Short answer: PHP (peak horsepower) is the maximum output a treadmill motor can reach for a brief moment. CHP (continuous horsepower) is what the same motor can sustain indefinitely under load without overheating. When a spec sheet shows a single number without labelling it, it is almost always the peak figure — and the continuous figure is the one that determines duty cycle, warranty exposure and whether the machine survives eight hours a day in an office or hotel gym.
What is peak horsepower (PHP)?
Peak horsepower is an instantaneous measurement. The motor is allowed to draw far more current than it can handle continuously, typically for a fraction of a second during start-up or a hard acceleration. It is a real number, but it describes a condition no treadmill can hold for long. Because it is always the larger of the two figures, it is the number marketing departments prefer, and the reason an identical walking pad can be advertised as “2.5 HP” by one supplier and “0.75 HP” by another.
What is continuous horsepower (CHP)?
Continuous horsepower is the output the motor can deliver for an extended period — the figure an engineer would use for thermal sizing. It is measured under sustained load, and it is the number that has to cover the belt friction, the user’s weight and the incline if there is one. For any commercial or semi-commercial application, CHP is the specification that matters. For a home walking pad used thirty minutes a day, a lower CHP is entirely adequate; the same motor abused in an office for six hours a day is not.
How to compare PHP and CHP on one page
| Question | Peak (PHP) | Continuous (CHP) |
|---|---|---|
| What does it measure? | Maximum momentary output | Sustained output under load |
| How long can it hold? | A fraction of a second | Indefinitely within rated conditions |
| Who uses it? | Marketing, catalogues, marketplaces | Engineering, warranty, test houses |
| Does it size the motor? | No | Yes |
| Typical ratio on a light walking pad | 2.5 HP | 0.75 HP |
| Typical ratio on a 1 HP-running treadmill | 3 HP | 1 HP |
The gap is not a lie and it is not a rounding error — a ratio of roughly 3:1 between peak and continuous is normal for this class of motor. The problem is only ever ambiguity: a buyer comparing five quotations who does not know which figure each supplier quoted is comparing nothing at all.
Why the same treadmill appears as 2.5 HP and 0.75 HP
Take two machines from KREEDA’s own 2026 range. The Z06 walking pad is specified at 0.75 HP continuous / 2.5 HP peak. The JK68-6 office treadmill runs a slightly larger motor at 0.75 HP continuous / 3 HP peak. Both are honest numbers. A trading company reselling either machine can put “3 HP” on a listing without saying anything untrue — and a buyer who compares that listing against a factory quotation showing 0.75 HP will conclude, wrongly, that the factory’s machine is the weaker one.
This is why KREEDA publishes both values on the specification table of every model where a conflict exists, and why the query to send any supplier is not “how many HP” but “peak or continuous, and at what ambient temperature”.
What should an importer ask instead of “how many HP”?
- Ask for CHP, and ask for the test basis. A continuous rating without a stated ambient temperature and duty cycle is not comparable across suppliers.
- Ask for the duty cycle class. Home walking pads are built for intermittent use; office and commercial units are built for longer sessions. Mismatching the class is the most common cause of premature motor failure in the field.
- Cross-check against speed and weight. A motor quoted at 0.75 CHP on a 1–6 km/h walking pad with a 100 kg limit is coherent. The same 0.75 CHP on a 16 km/h belt rated for 150 kg is not — see the S35, which carries 1.25 HP continuous for exactly that reason.
- Ask what happens during incline. Incline raises the load on the motor more than speed does, and it is rarely reflected in a headline horsepower number.
- Put both numbers in the purchase order. If the PO says “CHP 0.75 HP minimum”, the acceptance test is unambiguous. If it says “2.5 HP”, you have agreed to nothing measurable.
Where motor power sits in the safety standards
Motor power is not the only thing a test house looks at, but it feeds into the safety case. Treadmills sold as fitness equipment are generally assessed against ISO 20957-6:2021, “Stationary training equipment — Part 6: Treadmills”, which sets additional specific safety requirements and test methods on top of the general requirements in ISO 20957-1. The 2021 edition replaced the withdrawn 2005 edition (ISO 20957-6:2005) and expanded the classes covered to include classes S, H and I for use, plus accuracy classes A, B and C.
Practical consequence for an importer: a supplier who cannot state the continuous motor rating is also unlikely to be able to produce the load and endurance test documentation that sits behind a standards claim. The two conversations are the same conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Is a higher PHP always better?
No. Peak output tells you very little about how a machine behaves after twenty minutes. A high peak figure on a low continuous figure can indicate a motor that is being pushed hard on start-up, which is worth understanding rather than celebrating.
Can a 0.75 HP motor really be sold as 2.5 HP?
Under many jurisdictions, yes, provided it is presented as a peak value. The number is not false, but it is incomplete. Always ask which value is quoted.
Which figure should I put in a tender document?
Continuous. Write “CHP not less than X HP” and, if it matters, add the duty cycle and ambient temperature you expect in service.
Does the running surface affect the required motor power?
Yes. A longer and wider belt carries more friction and more mass. Compare a JK8866-1 (1100 × 460 mm, 1 HP continuous) with the Z06 above (900 × 400 mm, 0.75 HP continuous): the larger belt needs the larger motor to reach the same speed under load.
Do walking pads and treadmills use the same convention?
They use the same physics but not the same marketing. Walking pads are the category where peak-only quoting is most common, because the continuous figure can look small next to a competitor’s peak figure.
How do I verify the claim during inspection?
Ask for the motor’s rated plate and the factory’s endurance test record, then run the unit at its rated speed with the rated load for a sustained period and record the motor temperature. A motor that is genuinely 0.75 HP continuous will be comfortable at that load; a motor sold on a peak figure will not.
What is a normal peak-to-continuous ratio?
For this class of motor, roughly 3:1. On KREEDA’s range the JK31-9 is 2.5 HP peak against 0.75 HP continuous. Treat any ratio far above 3:1 as a prompt to ask more questions.
Sources
- ISO 20957-6:2021 — Stationary training equipment, Part 6: Treadmills: iso.org/standard/80969.html
- ISO 20957-6:2005 (withdrawn, superseded by the 2021 edition): iso.org/standard/39907.html
- KREEDA product specifications, as published on this site (peak and continuous motor power rows)