Belt conveyors appeared in England in 1868; Spiral conveyors appeared in the United States in 1887; In 1905, steel belt conveyors appeared in Switzerland; Inertial conveyors appeared in Britain and Germany in 1906. Since then, the conveyor has been continuously improved under the influence of technological advancements in mechanical manufacturing, motors, chemical and metallurgical industries, gradually evolving from completing internal transportation in workshops to completing material handling within enterprises, between enterprises, and even between cities, becoming an indispensable component of material handling system mechanization and automation.

The high rotation drum car and water lifting overturning in ancient China were the prototypes of modern bucket elevators and scraper conveyors; In the mid-17th century, aerial ropeways began to be used to transport bulk materials; In the mid-19th century, various modern conveyor structures emerged one after another.