1600 Ton Scrap Metal Shear from China: Structural Guide

The 1600 ton gantry shear is the mill-scale class — the machine built for three-shift duty on heavy plate, in operations where downtime is measured in furnace terms rather than shift terms. This guide covers what three-shift duty actually demands, why the structural specification matters more than the tonnage at this level, and what to confirm before an order.

HUAXIN builds the Q91-1600 in Tangshan, China, selling factory-direct to steel mills and three-shift recycling operations worldwide. The figures below are published on the product page.

What the Q91-1600 Is Built For

The Q91-1600 is the mill-scale shear for three-shift duty. Published typical output is 200 to 240 tons per day, with 150 mm plate as the continuous cutting boundary and 190 mm as the occasional rating. The class exists for operations where the machine is infrastructure: a mill whose feed has to be sized to specification, every shift, with the availability a production plan demands.

At this level the buyer is rarely comparing machines on price. They are comparing builds: what the frame is rated for, how the hydraulics hold up under sustained load, and what the maintenance plan looks like across three shifts rather than one. Those are the questions this guide is organized around.

The Specification

Specification	Q91-1600
Model	Q91-1600
Rated force	1600 ton
Typical output	200-240 tons per day
Continuous cutting	150 mm plate
Occasional cutting	190 mm plate
Bale capability	Specified capability for baled scrap
Duty	Steel mills, three-shift continuous operation

The continuous boundary at 150 mm is the production number: heavy plate as routine work, every shift. The occasional rating at 190 mm is the exception column, and at this duty level the difference between the two columns is the difference between a machine that lasts and a machine that survives. If your heaviest weekly material sits at the top of the continuous range with no margin, the Q91-2000 is the honest conversation.

What Three-Shift Duty Demands

Three-shift duty is a build specification, not a schedule. Four things change when a machine is quoted for continuous operation rather than single or double shifts, and all four belong in the quotation conversation.

• Frame and structure. The frame is proportioned for sustained cyclic load rather than peak bites, and the anchorage is engineered to match.
• Hydraulics and seals. Seals, hoses and the hydraulic package are specified for duty cycles that never cool down, because heat is what kills hydraulic components on continuous duty.
• Blade logistics. At 200-240 tons per day, blade changes and regrinds are planned production events with spare edge sets on the shelf, not maintenance surprises.
• Maintenance access. The maintenance schedule is attached to the purchase order, and at this class it is a staffing plan rather than a manual.

Tell us the real duty at quotation — shifts, feed composition, contamination — and the build, blade configuration and spare kit are confirmed in writing against it. A machine quoted for the duty you wish you had will not survive the duty you actually run, and at this tonnage that lesson is expensive.

Structural Specification: What to Confirm

• Feed composition as percentages, with contamination identified — heavy plate, mixed HMS, baled material all specified separately.
• Three heaviest weekly items, measured, against the 150 mm continuous boundary, with margin.
• Shift pattern in writing: three shifts changes the build, and the quotation follows the duty you declare.
• Power supply, frequency and spare kilowatts, with the starting method matched to your transformer before the build.
• Foundation and anchorage on the shipped drawings, started during the build window rather than after arrival.
• Discharge flow at 200+ tons per day: accumulation, tying and loading designed per shift.
• Spare kit sized to three-shift operation — seals, hoses, filter elements, wear edges, edge sets — on the shelf before commissioning.
• Maintenance staffing plan attached to the purchase order, with the training schedule built around your shift teams.

What Downtime Costs at Three Shifts

At three shifts, downtime is not measured in hours — it is measured in furnace terms. A mill-scale operation running 200 to 240 tons per day loses the whole day’s plan when the shear stops, which is why the buyers at this class ask different questions than yards do. What is the seal specification? How fast can a wear part be replaced? What spares are on the shelf? Those questions are the reason the duty conversation happens at quotation rather than after delivery, and the reason the spare kit ships with the machine. The build answers the first; your inventory plan answers the rest.

This is also why the duty declaration matters at quotation. A machine quoted for three shifts on 150 mm feed is a different build than one quoted for two, and the difference is invisible on a price sheet and obvious in year three. Tell us the real duty and the machine that arrives is the one the operation can actually run.

Sizing Against the Range

Below the Q91-1600 sits the Q91-1250: 120 mm continuous, 160-200 tons per day, the heavy-plate production class. Above sits the Q91-2000: 170 mm continuous, 250-300 tons per day, the flagship for the heaviest feed.

The 1600-versus-2000 decision is usually about the heaviest routine material and the shift count. Three-shift mill duty on 150 mm feed sits at 1600; the heaviest continuous feed and the largest operations point at 2000. Both are infrastructure purchases, and the difference shows up in blade life and availability rather than in output on a good day.

Getting the Machine to Your Yard

Written quotations come back inside two business days, factory direct, with the specification sheet for your electrical and foundation contractors. The deposit starts the build; standard configurations leave Tangshan 30 to 45 days later, and non-standard chamber, motor or control combinations run longer with the exact date confirmed in writing.

At this tonnage the receiving work is a capital project: foundation, electrical scope, crane and conveyor review and the delivery route all run during the build window, and mills that parallel-path them commission in the first week. The document set — invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificates — is prepared alongside the build; request drafts with the quotation and your broker can classify early.

Commissioning is included and scheduled around your production plan: our engineer handles leveling, electrical connection, no-load and load runs and operator training across your shift teams. The machine is CE certified, and the one-year warranty runs on the published maintenance schedule — which at this duty level is a staffing commitment rather than a booklet.

When to Choose Differently

If your operation runs two shifts rather than three, the 1250 is usually the honest class. If your heaviest routine feed runs past 150 mm, the 2000 is. And if a large share of your tonnage is bulky mixed waste, a shredder belongs in the line — mills running both stages are common, with the shear on the heavy plate and the shredder on the mixed fraction.

Infrastructure should be sized to the production plan. Tell us the plan — shifts, feed, specification — and we will confirm the class in writing, including when a smaller class is the honest answer.

Q91-1600 Buyer FAQ

What does “mill-scale, three-shift duty” mean in practice?

A build specified for continuous operation: frame proportioned for sustained cyclic load, hydraulics and seals rated for duty cycles that never cool down, and a maintenance plan that runs across three shifts rather than one.

What is the continuous cutting boundary?

150 mm plate continuously, with 190 mm as the occasional rating. At this duty level the continuous number is the production specification, not a suggestion.

How does it compare to the 1250?

Boundary, output and duty. The 1600 runs 150 mm continuous at 200-240 tons per day on a three-shift build; the 1250 runs 120 mm at 160-200 tons per day on production duty.

What power supply applies?

The build covers 380 V, 400 V or 415 V at 50 Hz, with 60 Hz to order, and the starting method is matched to your site transformer at quotation. Motor ratings at this class are substantial — confirm spare capacity with your electrician before the build.

How long does delivery take?

Standard configurations leave our Tangshan factory 30 to 45 days after the deposit clears; non-standard combinations run longer with the date confirmed in writing. Foundation and electrical work at your end is usually what sets the timeline.

What support is included?

One-year warranty on the published maintenance schedule, full documentation with schematics and foundation drawings, commissioning scheduled around your production plan with test runs and training across shift teams, and a spare kit sized to three-shift operation.

Talk to the Factory Before You Decide

Send us your production plan — shifts, tonnage, plate requirement and feed mix — and we will confirm whether the Q91-1600 is the right class, or point you at the 1250 or the 2000 with the reasoning in writing. Quotes come back inside two business days, factory direct.

Ready to shortlist? Compare the Q91-1600 specification against your production plan, browse the full shear range, or send our team the plan. The FAQ page covers warranty, delivery and commissioning terms.