The gear rating standards employed now are commercially oriented, with international trade implications. The purchaser of major mill gearing cannot reasonably expect to find in the ratings an intrinsic, comfortable margin which can be used when needed to extending plant capacity, applying more power through the same gearing. Further, managers are loath to outlay extra capital in order to accommodate the possible, but indefinite, demands of the future. Under these conditions, gearing purchased at the lowest cost may have a working life which is brief compared with previous standards. A practical consequence is that factory engineers in most sugar growing countries are regularly faced with the problem of arranging for gearing with more capacity, but occupying no more space than before.