Both technologies measure stockpile volume contactlessly. They are not interchangeable. This page lays out, dimension by dimension, when each one wins — and how Sachtleben decides for your site.
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sweeps a near-infrared laser across a surface and times the return pulses. It produces dense point clouds — typically millimeters of resolution at the ranges that matter for industrial stockpiles (5–200 m). The result is a precise 3D model of the actual material surface, calibratable to ±1 % volume.
Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) emits microwaves and times their return. Microwaves penetrate dust, fog and even thin layers of material. The trade-off: spatial resolution is roughly two orders of magnitude lower than LiDAR — Radar gives you "is the pile here, how high" but not "what shape is the surface in detail".
Both have their place. A clean indoor sugar warehouse is a textbook LiDAR job. A coal-fired power plant's silo with constant coal-dust circulation is a textbook Radar job. Most installations are in between — and that's where the comparison below matters. For silo level measurement specifically, see our guide 3D LiDAR vs radar in the silo.
Sachtleben evaluates both for every project. We default to LiDAR because it covers the broader operating envelope, and use Radar where physics demands it.
| Dimension | LiDAR | Radar |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial resolution | mm-cm at typical ranges | dm-m |
| Volume accuracy | ±1 % calibrated | ±3-8 % typical |
| Range | 5-200 m (industrial); 500 m+ specialized | up to several km |
| Dust / fog penetration | degraded in heavy airborne dust; multi-echo helps | excellent — sees through |
| Surface-shape capture | full 3D point cloud, every contour | average level only; cone-shape assumption |
| Material discrimination | can detect material boundaries by reflectivity | no — single average return |
| Sensor cost | €1-5 k per unit, trending down (industrial 3D) | €3-20 k per unit (industrial) |
| Sensor maintenance | optical window cleaning every 6-12 months; auto-air-cleaning optional | essentially zero — no optics |
Salt, sugar, fertilizer, wood-chip storage halls. Air is mostly clean, optics stay usable for months. LiDAR's ±1 % accuracy goes to billing.
Sectioned piles where you need to know the volume of each zone, not just total. Only LiDAR's 3D point cloud delivers per-polygon volumes.
FIFO inventory, shelf-life monitoring, freshness flags by zone — needs surface-history per coordinate, which only LiDAR captures.
Material profile across a moving belt at line-rate. 2D-LiDAR cross-scan times throughput in tonnes/hour. Radar can't resolve cross-section shape.
Drive-through 3D snapshots of every truck pass — load shape, height, off-centring. Pure LiDAR job; Radar lacks the resolution.
Cement clinker bunkers, coal silos with permanent dust circulation. LiDAR's optical window blinds quickly; Radar sees through.
You only need average fill height, not surface shape. Radar is simpler, cheaper to maintain, accuracy matches the application.
Heap distances >300 m where LiDAR signal-to-noise drops. Radar maintains useful return at km-scale — relevant for very large open-pit monitoring.
OWL EYE® is built around 3D-LiDAR because it covers the broadest operating envelope of the two. But we are sensor-agnostic — we'll integrate Radar where physics demands it, and we'll tell you so.
Livox, Hesai, Pepperl+Fuchs, SICK — we mix-and-match per project. Not locked into one technology.
Every install gets a one-off material density calibration so volume → mass is honest, not theoretical.
Compressed-air pulse on the optical window every 30 min for dusty installs. Closes the LiDAR-vs-dust gap.
If your site is pure dust 24/7, we'll quote a Radar variant or a hybrid. We don't sell what doesn't fit.
Decision-relevant questions buyers ask before specifying.