Conveyor belts are the continuous flexible bands — typically constructed from rubber, fabric-reinforced rubber, or in some food and feed applications, food-grade polymer materials — that carry bulk material along the length of a belt conveyor, running between a drive pulley at one end and a tail pulley at the other, supported along their length by idler rollers or a sliding bed.

Belt selection in feed mill applications considers factors including load capacity, resistance to the specific material being conveyed (abrasive grains versus oily or fatty finished feeds, for example), and in many cases food safety or hygiene requirements where the belt contacts finished feed products directly.

Belt construction typically consists of one or more internal reinforcing fabric or steel cord plies, providing the tensile strength needed to carry the belt's own load plus the conveyed material over the full conveyor length, sandwiched between outer rubber or polymer covers that provide wear resistance, grip and, where required, resistance to oils, fats or specific chemicals present in the conveyed material.

Splicing — joining the two ends of a belt into a continuous loop, or repairing a damaged section — can be done either mechanically, using metal fasteners that clamp the belt ends together, or by vulcanized splicing, which bonds the belt ends using heat and pressure to create a smoother, generally stronger and longer-lasting joint than a mechanical splice, though requiring more specialized equipment and downtime to perform.

Belt tracking, tension and splice condition are routine maintenance items, since a mistracked or improperly tensioned belt can spill material, wear unevenly, or in severe cases come off the conveyor frame entirely, while splice failure is a common cause of unplanned conveyor downtime requiring belt repair or replacement.

Idler roller condition also affects belt life and tracking performance, since a worn, seized or misaligned idler can cause localized belt wear or contribute to tracking problems even when the belt itself and its tension are otherwise in good condition, making idler inspection a regular companion task to belt-specific maintenance checks.