output value, the cost of that downtime easily reaches several times the price of the motor itself. Worse still, the makeshift fixes found in a hurry — bases extended with welding, flange holes enlarged, shafts thickened with a sleeve — turn vibration, alignment and bearing-life problems into permanent ones. All of it can be prevented with a five-minute nameplate reading before the order.
From Nameplate to Order Note: The Information You Must Convey
Every electric motor carries an aluminium or stainless steel nameplate on its body, and that plate is effectively the contract for your order. Conveying the lines below in full, by phone or e-mail, reduces the chance of a wrong delivery to almost zero.
Frame size: the motor's ID card
On the plate you will see a code such as 90S, 100L, 112M or 132S. This is the IEC frame size; the number gives the height of the shaft axis above the foot base in millimetres, and the letter indicates the frame length. When the frame size is correct, the foot holes, shaft diameter and shaft height match your machine exactly. Writing only the power in the order note and skipping the frame is the number-one cause of wrong deliveries, because the same power corresponds to different frames at different speeds. If the frame code on your plate has worn away, even measuring the height from the foot base to the shaft axis with a tape and sending it to us is usually enough.
Power and speed: meaningful together, not separately
"I want a 7.5 kW motor" is incomplete on its own. A 2-pole motor turning around 3000 rpm at 7.5 kW and a 4-pole motor at around 1500 rpm are two entirely different products in terms of frame, price, starting character and shaft diameter. Speed appears on your plate as revolutions per minute (for example 1455 rpm or 2910 rpm). Read this value exactly as it is; let the number in your head when you say "fourteen-hundred" match the number on the plate. Be careful with horsepower-to-kilowatt conversion too: the HP value in old machine catalogues and the kW value on the plate are different units; mixing them up brings a motor one step under or over, and the surprise lands on assembly day.
Mounting type: is it B3, B5, B14 or B35?
How the motor is fastened to the machine is expressed by the mounting type: foot-mounted B3, large-hole flange B5, threaded small-flange B14, and both foot and flange B35. Saying "make it flanged" on the phone is not enough; B5 and B14 flanges are not interchangeable, their bolt circles and mounting logic are entirely different. The old motor's plate carries codes such as IM B5 or IM 3001; if they are missing, measure and report the flange's outer diameter and bolt-hole circle. We recommend taking this line as seriously as the warranty coverage we explain elsewhere, because a wrong flange makes the motor unusable for that machine.
Voltage and connection: delta or star?
On the plate you will see a dual value such as 230/400 V or 400/690 V. This shows the operating voltages of the windings in delta and star connection. If a motor labelled 230/400 V is sent to a machine running on a star-delta starter, the switchgear stays incompatible; and a 400/690 V winding is unnecessary for a small machine started direct-on-line. Convey the voltage line on the plate together with the starting method in your panel. The frequency on the Turkish grid is 50 Hz; however, on a 60 Hz motor pulled from an imported machine the speed and power values read differently, so be sure to note this detail.
Shaft dimensions and the pulley-coupling situation
The frame size already determines the standard shaft diameter; even so, measuring the shaft diameter and length with a caliper and reporting them spares surprises, especially on motors of uncertain age or ones that have been rewound. On some old machines a previous owner may have turned the shaft down or widened the keyway; such interventions are invisible to the eye but surface during coupling assembly. State the element attached to the shaft too: belt-pulley or direct coupling? In belt drives, the side load on the shaft is information we need on the bearing side and can change the right product recommendation.
The lower lines of the plate: protection class, insulation and duty
The lower section of the plate carries codes such as the IP55 protection class, the F insulation class and the S1 duty type. These lines are often skipped during ordering; yet the protection class is decisive for a motor working outdoors and the duty type for an application that starts and stops frequently. When you send a photo of the plate, these lines reach us automatically; you don't have to type them out one by one.
The Five Most Common Ordering Mistakes
Looking at years of order records, we see that the large majority of wrong deliveries arise from the same five mistakes.
1. Confusing the speed: 3000 instead of 1500
The runaway first place. The power is stated on the phone, and when speed is asked "make it standard" is the answer. But if the motor on the machine is 4-pole, an incoming 2-pole motor turns the machine twice as fast: the pump draws excess current, the fan blade overworks the motor, and in a pulley system the output speed goes completely off. An order should not be confirmed without reading the speed line on the plate.
2. Skipping the frame-length letter: 132S is not the same as 132M
Both are 132 frame and their shaft heights are identical; but the distance between the foot holes is different. When you expect S and M arrives, the motor won't seat on the base, and drilling new holes in the base ruins the alignment. When reading the plate, don't settle for the number — note the letter next to it as well.
3. Saying "flanged" but not stating the flange type
B14 arriving when B5 is expected makes assembly impossible because the bolt circles don't match. In the reverse case, the large flange won't fit the machine seat. Convey the flange type by its code, or — if the code is unknown — by the flange outer diameter and bolt-circle measurement.
4. Giving information from memory instead of the plate
The fate of orders placed with "that motor was ten horsepower, I think" is well known. Memory misleads; the plate does not. If the plate is worn, send measurements instead of guesses: shaft height, shaft diameter, foot-hole spacing and the fuse-contactor values in the panel let us identify the motor safely.
5. Never mentioning the operating environment
Does the motor work outdoors, is the environment dusty, hot, with frequent stop-start? This information creates no dimensional mismatch but still leads to the "wrong motor": a protection class or insulation that doesn't suit the environment means early failure and a needless service visit. Adding a one-sentence description of the environment to the order note is enough.
The Gap Between the Field and Purchasing: Information Spoils on the Way
A significant share of wrong orders comes not from the plate never being read but from the information degrading as it changes hands. The typical chain goes like this: the maintenance technician reads the plate at the faulty motor and tells the foreman by phone; the foreman writes "7.5 flanged" on a note pad; the buyer requests a quote from that note. Across three relays the speed has been lost, the flange type has become vague, and the frame size never set off at all. The solution is a single sentence: carry the information not as words but as an image. The plate photo taken by the technician reaches the buyer's e-mail and from there the seller without being spoiled in any relay. Adopting a small internal rule — "no motor request without a plate photo" — corrects your wrong-delivery statistics in one move.
The second lasting solution is a motor-park inventory. Collect the plate photo of every motor in your plant, the machine it sits on and its mounting type in a single list. Once this inventory is drawn up, even during a midnight breakdown you copy the correct definition from the list and place the order instead of hunting for a plate in the dark. Some of our customers share this list with us; in a breakdown it is enough for them to name the machine, the matching is done on our side within seconds, and the motor ships from stock the same day. In an emergency, the fastest order is the one prepared before the breakdown day.
The Final Checklist Before Order Confirmation
When the quote reaches you, before you approve compare the product definition the seller has written line by line with the old motor's plate. The order of checks should be:
1. Are the frame size and length letter identical to the plate? (example: 112M)
2. Is the power value an exact match in kW? If an HP-kW conversion was made, is it correct?
3. Does the speed correspond to the pole count on the plate?
4. Is the mounting type code (B3/B5/B14/B35) written clearly on the order line?
5. Do the voltage and connection suit the starting method in your panel?
6. Do the shaft diameter and length match your coupling or pulley bore?
7. Does the efficiency class (IE3/IE4) suit your operating preference?
8. Have the delivery terms and lead time been confirmed in writing?
If all eight lines match, you can confirm the order with peace of mind. Our article on the information to provide when requesting a quote, which details exactly which data to convey at the quote stage, offers a ready template for your purchasing team; used together with the checklist here, your ordering process is secured from both ends.
Send the Plate Photo, Let Us Do the Matching
The most practical method is this: take a clear photo of the old motor's plate and, if possible, send it together with the general view of the motor on the machine. Our sales engineers read the plate, match the frame-power-speed-mounting quartet with stock products, and report the exact equivalent to you in writing. If any line on the plate raises doubt — a worn value, an unusual voltage, a non-standard shaft — we ask before confirming the order; we never ship on assumption. This is exactly where the advantage of being a manufacturer within HEM Motor comes into play: for exceptional cases that a standard stock product cannot solve, we can adapt the motor to your machine with custom shaft machining or different winding options. The file an intermediary seller closes by saying "not in the catalogue", we open on the production line.
Same-Day Dispatch From Stock: Correct Information, Fast Delivery
The second gain of one-to-one matching is speed. When the plate information arrives complete, the quote is finalized within minutes; with your approval the motor can be shipped the same day. Our standard electric motors range, spanning small to large powers, 2-4-6-8 pole options and every mounting type from B3 to B35, waits ready in our warehouses in Turkey. If the matching reveals that your need differs from the standard series, you can review all product groups on our products page or consult our sales team directly. The written order confirmation, nameplate-matching record and serial number of every motor we send are kept on our side; this traceability lets any possible dispute be resolved within minutes, without argument.
Frequently Asked Questions
The old motor's plate is completely illegible; can I still order the correct motor?
Yes. Where there is no plate, there are measurements: the height of the shaft axis above the foot base gives the frame size, the foot-hole spacing gives the frame length, the shaft diameter confirms it, the contactor and fuse values in the panel give the approximate power, and the type of machine indicates the likely speed. When you send these measurements and a photo of the machine, our sales team identifies the motor safely. If even a single parameter remains in doubt, we confirm with you before dispatch; no motor sets off on a guess.
I placed the order by phone but didn't get written confirmation; is the risk on me?
In verbal orders, the gap between what is "said" and what is "understood" is a classic source of wrong deliveries. We tie every phone order to a written confirmation: product definition, frame, power, speed, mounting type, voltage and lead time are sent to you in a single text by e-mail or message; your approval is taken over that written definition. The only task on your side is to compare the confirmation text with the old motor's plate. If there is any discrepancy, it is corrected before dispatch begins, and nobody carries risk in the process.
The motor arrived but didn't fit the machine; how does the exchange process work?
First we look together at the source of the mismatch. If the definition in the order confirmation differs from the product received, we replace the motor immediately and take on the process, freight included. If the confirmation was correct but the field need turned out different — for instance the plate was misread — we offer exchange options on suitable terms for unused, unassembled motors. In both cases the goal is the same: your machine runs again with the correct motor as soon as possible. That is why we recommend making pre-order plate-photo sharing a standard in your plant; as long as the photo stays on file, there is never a dispute over responsibility.
Get a Quote
Send the plate photo of your old motor; we will quote the exactly matching motor the same day, together with stock and lead-time information. You can reach our sales engineers at +90 (532) 345 49 86 or convey your written request through our contact us page. Let the correct motor arrive on the first try, and let your line not wait.
