Tire Shredder Output Size Guide

What “Tire Shredder Output Size” Actually Means

Output size is not one fixed number printed on a motor plate. It is the size range of discharged tire pieces after cutting, screening and recirculation. In a real waste tire recycling plant, the same shredder body can behave very differently depending on blade width, hook design, screen opening, classifier type, return conveyor layout, feed rate and whether the tire is a passenger tire, truck tire or OTR tire. This is why YUXI positions the tire shredder machine as part of a controlled shredding system rather than just a cutting box. Its dual-shaft cutting chamber pulls elastic rubber and steel-wire tire material into the machine, while the disc screen and return route send oversized pieces back for another pass. That layout is important when the project requires a repeatable chip size instead of mixed, random shreds. Industry use also confirms that tire material is not sold as one generic product. The U.S. EPA describes civil engineering uses for shredded tire material such as lightweight fill, drainage aggregate and landfill applications, while its ground rubber guidance separates coarse and ground rubber markets by particle size. In other words, the value of shredded tire output depends heavily on where the material will go next. EPA civil engineering uses and EPA ground rubber guidance both point to size-specific applications.

Tire Shredder Output Size Table

The table below gives practical output ranges for project planning. Actual settings should be confirmed against the tire source, steel content, capacity target and downstream equipment. For TDF, civil engineering aggregate, asphalt or molded rubber products, the buyer’s local specification always takes priority.

Target output size	Typical product	Common application	Recommended equipment stage
150–300 mm	Rough tire shreds / TDA feed	Volume reduction, transport reduction, civil engineering material where allowed by specification	Primary tire shredder, often with screening if size control is required
50–150 mm	TDF chips / rough rubber chips	Cement kiln fuel, industrial boiler fuel, rough chip sales, further processing	Dual-shaft shredder + disc screen + return conveyor
20–50 mm	Secondary rubber chips	Mulch preparation, pyrolysis feedstock where accepted, granulator feed preparation	Secondary shredding or rasper with magnetic separation
10–20 mm	Wire-free rubber mulch	Landscaping, playground mulch, feedstock for crumb line, saleable steel by-product	Rasper + magnetic separator + screen/classifier
1–8 mm	Crumb rubber / rubber granules	Rubber mats, tiles, sports surfaces, molded rubber products, asphalt modification feedstock	Granulator + vibrating screen + magnetic and fiber separation
30–120 mesh	Fine rubber powder	Modified asphalt, reclaimed rubber, compounds, seals, soles, boards and fillers	Fine grinding mill after clean granule production

Choose Output Size by Final Application

A good plant design starts from the downstream buyer. Two projects can both say “tire shredder,” but one may need rough TDF chips for fuel and another may need clean 1–3 mm crumb for molded products. Those are not the same line.

150–300 mm rough shreds: good for first-stage reduction

Rough shreds are mainly used to reduce bulky tire volume or prepare tires for another stage. For civil engineering markets, tire-derived aggregate specifications may allow large shredded pieces; the USTMA State of Knowledge report describes TDA as scrap tire pieces generally between 3 and 12 inches, or about 76–300 mm, for civil engineering applications. It also notes ASTM D6270 size classes, including Type A and Type B applications. USTMA TDA report For YUXI projects, this range is normally a primary shredding decision. It is useful when the site wants storage reduction, truck loading efficiency, or a first cut before TDF, mulch, crumb or powder production.

50–150 mm TDF chips: the common fuel-chip range

TDF buyers usually care about two things: size consistency and metal tolerance. A cement kiln or boiler does not want long rubber strings, oversized chunks, or unpredictable wire exposure. YUXI’s Tire TDF Plant is designed around whole tire shredding into rough TDF chips, with common project ranges around 50–100 mm and flexible 50–150 mm rough chips depending on the buyer specification. This is where a disc screen and return conveyor matter. Material that is too large is not manually sorted on the floor; it is sent back to the shredder, which improves output stability and reduces labor. For a pure TDF project, you should define the accepted oversize percentage, exposed-wire tolerance and whether a magnetic separator is required after shredding.

20–50 mm rubber chips: secondary chip or mulch feedstock

Rubber chips in this range are typically a transition product. They are smaller than TDF rough chips but not yet crumb rubber. They may be used as mulch feedstock, pyrolysis feedstock where the process accepts it, or preparation for a granulator. The important point is that 20–50 mm is often not just a “screen change” on the primary shredder; it may require secondary reduction and better steel handling. If the final market requires fewer exposed wires, the line should include steel liberation and magnetic separation. Otherwise the material may be rejected even if the size looks correct.

10–20 mm wire-free mulch: cleaner material, more equipment

Wire-free mulch is where size, purity and appearance start to matter together. YUXI’s Tire Wire Free Mulch Plant is positioned as the second step after primary shredding, reducing rough shreds into 10–20 mm rubber chips and using magnetic separation to remove steel. This size can be suitable for landscaping, playground surfaces, sports court layers and feedstock for crumb rubber plants. For buyers selling mulch, the quotation should define not only size, but also steel removal rate, fiber tolerance, color coating requirements if any, and final bagging or bulk-loading method.

1–8 mm crumb rubber: the shredder is only the front end

Crumb rubber requires a different way of thinking. The primary tire shredder prepares the material; it does not finish the product. YUXI’s Tire Rubber Crumb Plant uses downstream processing to turn wire-free chips into uniform rubber granules, with steel and textile fiber removal. YUXI’s own process descriptions list stages such as tire shredder output around 50 mm, rasper output around 10–20 mm, and granulator output around 1–6 mm or 1–8 mm depending on configuration. The EPA notes that ground rubber can be used in asphalt applications, and the FHWA describes ground tire rubber technologies for asphalt binders and mixtures, including size references such as 30 mesh and smaller for certain dry process uses and 10 mesh / 2.0 mm distinctions in crumb rubber markets. FHWA recycled tire rubber guidance

30–120 mesh rubber powder: a fine-grinding project

Rubber powder is specified by mesh because it is much finer than ordinary tire chips. YUXI’s Tire Rubber Powder Plant is designed to grind clean 1–8 mm rubber granules into fine powder ranges such as 30–120 mesh. This is a later-stage product, usually after steel and fiber are already removed. Fine powder can be used in modified asphalt, reclaimed rubber, rubber products, soles, seals and filler applications. The important engineering detail is temperature control and classification: excessive heat can affect powder quality, while poor screening can create a wide particle distribution that downstream buyers may not accept.

How YUXI Controls Tire Shredder Output Size

Output control in tire shredding is not as simple as installing a smaller hole screen. Tire rubber is elastic, steel wire resists cutting, and truck tires behave differently from passenger tires. In a YUXI-style tire recycling line, output control comes from the whole front-end design. YUXI’s broader tire recycling machine line connects these stages from primary shredding through steel separation, rubber granulation and fine powder grinding, so the target size can be matched to the final product rather than forced through one machine.

How Output Size Changes the Line Configuration

A smaller target size usually means a deeper process. This is the point many early buyers miss when they compare only motor power or shredder model names. A line that produces 50–150 mm TDF chips may be very different from a line that produces 1–8 mm crumb rubber at the same hourly input.

Project target	Likely line configuration	What to verify before quotation
Tire collection yard volume reduction	Feeding conveyor + primary shredder + discharge conveyor	Largest tire size, mixed tire ratio, desired transport size and maintenance access
TDF chip production	Primary shredder + disc screen + return conveyor + optional magnetic separation	Chip size contract, oversize tolerance, exposed steel requirement, fuel buyer acceptance criteria
Wire-free mulch	Primary shredder + rasper + magnetic separator + screen + collection	Steel removal rate, color/appearance requirements, packaging or bulk storage
Crumb rubber	Primary shredding + rasper + magnetic separation + granulator + vibrating screen + fiber separator	Target particle range, purity requirement, acceptable fiber, downstream product use
Rubber powder	Full crumb line + grinding mill + classifier + cooling and collection	Mesh range, powder temperature, classifier accuracy, dust control and packaging

EuRIC describes mechanical tyre recycling as a preferred approach for recovering raw materials from end-of-life tyres, and Tyres Europe lists material recovery, rubber-modified asphalt, steel industry use and civil engineering applications among ELT recycling routes. Those routes are exactly why output size should be treated as a market requirement, not just a machine setting. EuRIC mechanical tyre recycling fact sheet and Tyres Europe circularity overview

Common Mistakes When Specifying Output Size

Buyer Checklist: Information to Send Before Choosing Size

The fastest way to get a realistic YUXI configuration is to send a short technical brief before asking for a price. Include: With these details, YUXI can decide whether the project needs a single tire shredder, a TDF shredding system, a wire-free mulch line, a crumb rubber plant or a complete powder production line.

Source Notes

1. U.S. EPA, Scrap Tires: Civil Engineering Applications.
2. U.S. EPA, Scrap Tires: Ground Rubber Applications.
3. FHWA, Resource Responsible Use of Recycled Tire Rubber in Asphalt Pavements, FHWA-HIF-20-043.
4. USTMA, State of the Knowledge Reports on Tire Derived Aggregates.
5. EuRIC, Mechanical Tyre Recycling as the best approach for a Circular Economy.
6. Tyres Europe, Circularity and End-of-life overview.