Crane rental companies lease or rent construction cranes to general contractors. They are distinct from the crane supplier (manufacturer), but they can be confused easily because both companies often put their logo on the crane. Crane rental companies may be connected to a building regardless of whether the crane is fixed or mobile, as long as the equipment receives significant use during construction.

The defining activity is the rental or lease of the crane for construction work. Both fixed and mobile cranes are included, provided they have the significant use at the structure described above.

A crane manufacturer makes the machine. Ownership and rental concern provision of the crane to the contractor, rather than its original manufacture; a logo alone does not establish which activity a company performed.