What drives the price of a scrap shear

Ask five suppliers for the price of a “gantry shear” and you will get five numbers that differ by a factor of three. That is not dishonesty — it is because “gantry shear” describes a category, not a machine. Here is what actually moves the number, so you can compare quotes properly.

1. Shearing force and blade length

The two figures that define the machine. A Q91Y series shear runs from 3,200 kN to 15,000 kN, and the blade length goes from 1,200 mm to 2,000 mm across the same range. Doubling the force roughly doubles the steel, the cylinder bore and the pump size — the price follows the tonnage, not the model name.

Blade length is the one buyers underestimate. If your longest piece is 1,800 mm and the quote is for a 1,200 mm blade, you will be re-cutting by hand every day. That costs more than the difference between the two machines.

2. Installed power

A 3,200 kN machine runs on about 48 kW. A 15,000 kN machine needs 333 kW. The motor and pump set is a large share of the build cost, and it also decides whether your site can run the machine at all — a detail that is cheap to check before the order and expensive to discover after installation.

3. The hydraulic package

Two machines can share a tonnage and still differ by 20 percent in price, because of what is inside: cylinder bore and rod diameter, seal quality, pump type, valve block, hose rating. This is where “cheap” machines are made. Ask what pump and what valve block, and whether the seals are imported or local — then compare.

4. Control and safety

Manual control with a waterproof cabinet is the baseline. Add PLC sequencing, remote control, automatic bale ejection or interlocked guarding and the price moves again. On a shear, the safety interlock is not optional in most markets — if it is missing from a quote, the quote is not comparable.

5. What is inside the price

This is the most common source of confusion. Two quotes at the same number can include completely different things:

• machine only, or machine with control cabinet and foundation bolts
• spare blades included or priced separately
• packing: bare machine, or fumigated crate
• inland haulage to the port, or ex-works
• documents: invoice and packing list only, or certificate of origin and CE

Always ask for a line-item quote. A single number cannot be compared, and it hides where the margin is.

6. Freight, duty and installation

These usually sit outside the machine price and are often the difference between two “cheap” offers:

• Freight depends on volume, not weight. A gantry shear is a wide, tall load — it may need a flat rack rather than a container.
• Duty and tax depend on the HS code and the destination. The same machine can attract very different rates in two countries.
• Installation — foundation, lifting, commissioning — is almost always local labour and is rarely in the machine price.

How to compare two quotes in ten minutes

Why we do not publish a price list

Because a price without the material, the blade length and the destination is fiction. We quote from your material and your site: the configuration first, the number second. If you send the material type, the maximum piece size and the target output, you get a selection note and a line-item quote — not a catalogue with a number at the bottom.

Questions we get on price

Is a bigger machine always better?

No. An oversized shear costs more to buy, more to power and more to maintain, and it will not make your baler faster. Size the line, not the machine.

Why is one quote for the same model 20 percent cheaper?

Usually pump and valve selection, seal quality, or scope — the second quote may exclude the control cabinet or the packing. Ask for the component list before you compare the total.

Can you quote CIF instead of FOB?

Yes. We quote FOB Qingdao as standard and CIF on request, with the freight and insurance shown as separate lines so you can see what you are paying for.