It is common to see a 200 t/h crusher feeding a 120 t/h screen. The crusher then runs at part load, the screen wears faster than it should, and the stockpiles grow slower than the crusher can produce. Sizing the second machine correctly is the cheapest productivity gain available.
1. Start from the crusher's real output
Not the brochure figure — the tonnage you actually achieve in your material at your discharge setting. Measure it for a week if you can. Then choose a screener whose rated capacity is at least 10–20% above that number, because moist or sticky feed screens more slowly than dry material.
2. Choose scalping or grading duty
Scalping screeners take out fines and oversize ahead of the crusher, which raises throughput and reduces wear. Heavy-duty scalpers such as the UYK221 are built for large feed and abrasive rock. Grading screeners produce finished sizes and are normally 2- or 3-deck machines, for example the UYK1860 aggregate screener. Trommel screeners such as the UTS2255 handle compost, topsoil and other stringy or highly cohesive material that flat decks struggle with.
3. Match the screen area to the cut point
The finer the separation, the slower the screening. A machine making a 40 mm cut will process far more tonnes per hour than the same machine making a 5 mm cut. If your product mix demands a fine cut, plan for more screen area — or accept a lower feed rate and use the surplus capacity of the crusher for pre-screening.
4. Stockpiles: one conveyor per product
Every additional product needs its own conveyor and its own space. Tracked stackers such as the UTD40S allow the pile to be built without a wheel loader, and can be repositioned as the pile grows. A useful planning rule is that a stockpile needs roughly three times its height in diameter, plus a truck access lane — this often decides the site layout more than the machine choice.
5. Close the loop with a return conveyor
Where a product specification is strict, oversize from the screen is returned to the crusher by a closed-circuit conveyor. This raises product quality and reduces the amount of unsellable oversize, at the cost of a modest reduction in net output. On recycling jobs it is often the difference between material that meets the specification and material that is rejected.
Key takeaways
- Size the screen above the crusher's measured output, not its rated output.
- Scalp before you crush, grade after — two different machines for two different jobs.
- Fine cuts need more area: expect lower tonnage per screen for small apertures.
- Plan stockpile space and truck access before ordering conveyors.
Send us your crusher output and required product sizes and we will size the screening and stacking train to match. Request a line-up proposal, or see the screener and conveyor ranges.