How many parts does AS 2359 have?

Around twelve, expanded over time. We confirmed two directly — Part 1, General requirements, and Part 2, Operation — and did not individually re-verify the current year of every other part.

Does a regulator cite AS 2359?

We believe it is likely, based on Safe Work Australia publishing guidance whose title suggests forklift standards, but we could not retrieve that document ourselves and confirm a citing sentence directly. We are reporting that as unconfirmed rather than assuming it.

Does AS 2359 cover the forklift licence I need?

No. AS 2359 covers how the equipment is designed and operated as a technical matter. The licence you personally need to drive one is a separate topic, covered on its own page.

What does "built to AS 2359" actually tell me?

That the equipment was designed against this standard series. It is a checkable, specific claim, unlike a vague statement that a truck is simply "compliant" without naming which document it complies with.

Why does this series have so many parts?

Powered industrial trucks cover a wide range of equipment types and use cases, and the series has grown over time to give each a dedicated part rather than trying to cover everything in one document. That is common for equipment-design standards generally, not unique to forklifts.

AS 2359, the standard series for powered industrial trucks

AS 2359 is a multi-part Australian Standard series covering powered industrial trucks — forklifts and similar self-propelled equipment. We confirmed the designation and current parts through the publisher’s own catalogue. We could not independently confirm a regulator citing it, so this page says that plainly rather than assuming one exists.

Last updated 2026-08-24

What it is

AS 2359 has grown, over time, into a series of around twelve parts. We confirmed two current parts directly: AS 2359.1:2019, "Powered industrial trucks, Part 1: General requirements", and AS 2359.2-2013, covering operation. Other parts exist in the series — covering symbols, self-propelled trucks and overhead guards among them — but we did not individually re-verify each one’s current year.

In our own words: this series sets design, manufacturing, marking, testing and operational requirements for forklifts and other self-propelled industrial trucks — the equipment that moves palletised loads into and out of racking.

The regulator citation we could not confirm

Safe Work Australia publishes both a "Forklifts" information sheet and a general guide for industrial lift trucks, and their titles strongly suggest both discuss the AS 2359 series. We were not able to retrieve either document directly and read a citing sentence ourselves, so we are not making a verbatim citation claim here.

That is worth being direct about: a citation is plausible, given how consistently other standards in this reference turn up inside regulator guidance once we could actually read the document. We just have not confirmed this particular one, and a case where the regulator citation itself could not be pinned down is exactly the kind of gap this reference is built to report rather than paper over.

What we may not tell you

No lifting-capacity derating factor, stability test method or design dimension from AS 2359 appears on this site. What this standard sets, in engineering terms, stays inside the document itself.

The same applies to marking and labelling requirements the series sets for the equipment itself — data plates, rated-capacity markings and the like. A provider or a manufacturer telling you a truck is "built to AS 2359" is naming the standard it was designed against, which is a checkable, reasonable statement to make. It is not a statement this page can verify item by item, and we are not trying to.

Where forklifts show up elsewhere on this site

AS 2359 governs how the equipment itself must be built and operated. It is a separate question from the licence a forklift operator needs, separately from any of this, from keeping that equipment serviced once it is in the fleet, or from choosing between the counterbalance trucks most Australian warehouses run and the different power types the series writes requirements for.

For the equivalent design-versus-safe-use structure written for a different piece of lifting plant entirely, see the design and safe-use split written for cranes.

Common questions

How many parts does AS 2359 have?: Around twelve, expanded over time. We confirmed two directly — Part 1, General requirements, and Part 2, Operation — and did not individually re-verify the current year of every other part.
Does a regulator cite AS 2359?: We believe it is likely, based on Safe Work Australia publishing guidance whose title suggests forklift standards, but we could not retrieve that document ourselves and confirm a citing sentence directly. We are reporting that as unconfirmed rather than assuming it.
Does AS 2359 cover the forklift licence I need?: No. AS 2359 covers how the equipment is designed and operated as a technical matter. The licence you personally need to drive one is a separate topic, covered on its own page.
What does "built to AS 2359" actually tell me?: That the equipment was designed against this standard series. It is a checkable, specific claim, unlike a vague statement that a truck is simply "compliant" without naming which document it complies with.
Why does this series have so many parts?: Powered industrial trucks cover a wide range of equipment types and use cases, and the series has grown over time to give each a dedicated part rather than trying to cover everything in one document. That is common for equipment-design standards generally, not unique to forklifts.

Sources

Standards Australia — online store — The publisher’s own catalogue, confirming this multi-part series exists as a current commercial product. A specific regulator citation was not independently confirmed. Retrieved 2026-08-24.

Part of our guide to Australian Standards for warehouses.