What a 200 Ton Scrap Metal Shear Actually Cuts

Every week a buyer somewhere asks us the same question in a slightly different form: what can a 200 ton scrap metal shear actually cut? The honest answer is never one sentence, because “scrap metal” covers everything from a flattened washing machine to a metre of crane rail, and those two pieces belong on completely different machines. A 200-ton gantry shear is a precise tool with precise boundaries, and buyers who understand the boundaries before they order get ten good years out of the machine. Buyers who buy the tonnage on the badge and hope get blade bills, hydraulic repairs and a machine that never quite keeps up.

This article is the boundary map for the Q91-200. It lists what the machine eats every day, what it takes occasionally, and what it should never be asked to do — plus where each of those answers changes if your yard is really a 315, a 400 or a 630-ton yard. If you want the wider buying framework first, start with our complete guide to buying a scrap metal shear from China and come back here for the detail.

The Daily Diet: What the Q91-200 Is Built For

The Q91-200 is the entry point into continuous, automated gantry shearing. It is engineered for yards and recycling plants moving roughly 5 to 40 tons of ferrous scrap per day — the independent scrap yard, the municipal collection station, the small demolition contractor, the fabrication shop recovering its own skeleton offcuts. For that operation, the machine is dimensioned around a very specific material list.

Material	What the Q91-200 does with it
Rebar, bundled or loose	Clean, routine cutting — construction and demolition rebar is the bread-and-butter feed of this class
H-beams and I-beams (light to medium)	Standard duty; the blade and box geometry are sized for sections in this weight range
Angle steel and structural profiles	Light to medium duty, single pieces or short bundles
Steel pipes	Single or bundled light pipes, wall thickness permitting
Steel plate	Within the recommended thickness range — under 30 mm as a working boundary
Car bodies	Flattened or pre-treated shells; whole frames belong on a bigger class
Mixed light scrap	Workshop offcuts, skeleton scrap, general yard intake

Read that list again and notice what it is: the everyday material mix of a small ferrous yard. The Q91-200 is not trying to be the biggest shear on the market. It is trying to be the machine that takes the material a small yard actually receives, day after day, with one operator and the excavator the yard already owns.

The Two Boundaries We State Plainly

Any supplier who tells you a 200-ton machine is a general-purpose heavy-HMS machine is either guessing or selling. We publish two boundaries on the product page and we repeat them at quotation, because a buyer who learns the boundary after the deposit is a buyer we have failed.

HMS 1 & 2. The Q91-200 can cut HMS 1 & 2 occasionally, in small quantities. It is not a continuous heavy-HMS machine. If your intake is dominated by HMS 1 & 2 — and for plenty of yards it is — the right answer is a higher-tonnage model, and we will say so in the quotation rather than take the order. Continuous HMS work starts to make sense at the Q91-630, where the frame, hydraulics and duty rating are built around it.

Heavy sections. Steel structures over about 60 mm, or oversized bundles, need more shearing force than this class carries. Cutting at the limit day after day is the most expensive way to own any machine: blades wear faster, hydraulics run hotter, and the cycle time that made the machine look good on paper stretches out as the feed gets heavier. If your heaviest routine piece is a 70 mm section, you are shopping for a 400 or a 500, not a 200.

Neither boundary is a defect. They are the difference between a right-sized machine and an undersized one, and a correctly sized machine outlasts an undersized one by years.

How the 200 Sits Against Its Neighbours

Choosing between a 200-ton shear and a larger gantry shear comes down to one question: what is your heaviest routine material, and how many tons per day? The full scrap metal shear range steps up in force and duty together, and each step is a different operation rather than just a bigger number.

Your situation	Right class
Light scrap, rebar, profile sections; 5–40 t/day	Q91-200 (this model)
Mixed ferrous with heavier sections; 40–80 t/day	250T–400T gantry shear
Continuous HMS 1 & 2, heavy structural; 80+ t/day	630T and above

The Q91-315 sits one step up at 315 ton, rated for 25 to 45 tons per day with continuous cutting at 30 mm and occasional work to 50 mm — the machine for a yard whose feed is genuinely mixed. The Q91-400 carries 35 to 55 tons per day, continuous 40 mm, occasional 55 mm, and suits commercial yards with a steady stream of sections and plate. Above them the Q91-500 takes demolition feed with concrete-adhered sections at 45 to 60 tons per day. The step from the 200 to the 315 is the one most small yards eventually make; the step from the 315 to the 500 is the one trading and demolition operations make.

The Numbers That Decide the Sale

These are the published specifications from the product page — the numbers we quote against, not brochure averages.

Item	Specification
Model	Q91-200 Hydraulic Scrap Metal Shear — gantry type
Shearing force	200 ton
Blade length	1,100 mm or 1,200 mm
Motor power	22 / 27 / 30 / 2×22 kW (configurable)
Cycle time	20–30 seconds per cut
Daily capacity	20–40 tons per day (material-dependent)
Feeding tank length	4 m / 4.5 m / 5 m
Power source	Electric, generator, or diesel
Input voltage	380V / 400V / 415V / 230V, 50Hz or 60Hz
Blade material	H13 or M6V tool steel, 56–62 HRC, four-sided reversible
Automation	PLC full-auto + remote control + emergency stop
Certification	CE / ISO 9001
Origin	Tangshan, China

Two of those rows matter more than buyers expect. The 20 to 40 tons per day band is where the machine actually lives — light, well-graded scrap at the top of the excavator’s reach sits near the top of the band, and bulky mixed intake near the bottom. And the blade specification — H13 or M6V tool steel at 56 to 62 HRC, four-sided reversible — is the difference between a machine that holds its cycle time in year five and one that slows down as the edges round off. One complete blade set processes approximately 5,000 to 10,000 tons of scrap depending on material and discipline, and when a set finally wears out, spare blades ship within 48 hours by DHL or FedEx.

One Operator, One Excavator, No Feeding Crew

The Q91-200 is designed for one-person operation. One trained operator runs the machine from the PLC control station while material is loaded by an excavator or grapple — equipment most scrap yards already own. No feeding crew, no second operator on the floor, no manual positioning of anything.

For a yard processing 20 to 40 tons a day, the difference between a one-person shear and a two- or three-person setup is one to two full-time wages, every month, for the life of the machine. That is a real number in the payback calculation, and it is the reason small yards have moved off manual alligator cutting. If you are weighing the entry class against a manual setup, our alligator shear buying guide covers the comparison from the other side.

Power, Placement and the Site Conversation

Every site’s power situation is different, and the Q91-200 is configured for it before the machine is built rather than adapted afterwards with compromises. The build covers 380V, 400V, 415V or 230V input at 50Hz or 60Hz, and can be driven by grid electric, a generator, or a diesel engine. Generator- and diesel-powered sites usually take the lower kW configuration; grid-connected, higher-throughput yards move up. If your yard sits far from grid capacity — or you want a shearing station you can move between sites — that conversation happens at quotation, and the power package is matched to your conditions in writing.

Blade length and feeding tank are configured the same way. Take 1,100 mm blades for compact yards and shorter stock, or 1,200 mm when your intake includes longer beams and bundled sections. Take a 4 m tank for tight footprints, or 4.5 to 5 m when fewer excavator cycles and smoother continuous cutting matter more than floor space. All three tank lengths come with the same hydraulic pushing system and PLC presets.

Who Should Step Up Instead

We would rather sell you the right machine than the available one, and that means some buyers should look one or two classes up. If your typical week includes continuous HMS 1 & 2, the honest answer is the 630. If your heaviest routine material runs past 50 mm and your tonnage is climbing toward 60 a day, the 400 or the 500 is the machine that survives your feed. If your material list says smaller — and for many yards it genuinely does — the 200 is the machine, and we will confirm the configuration against your numbers rather than against a brochure.

Send us your scrap type, the three heaviest pieces you cut in a normal month, your daily tonnage and your available power, and the quotation comes back within two business days with the specification sheet your electrician and foundation contractor can work from. Photos or video of your material help us recommend the correct configuration — and, just as importantly, the honest right model for your operation.

Buyer FAQ

What is the daily capacity of the Q91-200?

20 to 40 tons per day, depending on material type, loading efficiency, cut length, operator workflow and daily running hours. For higher daily capacity, a larger gantry shear is the right answer, and we will tell you which one.

Can the Q91-200 cut HMS 1 & 2?

Occasionally, in small quantities. It is not a continuous heavy-HMS machine. If HMS 1 & 2 dominates your intake, plan for the 630T class or above instead — we will say so at quotation.

How long does a blade set last?

One complete blade set of H13 or M6V tool steel, four-sided reversible, processes approximately 5,000 to 10,000 tons of scrap metal depending on material, cutting thickness and maintenance discipline. Spare blades ship within 48 hours by DHL or FedEx.

How many operators does it need?

One trained operator runs the machine; material is loaded by excavator, grapple or other loading equipment already present at most yards.

Can it run on generator or diesel power?

Yes. In addition to grid electric drive, generator or diesel engine packages are available to match your site conditions and local power supply. The configuration is fixed before the build.

What is the maximum plate thickness?

Steel plate under 30 mm sits within the recommended working range for this class. Heavier plate is occasional work at best — if thick plate is your daily diet, compare the 315T and 400T classes before ordering.