t/h Numbers Across the 200–2000T Range
Throughput figures mean different things at different classes, and comparing them across the range without translating is how buyers end up sizing wrong. This article is the translation: what the published tonnage bands mean at each class, why the same t/h figure sits on different machines, and how to read a band against your own operation. The reference point is the Q91-2000 flagship at the top of the range.
The Published Bands, Class by Class
| Class | Published band | What the band assumes |
|---|---|---|
| Q91-200 | 20–40 t/day | Light scrap, one operator, excavator-fed |
| Q91-315 | 25–45 t/day | Mixed ferrous, two-shift growing yard |
| Q91-400 | 35–55 t/day | Commercial yard, sections and plate |
| Q91-500 | 45–60 t/day | Demolition feed, adhered sections |
| Q91-630 | 60–80 t/day | Continuous HMS, two-shift rhythm |
| Q91-1000 | 100–120 t/day | Plant duty, baled material as routine |
| Q91-1250 | 160–200 t/day | Production line, specification compliance |
| Q91-1600 | 200–240 t/day | Three-shift mill operation |
| Q91-2000 | 250–300 t/day | Flagship, largest operations |
Two things are visible in the table that a single t/h figure hides. First, the bands overlap between neighbouring classes — a well-fed 315 and a poorly-fed 400 can produce the same tonnage, which is why the class decision is about the material’s heavy tail rather than the average. Second, the assumption column changes character as the range climbs: the lower bands assume crew and loading arrangements, the upper bands assume production lines, staged discharge and maintenance windows inside the production plan.
Why the Same t/h Sits on Different Machines
A competitor’s 500-ton machine quoting 8 to 10 tons per hour and our Q91-500 quoting 45 to 60 tons per day are not necessarily in conflict — they are counting different things. Hourly figures assume ideal staging and continuous running; daily bands include the maintenance window, the shift structure and the loading rhythm. The conversion between them is the arithmetic from the band-reading guide: cycle rate times tons per cut, then the loading and discharge factors, then the maintenance window.
The honest comparison across suppliers is therefore never t/h against t/h — it is band against band, with the assumptions stated. A supplier quoting a single number is assuming all four assumptions at their ideal; a supplier quoting a band is telling you where your operation will land depending on how the four are managed.
Reading Your Band Against the Range
Three steps put your operation against the table:
- Compute your shift’s tonnage honestly — the five-step arithmetic, with your material mix and loading equipment as inputs. The result is the number your operation produces, not the number a brochure promises.
- Find the class whose band contains it — with the heavy tail of your material distribution checked against the class’s continuous plate rating. A yard at 40 tons a day of mixed material could hold a well-configured 200 or a 315, and the heavy tail decides.
- Check the assumption column — does your operation have what the band assumes? The upper bands assume staged discharge, a maintenance window inside the production plan and a loading arrangement that keeps the tank charged. A yard without those lands at the bottom of the band, and the class decision follows the honest position rather than the aspiration.
The Bands as an Honesty Test
The final use of the table is as a filter. A supplier quoting a 200-ton machine at 100 tons a day is quoting a number the class’s architecture cannot deliver — the published bands exist because they are what the machines actually do, and a figure well outside them is either a different counting method or a brochure. The full range publishes the bands per class, and the quotation that comes back within two business days will confirm the class whose band your operation will actually fill.
The Overlap Explained
The overlapping bands between neighbouring classes are not imprecision — they are the honest consequence of the bands being operational. A well-fed 315 with sorted feed and a dedicated grapple can out-produce a poorly-fed 400 with mixed unsorted intake and a shared excavator, because the band assumes the operation rather than just the machine. The overlap is why the class decision is made on the material’s heavy tail rather than on the average tonnage.
The same logic explains why the assumption column changes character as the range climbs. The lower bands assume crew and loading arrangements; the upper bands assume production lines, staged discharge and maintenance windows inside the production plan. A buyer comparing a lower class against an upper class is comparing two different kinds of operation, not two sizes of the same one — and the mixed-yard guide covers the middle of the ladder.
The Honesty Test
The table’s final use is as an honesty test for any supplier. Ask what assumptions sit behind a quoted figure, and whether the figure is hourly or daily. A supplier that states its assumptions is describing a machine; a supplier that quotes a headline number without them is describing a search term. The test takes one email and it works on any quotation from any supplier.
Ours publishes the bands with their assumptions because they are what the machines actually do — and the quotation that comes back within two business days will confirm the class whose band your operation will actually fill. If the honest answer is the class below the one you asked about, the recommendation will say so: a band your operation cannot reach is capability you are paying for every shift.
The Table, Used
The range table is used three ways, and all three are before the order. As a sizing reference: find the class whose band contains your computed tonnage, with the heavy tail checked against the continuous plate rating. As a comparison filter: a supplier quoting a figure well outside a class’s published band has either a different counting method or a brochure, and the question settles which. And as an honesty test for your own plan: if your computed tonnage sits above a class’s band, you are planning at the ceiling, and the class decision should move.
All three uses take one email and one afternoon, and all three happen before the deposit — which is the only cheap moment they exist. The band guide covers the assumptions behind the figures, and the written quotation that comes back within two business days will confirm the class whose band your operation will actually fill.
The Table as a Habit
The range table earns its keep as a habit rather than a reference — consulted before every quotation, every comparison and every second-hand opportunity. The bands are what the machines actually do, and a habit of checking figures against them is the cheapest protection available against a brochure. The table also disciplines your own plan: a computed tonnage above a class’s band is a plan running at the ceiling.
Keep the table on file with your material log and your duty declaration. The band guide covers the assumptions behind the figures, and the written quotation that comes back within two business days will confirm the class whose band your operation will actually fill.
Buyer FAQ
Why do neighbouring classes have overlapping bands?
Because the band is operational, not mechanical — a well-fed smaller machine can out-produce a poorly-fed larger one. The class decision is about the material’s heavy tail, not the average tonnage.
How do I compare my t/h figure against a competitor’s?
Convert both to the same basis — daily band with assumptions stated, or hourly with the four assumptions named. Comparing a headline hourly figure against an honest daily band is comparing different things.
What changes in the assumption column as the range climbs?
The lower bands assume crew and loading arrangements; the upper bands assume production lines, staged discharge and maintenance windows inside the production plan. The upper classes are quoted against operations, not just machines.
What if my computed tonnage sits between two classes?
Check the heavy tail of your material distribution against each class’s continuous plate rating — the frequency of over-class pieces decides, not the average. Weekly heavy events size up; monthly ones keep the lighter class viable.
Is a band outside the published figures a red flag?
Usually a counting difference rather than a lie — but a figure well outside the class’s published band needs its assumptions stated. Ours publishes the bands because they are what the machines actually do. Use the table three ways before the order — as a sizing reference, as a comparison filter, and as an honesty test for your own plan — and all three happen before the deposit, which is the only cheap moment they exist. Keep the table on file with your material log and your duty declaration, and consult it before every quotation — the bands are what the machines actually do, and the habit is the cheapest protection available against a brochure. The table also disciplines your own plan, because a computed tonnage above a class’s band is a plan running at the ceiling — and the ceiling is where blade life and cycle time go to die.