Crusher Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Machine
Quick answer Buying a crusher comes down to six decisions, and the order matters: know your material, fix your target capacity, define your finished product, match the flowsheet, budget the total cost of ownership, then vet the supplier. Get the first three right and the machine almost chooses itself. Get them wrong and no discount will rescue the project. This guide walks through all six, with the numbers you actually need to send to a manufacturer for an accurate quotation. Step 1: Know your material Everything starts here. Two machines with the same capacity can cost very different amounts to run, depending on what you feed them. Four properties decide the crusher type: Hardness (Mohs scale): how much force it takes to break the rock Abrasiveness: how fast it chews through wear parts Moisture content: whether it blinds screens and blocks chambers Maximum feed size: the largest lump your loader will dump in A simple rule of thumb by hardness: Mohs 1-3 (soft) — limestone, dolomite, gypsum. Primary: jaw crusher. Secondary: impact crusher or heavy hammer crusher. Mohs 3-5 (medium) — marble, sandstone, oil shale. Primary: jaw crusher. Secondary: cone or impact crusher. Mohs 6-7 (hard) — granite, basalt, river...