The main components of the bucket elevator include: the drive unit, plastic buckets, traction components, base, and intermediate casing, etc.

The drive unit consists of an electric motor, a reducer, a brake or a ratchet, and a coupling, driving the spindle equipped with a drum or sprocket. For high-lift bucket elevators, a hydraulic coupling is used, while for low-lift heights, an elastic coupling is employed. Using a shaft-mounted reducer eliminates the need for a coupling, simplifies installation, and facilitates maintenance with easy assembly and disassembly.

Hopper bins are typically categorized into shallow bins, deep bins, and angled bins with guide grooves. Shallow bins have a steep front wall slope and a small depth, making them suitable for transporting moist and poorly flowing materials. Deep bins have a smaller front wall slope and greater depth, ideal for conveying dry, free-flowing granular materials. Angled bins with guide sides have two guide sides at the front, which serve as the discharge guide slots for the rear bin. These are ideal for transporting heavy, blocky materials and those with abrasive properties. For bulk cement, which is fluid and dry, deep bins are more appropriate. During unloading, the material within the bin is distributed along a logarithmic spiral. Designing a centrifugal discharge bin often involves creating several air holes at the bottom to allow for higher filling capacity during loading and a more complete unloading.

The traction component is a sealed flexible member, commonly consisting of a chain loop, a flat chain, or a belt.