Tyre recycling is one of the few recycling sectors where the gap between a well-specified line and a poorly specified one is visible within months of commissioning. The feedstock is abrasive, the material is elastic, the steel reinforcement is unforgiving, and the output market is specification-driven. For importers, trading companies, and project developers sourcing a tyre recycling line from overseas suppliers, the procurement process must be structured around verification rather than price comparison.

This guide sets out the verification sequence that experienced buyers follow. It is organised into eight parts, moving from feedstock definition through regulatory compliance.

The most common procurement error in tyre recycling is requesting quotations before defining the feedstock. Two suppliers quoting a "tyre recycling line" may be quoting systems configured for entirely different material streams.

Confirm the tyre size range. Passenger car tyres, truck tyres, and OTR tyres impose very different loads on every stage of the line. Bead wire diameter, rubber thickness, and total tyre mass all increase with tyre size. A line validated on passenger car tyres may struggle with truck tyres and fail entirely on OTR tyres.

Confirm whether bead wire will be removed before shredding. This decision affects machine specification, blade wear rate, energy consumption, and maintenance intervals. Some operators debead before shredding; others shred whole tyres. The choice must be settled before quotations are comparable.

Confirm the target output. Crumb rubber, tyre-derived fuel, pyrolysis feedstock, and recovered steel each require a different line configuration. Crumb rubber production requires granulation and screening stages. TDF production requires only shredding to a specified chip size. Pyrolysis feedstock requires uniform chips with controlled size distribution.

Confirm the target throughput in tonnes per hour at the defined feedstock. Not at a favourable condition, and not at a nominal figure.

The primary reduction stage determines whether the rest of the line can function. In tyre recycling, this stage is performed by a double shaft shredder.

Verify the shear principle. Tyre shredding requires low speed and high torque. Shaft speeds typically fall in the 10 to 40 RPM range, with torque multiplied through planetary gear reducers. A supplier quoting a high-speed machine for whole tyres has not understood the application.

Verify the torque specification. Ask for rated shaft torque and reducer type, not motor power alone. Two machines with similar power ratings can differ significantly in their ability to shear through steel-belted tyres.

Verify the blade specification. Blade material for tyre shredding is typically D2 tool steel, with a hardness target of 58–62 HRC. Ask for a hardness test report rather than a material declaration. Ask also about blade replaceability — modular designs allow single-piece replacement without dismantling the entire rotor set.

Verify the model against your tyre size range. A machine validated on passenger car tyres may not be validated on truck or OTR tyres. Confirm the largest tyre size the machine has been tested on.

Steel recovery is the second value stream in a tyre recycling line, and its efficiency depends on the degree of liberation achieved upstream.

Confirm the magnetic separation configuration. Overband magnets or magnetic drums must be sized to the shredder output and positioned to capture ferrous material before it reaches downstream equipment.

Confirm the liberation test data. Ask for particle size distribution data and, ideally, liberation assessment showing the degree to which steel has been freed from rubber attachments. Poorly liberated chips leave steel embedded in rubber, reducing both the purity of the steel fraction and the quality of the rubber fraction.

Confirm whether secondary reduction is required. For crumb rubber production, a secondary reduction stage — typically a single shaft shredder or a granulator — produces the finer and more uniform particle size that granulation requires. Confirm whether the supplier recommends a two-stage configuration and why.

For lines producing crumb rubber or rubber powder, the granulation stage determines the product specification and the economics of the operation.

Confirm the granulator or powder grinder specification. For crumb rubber production, the core equipment is typically a dual-roll rubber powder grinder with chilled alloy cast-iron rolls rotating at different linear speeds. The speed differential generates shear and compressive forces that tear rubber chunks into granules while separating residual steel and textile.

Confirm the roll nip adjustment range. The adjustable roll nip controls output particle size and must be compatible with the target mesh specification. Typical ranges allow adjustment up to 8–15 mm for coarse output, with downstream grinding and screening for finer mesh.

Confirm the cooling configuration. Hollow rolls allowing circulation of cooling water are essential in heavy-duty operation. Without temperature control, rubber can scorch and the roll surface can degrade.

Confirm the model capacity against your throughput requirement. Powder grinder models range from compact units producing around 200 kg/h to large-scale machines producing up to 2,500 kg/h. Selecting a model below the required capacity creates a bottleneck; selecting above it creates unnecessary capital expenditure.

The output of a tyre recycling line must meet the specification of the buyer, and the handling stage must preserve that specification.

Confirm the crumb rubber specification. Particle size distribution, contamination level, and moisture content all affect the price the product commands. Confirm the line can achieve the specification required by the target market.

Confirm the steel output specification. Recovered steel wire must be clean enough to sell to steel mills and foundries. Confirm the expected purity and the form in which it is discharged.

Confirm the textile handling. Textile reinforcement is liberated during shredding and granulation. Confirm how this fraction is captured and disposed of, and whether the system meets the environmental requirements of the destination market.

Confirm the baling or bagging configuration. Crumb rubber and recovered steel require different handling. Confirm the recommended output form and the equipment required to achieve it.

For cross-border procurement, supplier capability after the equipment arrives matters as much as the specification.

Reference installations. Ask for references from projects processing the same tyre size range and producing the same output type. A supplier with experience in passenger car tyre crumb production may have no experience with OTR tyre processing or TDF production.

Test before shipment. Confirm whether the line, or its individual stages, will be tested and whether test data — throughput, particle size distribution, steel recovery rate — will be provided.

Documentation. Confirm the language of operation manuals, electrical drawings, and maintenance schedules. Confirm whether any certification is required for the destination market.

Spare parts. Request a recommended spare parts list with the quotation, covering blades, screens, magnetic components, and hydraulic parts. Confirm lead times for each. In tyre service, blade consumption is continuous, and spare parts availability directly affects uptime.

Installation and commissioning. Confirm how installation support is provided, the expected commissioning duration, and how warranty claims are handled remotely.

Packing and shipping. A tyre recycling line comprises multiple machines and may require multiple containers. Confirm packing method, container count, and shipping dimensions.

Voltage and configuration. Confirm every stage is configured for the destination market's voltage, phase, and frequency.

Utilities. Confirm the power, water, and compressed air requirements of each stage, and confirm whether the site can supply them.

Payment and delivery schedule. Confirm production lead times per stage, the payment schedule, and the inspection arrangement.

Warranty scope. Confirm which components are covered, for how long, and explicitly confirm that consumables such as blades and screens are excluded.

Tyre recycling is subject to environmental and material traceability regulations that vary by market, and the line must be capable of meeting them.

Confirm the discharge and emissions provisions. Shredding and granulation generate dust, and the line must include dust collection appropriate to the destination market's requirements. Confirm the filtration specification and whether the system operates under negative pressure.

Confirm waste residue handling. Textile, fines, and non-recoverable residue require documented disposal routes. Confirm how these fractions are captured and whether the equipment supports the record-keeping required by the destination market.

Confirm output traceability capability. Extended producer responsibility schemes and recycled content mandates increasingly require documented material flows. Confirm whether the line supports weighing, labelling, and batch recording at the output stage.

Confirm electrical and safety certification. Confirm whether the control systems and electrical components meet the certification requirements of the destination market, and whether documentation is available in the required language.

Confirm noise and vibration specification. Tyre shredding generates significant noise and vibration. Confirm the measured levels and whether site-specific mitigation is required.

Rather than presenting the verification results as a table, the recommended approach is to build a written verification record for each supplier. For each supplier under consideration, document the following in narrative form.

Begin with the feedstock definition. Record the tyre size range the supplier confirms the line will handle, the bead wire handling method proposed, the target output type, and the throughput the supplier commits to at that defined feedstock.

Then record the primary reduction verification. Note the shaft speed stated, the rated shaft torque, the reducer type, the blade material and hardness report availability, the blade replaceability design, and the largest tyre size the machine has been tested on. Where the supplier cannot provide a figure, record that absence explicitly — it is itself a finding.

Next, record the steel liberation and separation verification. Note the magnetic separation configuration proposed, whether liberation test data was provided, and whether the supplier recommends a two-stage configuration with a stated rationale.

Then record the granulation and powder stage verification. Note the powder grinder model proposed, its rated capacity, the roll nip adjustment range, the cooling configuration, and the output mesh specification the supplier commits to achieving.

Follow with the output handling verification. Record the crumb rubber specification the supplier confirms as achievable, the expected steel purity, the textile handling provision, and the baling or bagging configuration proposed.

Then record the supplier capability assessment. Note the reference installations provided, whether they match your tyre size range and output type, whether test data will be supplied before shipment, the documentation language and certification status, the spare parts list and lead times, and the installation and commissioning arrangement.

Finally, record the commercial and compliance terms. Note the packing and shipping arrangement, the voltage and configuration confirmation, the utility requirements, the payment and delivery schedule, the warranty scope, the dust collection specification, the residue handling provision, the output traceability capability, the electrical certification status, and the measured noise and vibration levels.

The completed written record will not identify the cheapest line. It will identify the line that was specified and verified for the application, and it will make the gaps between suppliers visible in a way that a price comparison never does.

Procurement of a tyre recycling line is a verification process. Feedstock definition, shredder verification, steel separation, granulation specification, output handling, supplier capability, commercial terms, and regulatory compliance — verify each, and quotations become comparable. Skip any one, and the commissioning cost after the line arrives may exceed the price difference between suppliers.

In tyre recycling specifically, the stakes are higher than in most other recycling sectors. The feedstock is abrasive, the equipment is subjected to continuous shock loading, and the output market is specification-driven. A line that was specified correctly performs for a decade. A line that was specified on price alone becomes a maintenance project.