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CACES 3: the counterbalance forklift up to 6 tonnes
Twenty questions focused on the counterbalance forklift, its counterweight and its capacity plate, drawn from the R489 bank.
Independent site, not linked to the French Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie), the INRS, testing bodies or training centres.
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Questions written by Radif Partners from the French Health Insurance recommendations. This is not the official test, which is sat at a certified testing body and is in French. Your answers stay in this browser.
Category 3 of recommendation R489 covers counterbalance forklift trucks with a rated capacity of 6 tonnes or less. It is the most common truck in warehouses, loading bays and workshops: the load is carried ahead of the front wheels and balanced by a counterweight at the back. Above 6 tonnes, the same kind of truck falls under category 4. The CACES 3 is made of the R489 theory test, shared by all categories, and a practical test lasting 1 test unit on a truck of the category. It is valid for 5 years. It is also the category most offered in the Mon Compte Formation catalogue, with 1,742 initial course offers as of 23 October 2026, at a median price of €784 and a median length of 21 hours. The practice set above puts the counterbalance truck first.
Is this load within the load chart?
Handling
Allowed
| Maximum load read | 2,050 kg |
| Maximum height for this load | 4.5 m |
| Rule | row and column equal or above |
Questions, explanations and calculations by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Why the capacity plate matters so much in category 3
A counterbalance truck stays upright thanks to the balance between its load and its counterweight, around the front axle. The further the load centre is from the fork heel, the longer the lever, and the less the truck can lift. The higher it lifts, the more easily it tips. The capacity plate gives the real capacity by height and load centre; the small tool above reads it on a fictitious counterbalance truck plate.
| R489 category | Machine | Median initial price | Median refresher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Counterbalance, up to 6 t | €784 | €641 |
| 4 | Counterbalance, above 6 t | €960 | €750 |
| 5 | Reach truck | €765 | €600 |
The test points most linked to the counterbalance truck
| Syllabus point | Points |
|---|---|
| Power sources: types and identification | 1 |
| Power sources: features and conditions of use | 2 |
| Refuelling and battery charging | 1 |
| Safety devices and what they do | 3 |
| Truck controls and their role | 1 |
| Operator restraint systems | 2 |
| Components, mechanisms and how they work | 2 |
| Driving position adjustments and their purpose | 2 |
| Estimating the load mass | 2 |
| Locating the load centre of gravity | 2 |
| Load balance and stability | 1 |
| Causes of sideways tip-over | 3 |
| Causes of forward tip-over | 3 |
Stability and the capacity plate come up in two themes: technology and stability, worth 25 points, and the load chart, worth 10 points. The truck stability and load chart pages go into detail.
How long is the R489 test?
Full test
2 TU
| Theory | 1 TU (1 h ± 10 min) |
| Practical | 1.00 TU |
| Median course (CPF) | 21 h, €784 |
At most 7 test units per candidate per day.
Many drivers take categories 3 and 5 together: category 5 covers the reach truck used in racking aisles.