How to Choose a Jaw Crusher: Model Selection & Sizing Guide
Choosing the right jaw crusher is the most important decision in any crushing plant. The primary stage sets the maximum feed size, the shape of the plant and the cost per ton of everything downstream. Get it wrong and every later stage suffers: too small a feed opening and you fight blockages, too little power and you cannot reach the target tonnage, too coarse a discharge and the cone crusher is overloaded.
This guide walks through the six decisions that actually matter — material, feed size, capacity, discharge setting, drive and wear parts — and finishes with a worked example for a 200 t/h granite plant. If you prefer, send your material and target output and our engineers will size the machine for you within 24 hours.
Step 1 - Start with the material
The first question is always: what are you crushing? Two properties drive the selection.
Compressive strength decides how heavy the machine must be. Standard jaw crushers handle materials up to 320 MPa; above 250 MPa (granite, basalt, river stone, iron ore) you need a deep crushing cavity, a heavy flywheel and a reinforced frame, otherwise the frame and bearings will crack under load.
Abrasiveness and moisture decide what the machine must be made of. Highly abrasive rock such as basalt requires Mn18Cr2 jaw plates and protected cheek plates, while sticky or clay-bearing material needs a larger discharge opening, a steeper toggle angle and sometimes a vibrating grizzly feeder to scalp fines before the crusher.
| Material | Compressive strength | Difficulty | Recommended jaw plate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limestone, dolomite | 60-150 MPa | Easy | Mn13Cr2, corrugated profile |
| River stone, gravel | 150-250 MPa | Medium | Mn13Cr2 / Mn18Cr2 |
| Granite, basalt | 250-320 MPa | Hard | Mn18Cr2, deep-tooth profile |
| Iron ore, copper ore | 250-350 MPa | Very hard | Mn18Cr2 + heavy frame |
Step 2 - Define your feed size
Measure the largest rock that can enter the crusher, not the average size. The feed opening must be 10-20% larger than the maximum lump, otherwise bridging and blockages are inevitable.
A practical rule: maximum feed = feed opening x 0.8. If your blast produces 600 mm lumps, you need a 750 mm-class machine (PE-750x1060 or C106). If the largest lump is 800 mm, go to PE-900x1200 or C110.
Reduction ratio matters too. A primary jaw crusher typically reduces 6:1 to 8:1 in a single pass. If your feed is 600 mm and you need 80 mm going to the cone, one jaw stage is enough. If you need 40 mm directly from the jaw, expect lower capacity and heavier wear — it is usually cheaper to let the cone do the fine work.
Step 3 - Calculate the capacity you need
Capacity is quoted in tons per hour (t/h) and depends on three things: the closed side setting (CSS), the bulk density of the material and how well the feed is graded.
- Start from the finished-product demand, then add 10-15% margin so surges do not stall the line.
- Convert volume to weight using bulk density: granite and basalt about 1.6 t/m3, limestone about 1.5 t/m3, gravel about 1.7 t/m3.
- Remember that quoted capacity is normally for continuous, well-graded feed — slabby or clay-rich feed can cut it by 20-30%.
Typical single-toggle jaw crusher capacities:
| Model | Feed opening (mm) | Max feed (mm) | Capacity (t/h) | Motor (kW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE-250x400 | 250 x 400 | 210 | 5-20 | 15 |
| PE-400x600 | 400 x 600 | 340 | 16-60 | 30 |
| PE-600x900 | 600 x 900 | 500 | 50-160 | 75 |
| PE-750x1060 | 750 x 1060 | 630 | 110-320 | 110 |
| PE-900x1200 | 900 x 1200 | 750 | 220-450 | 160 |
| PE-1200x1500 | 1200 x 1500 | 1020 | 400-800 | 220 |
| C110 (C series) | 1100 x 850 | 700 | 200-470 | 160 |
| C160 (C series) | 1600 x 1200 | 1020 | 400-1200 | 250 |
Capacities vary with CSS, material and feed grading; treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee.
Step 4 - Match the discharge setting
The closed side setting controls both product size and capacity, and the two always move in opposite directions. Opening the CSS from 80 mm to 120 mm can add 30-40% capacity but produces a coarser product; closing it to 50 mm improves the cubicity of the final product but reduces throughput and raises wear cost.
Practical guidance:
- Primary jaw feeding a cone: run a CSS 20-30% wider than the cone’s feed opening.
- Single-stage operation (small plants): keep the CSS as tight as the application allows, and accept lower tonnage.
- Whenever you change the CSS, re-check the drive motor current — an over-tight setting is a common cause of burnt motors.
Step 5 - Size the drive and frame
Motor power must match the cavity. As a rule of thumb, allow 0.15-0.25 kW per ton per hour of capacity for medium rock, and up to 0.35 kW/t/h for hard, abrasive rock. A crusher that is underpowered will stall; an overpowered one will simply trip its protection rather than crush more rock.
Frame construction matters just as much. Bolted frames are cheaper and easier to ship; welded, stress-relieved frames survive more abuse in hard-rock quarries. For granite and basalt, choose the heavier option and check that the bearings are spherical roller type with labyrinth seals, which tolerate dust far better than open designs.
Step 6 - Choose wear parts before you buy
The jaw plates are the highest-cost consumable in a primary plant, so choose the profile and alloy together with the machine:
- Corrugated plates grip the rock and suit mixed feed.
- Deep-tooth plates give the longest life in hard, abrasive rock (granite, basalt).
- Smooth plates are used for fine crushing or when a flatter product is needed.
- Mn18Cr2 for high-impact abrasive rock, Mn13Cr2 for medium rock, and ceramic-insert plates where wear life is the priority.
Buy the first set of spare plates and a set of cheek plates with the machine. Waiting 30 days for a jaw plate costs far more in downtime than the plate itself, and mixing plate suppliers is a common reason for uneven wear.
Process flow: where the jaw crusher sits
A typical two-stage hard-rock plant looks like this:
- Vibrating grizzly feeder - scalps fines, protects the jaw from clay and evenly meters the feed.
- Primary jaw crusher - reduces 0-600 mm to 0-150 mm.
- Vibrating screen (first deck) - sends oversize to the cone, undersize to the second screen.
- Secondary cone crusher - reduces 150 mm to 40 mm in a closed circuit.
- Final screens - produce 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-40 mm aggregates.
- Belt conveyors and dust suppression - transfer and control dust at each transfer point.
If your product is 0-40 mm only and the feed is limestone, a jaw plus screen can be enough. For granite and basalt, plan on three stages: jaw, cone, and a short-head or VSI stage if the specification demands cubical sand.
Worked example: 200 t/h granite plant
Requirements: feed 0-600 mm granite, finished product 0-40 mm, 200 t/h, site in West Africa, container shipment.
- Primary: PE-750x1060 jaw crusher, CSS 100 mm, 110 kW. It accepts 630 mm lumps and delivers about 200-250 t/h of 0-150 mm at this setting.
- Secondary: single-cylinder hydraulic cone crusher (GP/CH class) with medium cavity, CSS 25-30 mm, 160 kW, giving 0-40 mm at about 220 t/h in closed circuit.
- Screening: 2YK2160 double-deck screen, closed circuit with the cone.
- Wear parts: Mn18Cr2 jaw plates plus one spare set, cone mantle and concave with medium cavity, 30% spare V-belts.
- Delivered scope: crushers, screens, feeders, 12 belt conveyors, control panel, installation drawings and a commissioning engineer on site for 7 days.
That configuration has been delivered repeatedly for granite and basalt projects in Nigeria, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia - see the Nigeria 250 t/h basalt quarry upgrade and the Saudi Arabia 200 t/h granite plant.
Commissioning and maintenance checklist
- Check the foundation bolts and the gap between the frame and the base before first start.
- Verify the V-belt tension after the first 8 hours, then every 500 hours.
- Grease or oil according to the manual — bearing temperature above 70 °C is a warning, above 85 °C is a stop.
- Measure the CSS weekly and record it; drifting settings are the first sign of worn toggles or seats.
- Inspect jaw plate wear patterns monthly. Uneven wear almost always means incorrect feeding, not a bad plate.
- Keep a spare toggle plate, cheek plates and a set of jaw plates on site.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Sizing the jaw crusher on average rock size instead of the largest lump.
- Ignoring bulk density when converting m3/h to t/h.
- Buying the cheapest frame and then paying for it in welding and downtime.
- Forgetting the scalping screen, so clay blinds the jaw cavity.
- Ordering the machine without spare wear parts.
Get an exact model recommendation
Send us your material type and compressive strength, maximum feed size, target capacity, required product sizes and your site conditions. Our engineers reply within 24 hours with a recommended model, a plant flow sheet, a budget price and lead time - free of charge. You can also compare the PE series and C series models, or review jaw crusher versus cone crusher for the secondary stage.