A Brief Introduction to Tire Shredders - Optima Recycling

30, Jun. 2025

 

A Brief Introduction to Tire Shredders - Optima Recycling

How Does a Tire Shredding Machine Work?

Tire shredding is a widespread way of preparing scrap tires for disposal or recycling. Tires must be shredded to various-sized chips to be disposed of in a landfill. The size required depends on the state or area you live in. Tire shredding is also used for recycling tires; crumb tire or tire mulch can be reused to create surfaces on playgrounds, athletics tracks, roads, and more. Many companies are investing in their tire shredding systems. These companies can then sell the shredded tires and make a profit on them, instead of paying someone else to remove and dispose of them!

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Tire shredding machines serve an important purpose. You may wonder, though, how does a tire shredder work, exactly? It's good to understand the mechanics of these powerful machines; knowledge is power, after all, and it can help keep you safe while you shred tires. And, if you are debating the benefits of tire shredding, this may help you understand if a tire shredding machine is what your company needs.

Primary Tire Shredders

Primary shredders are the first machine that a scrap tire will encounter. These hefty shredders can take a whole tire and turn it into a pile of 2”-6” rough shreds; they can typically process between 10-30 tons of rubber per hour. Primary shredders can have a single shaft or two shafts.

Single-shaft shredders are great for creating uniform pieces. Single-shaft tire shredding machine can create 2”chips with the insertion of the proper screen. Screens act as a filter on single-shaft shredders, making sure that only the right-sized pieces are allowed through. Larger pieces are re-cut until they fit through the screen; this feature ensures that every piece ends up a similar size, making it easier to use them for what you need.

Two-shaft shredders create rougher shreds since they typically do not have the screening equipment that a single-shaft shredder does. However, the process of shredding is faster, and two-shaft shredders are typically more durable and long-lasting. It can process up to 30 tons of tires per hour and outputs 8” rough shreds. Screens can be fitted to create smaller output if needed. Deciding between a single-shaft or two-shaft shredder just depends on your needs.

A primary shredder is only the first step in tire shredding, as these large pieces will then be turned over to a secondary shredder for further refinement.

Graters, Granulators, and Mills

Next up, the rough shreds of the tire will be put into a secondary shredder, also known as a grater. These will refine the tire shreds down to chips that are just 1” or smaller. Tires contain steel wires that need to be filtered out, and the secondary shredder does this as well. Different screens can be fit onto the grater to create output as small as .5”.

After going through a grater, the clean mulch is then put into a granulator. This high-speed processing machine removes other materials from the rubber, such as nylon and polyester, and produces what's known as crumb rubber. Crumb rubber is the result of very fine tire shredding, with each “crumb” being around 3/8” in size.

If an even finer shredding is required, the last step in tire shredding would be milling equipment. The crumb rubber produced by the granulator is put into a cracker mill, or fine grinder, and is reduced down to just 2mm or smaller, creating what is essentially a rubber powder.

To sum it all up, each step of the tire shredding process is about refining the rubber pieces more and more. Primary shredders work by slicing whole tires up into rough chunks, pieces about 2” in size. Each machine that is used after that will make the pieces smaller, and will also take out any material that was in the tire that is not rubber. Steel wire, polyester, and nylon are all removed during the tire shredding process, leaving you with a pure rubber powder.

Why Are You Shredding Your Tires?

If you are considering purchasing a tire shredder or shredding system, consider what the purpose of the outputted material will be. How refined does your tire shredding need to be? Are you just looking to create pieces small enough to dispose of in a landfill? Are you interested in creating crumb rubber or rubber powder that can be sold and recycled? Are you using the rubber to produce other materials? These questions will help you decide on what type of machine or machines you need.

Types of Recycled Tires

TDS or Tire Derived Shreds, are what you will get from a primary shredder. They contain steel, fiber, and rubber, and can be used for energy production, as a fuel additive, or for civil engineering purposes. A secondary shredder will produce Wire-Free Chips, also known as Rubber Mulch. These can be used for landscaping, playground surfaces, and other engineering purposes. The secondary shredder will also leave you with scrap steel, which can be sold for an additional profit.

Crumb Rubber, the output from a granulator, can be used for athletic tracks and fields, or can be used as part of a rubber sealant or asphalt. And lastly, Rubber Powder, the smallest form of shredded tires, can be used in a wide variety of ways. Asphalt, roofing materials, polymers, injection molding products, and more can all benefit from the use of Rubber Powder.

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Each size of rubber shreds can be used for multiple purposes, so there's no wrong choice. It all just depends on your company's needs and what your ultimate goal is with your shredded tires.

The Right Fridge Shredder for Highest ROI : All You Need to Know ...

The fridge shredder is a new way of handling large household appliances. Since the global focus on environmental concerns, municipalities, business and home owners have all been faced with the challenge of finding an environmentally friendly waste disposal solution for waste refrigerators, freezers and similar large appliances. Choosing the right Fridge Shredder is essential for maximum ROI (return on investment) to your Refrigerator Recycling Business. We'll go over what you need to know before making your Refrigerator Recycling System purchase, including :

  • How Does a Large Industrial Shredder Work for Recycling Refrigerators ?
  • What Are The Advantages to Recycle Fridges ?
  • 3 Tips for Selecting Your Large Industrial Fridge Shredder

How Does a Refrigerator Shredder Work ?

A Large Industrial Refrigerator Shredder is a machine to shred refrigerators and other large metal appliances. It consists of an infeed area where the appliance enters, a cutting blade that slices through it, and an output conveyor belt that carries away the pieces.The Two Shaft Shredder is used as a primary crushers, while the Vertical Shredder is used as an secondary shredding as they allow size control.

The process begins with a forced feeding ram designed for handling bulk or refrigerators. A vertical shredder system liberates different material types and desifies the metal into compressed nuggets. And a drum magnet system separates steel nuggets from non-ferrous materials. Following an eddy current separator for non-ferrous metal separation. There is also an air classifier system further separating plastics from foam. A central reverse jet filtration system then extracts dust from the entire system.

The Advantages to Recycle Fridges

Recycling fridges can greatly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. It is also a way to reduce carbon footprint by recycling VOC/CFC/pentane gasses contained in old refrigerators. The process allows for the following materials to be recovered :

  • Iron/Ferrous (>99%)
  • Non-ferrous metals (97%)
  • Plastics (>95%)
  • Polyurethane (

3 Must-Know Tips to Select Right Industrial Shredder for Recycling Fridges

How to choose an industrial shredder for recycling fridges ? There are many factors that you need to consider before investing a large amount of money in this kind of system. The choice can be difficult, especially because you have to bear in mind the cost of owning and operating one. You cannot simply make this decision without any prior knowledge, which is why we came up with a list of 3 tips that you should consider before making your final decision.

  1. Cost Evaluation

    Cost consists of equipment and maintenance. The cost of the shredder is directly related to the power of the shredders and the length of the lifetime. Therefore, you need to know what kinds of fridges are fed into the shredder, how much daily processing capacity is required, and then you choose a suitable shredder according to these data.

    The equipment cost is a one-time investment. The average cost of one fridge recycling system is around US$800,000 ~ $ 900,000. And the maintenance cost is an ongoing cost. Be sure to evaluate the overall costs together before purchasing.

  2. Capacity Evaluation

    In order to adapt to your market demand, it is necessary to find out the daily processing capacity required by your local market, and then consider what type of equipment can be used to meet the needs. You need to know that different types of fridge shredders have different models, different lengths and widths of blades, and different numbers of blades. This affects the output per unit time and the thickness of the cut material.

    A good large industrial fridge shredder will have a high-quality cutting chamber that can handle the volume of material you want to shred. The capacity may be limited by the cutting chamber size. Check the capacity rating carefully before purchasing the machine and allow for some excess capacity. Using a shredder with a maximum capacity too close to the desired capacity can lead to a shortened service life. However, oversizing a shredder by a wide margin can lead to excessive power use and take up too much floor space.

  3. Evaluation of Key Components Replacement Rates

    The service life of the cutting units such as blades is determined by the whole system capacity. At Genox, you will get a guaranteed low replacement rate because of the high quality of the shredders. For the first shredding part - Twin Shaft Shredder, one set blade can be used for shredding units of refrigerators; for the secondary shredding part - Vertical Shredder, one set blade can be used for units of refrigerators. Choosing a fridge shredder with great quality will bring a low replacement rate of key components, that saves your overall costs.

What Are The Key Features to Look for When Purchasing a Fridge Shredder?

  • Detachable blade design

    The twin-shaft shredder adopts a detachable blade design, which is more durable and easier for maintenance.

  • Hydraulic opening/closing casing

    The vertical shredder casing adopts a hydraulic opening and closing device, which is easy to open and close, a great design for future maintenance.

  • Dust collectors are equipped with activity detectors

    The dust removal system adds an activated carbon adsorption system, which can adsorb the residual alkane gas in the refrigerator and meet the emission standards.

Talk to Our Team

If you want to save tons of money, with a minimal initial investment, be sure to consult an experienced manufacturer of large industrial shredders before purchasing. This will help you take whatever scrap metal or scrap fridge you have and turn them into an entirely new source of income. If you have any further questions about fridge shredders, please get in touch with our team today and we will be pleased to assist you. If you want to know more about these and our other products, please check the link below. Refrigerator / Fridge Recycling Line System or Shredder and Ganulator Combo, Plastic Pipe Shredder and Recycling Machine.

Are you interested in learning more about Primary Shredder? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!