How Should Buyers Specify Sand Making Equipment for Feed, Gradation, and Moisture?

Buyers should specify sand making equipment from representative feed data and the required saleable product, not from a nominal tons-per-hour target alone. The RFQ should include rock type, abrasiveness, feed-size distribution, maximum lump size, moisture and clay, target grading curve, particle-shape requirement, fines limit, operating hours, recirculating load, utilities, environmental controls, wear assumptions, and acceptance-test conditions.

Two plants rated at the same capacity may produce different quantities of compliant sand because feed grading, moisture, abrasiveness, crusher setting, screen efficiency, recirculation, and fines management change the process duty.

Define the Product Before Selecting the Machine

Start with the final products:

• Concrete sand, dry-mix mortar sand, asphalt aggregate, or another use.
• Product size fractions.
• Required grading envelope.
• Maximum permitted oversize.
• Required particle-shape or angularity criteria.
• Permitted powder or fines content.
• Washing or dry classification requirement.
• Applicable local product standard or customer specification.

If the plant must make several products, provide the expected percentage and hourly demand for each. A process designed for one grading curve may not deliver the same capacity when switched to another.

Sand-Making RFQ Input Table

Input	What to provide	Why it affects the solution
Rock type	Geological description and quarry source	Influences breakage behavior and wear
Abrasiveness	Test data or representative laboratory results	Affects wear-part selection and operating cost
Feed grading	Sieve analysis by mass	Determines crusher and screen duty
Maximum lump	Normal and occasional maximum	Sets inlet and upstream-control requirements
Moisture/clay	Typical, minimum, and maximum condition	Affects flow, screening, dust, and washing decisions
Target products	Required sieve curves and quantities	Defines circuit and recirculation
Capacity	Net saleable product per operating hour	Prevents confusion with feed or circulating tonnage
Operating basis	Hours/day, days/year, availability assumption	Supports equipment and maintenance planning
Utilities	Power frequency/voltage, water, compressed air	Defines site interfaces
Acceptance	Feed condition, test duration, sampling, and pass criteria	Makes performance claims measurable

1. Provide a Representative Feed Sieve Analysis

A single maximum feed size is not a feed specification. Send a full particle-size distribution for representative material. Include seasonal or bench-to-bench variation where relevant.

The supplier needs to know:

1. Percentage already within final product sizes.
2. Amount of coarse material requiring reduction.
3. Amount of natural fines entering the circuit.
4. Oversize frequency.
5. Whether feed segregation occurs in stockpiles.
6. Upstream crusher discharge conditions.

Sampling should represent normal plant operation. A clean, dry hand sample may not describe wet production feed.

2. State Moisture, Clay, and Contamination Conditions

Moisture can change:

• Chute flow.
• Screen performance.
• Dust generation.
• Material buildup.
• Fine-particle separation.
• Need for washing or drying.
• Storage and conveying behavior.

Provide typical and worst expected moisture, not only an average. Identify clay, soil, organic matter, or other contaminants. If the quarry changes during the year, describe the wet-season case separately.

The decision between dry and wet processing should follow product requirements, water availability, environmental constraints, settling or water-treatment scope, and the actual feed response.

3. Define Capacity at a Clear Process Boundary

“100 t/h” could mean:

• Fresh feed into the plant.
• Feed into one crusher.
• Total flow including recirculation.
• Combined final products.
• One compliant sand fraction.

Write the capacity as net saleable product at the specified feed and moisture condition. State whether screen oversize returns to the circuit and whether rejected fines count as product.

Also define:

• Continuous or peak capacity.
• Minimum turndown.
• Planned operating hours.
• Availability basis.
• Product changeover requirement.

4. Match the Circuit to the Required Product Curve

Sand making is a circuit decision, not only a crusher decision. The scope may include feeding, crushing, shaping, screening, washing or classification, dust collection, conveyors, recirculation, storage, and electrical control.

Ruilong’s product range includes a VSI Sand Maker, Reversible Sand Maker, Plate Hammer Sand Maker, Vibrating Screen, and Sand Washer. These are possible circuit elements, not a default package. Selection requires project data.

Ask the supplier to provide:

• Proposed flowsheet.
• Equipment duty at each stage.
• Feed and product mass balance.
• Expected circulating load.
• Screen apertures and deck allocation.
• Fines-removal or recovery method.
• Control philosophy.
• Exclusions.

5. State Particle Shape and Fines Requirements

Product grading alone does not fully describe manufactured sand. If the market controls particle shape, flakiness, angularity, or fines quality, name the test method and acceptance limit.

For fines, specify:

• Sieve size defining fines.
• Permitted percentage.
• Whether natural and generated fines are treated differently.
• Required removal or recovery.
• Sampling and reporting method.

Avoid asking for “low powder” without a number and test basis.

6. Include Wear, Power, and Maintenance Assumptions

Operating cost depends on the actual material and duty. Ask suppliers to state:

• Installed and estimated operating power.
• Wear-part basis and feed assumptions.
• Inspection access.
• Lifting and maintenance provisions.
• Expected replacement sequence rather than an unsupported universal life.
• Lubrication and consumables.
• Recommended spares for commissioning and the first operating period.

Wear-life figures should be treated as conditional estimates until verified under the project’s feed and operating practice.

7. Define a Performance-Acceptance Test

The purchase contract should identify:

• Approved feed source.
• Feed sieve analysis.
• Moisture range.
• Test duration.
• Stable-operation period.
• Sampling locations and frequency.
• Laboratory method.
• Net product capacity.
• Product grading and shape acceptance.
• Power-measurement boundary.
• Treatment of downtime and abnormal feed.

Without these conditions, “guaranteed capacity” may not be auditable.

Sand Making Equipment RFQ Checklist

Feed

• Rock/mineral:
• Quarry and sample source:
• Feed sieve analysis:
• Normal and maximum lump:
• Abrasiveness/test data:
• Moisture range:
• Clay and contaminants:
• Bulk density:

Product

• End use:
• Product sizes:
• Required grading curves:
• Particle-shape requirement:
• Fines definition and limit:
• Net saleable capacity:
• Product mix:

Site

• Layout and elevation:
• Ambient conditions:
• Power supply:
• Water availability:
• Dust/noise requirements:
• Operating hours:
• Upstream and downstream equipment:

Scope and acceptance

• Crushing/screening/washing scope:
• Electrical control and HMI:
• Structures, conveyors, and chutes:
• Installation and commissioning:
• Spares:
• Acceptance-test method:
• Destination and schedule:

Confirm the Equipment Supply Boundary

The quotation should distinguish the main machine from feeders, screens, conveyors, dust or water-control equipment, controls, steelwork, wear parts, commissioning, and training. Ask the supplier to state the minimum order basis, available customization, applicable equipment standards or requested certification evidence, factory or material test scope, packaging, delivery sequence, lead time after process confirmation, warranty, and spare-parts support. Price comparisons should use the same feed envelope, capacity definition, product target, duty, wear assumptions, utilities, automation, installation boundary, and destination.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is feed moisture included in a sand-making quotation?

Moisture affects flow, screening, dust, fines separation, and whether washing or dry classification is practical. Provide the expected range.

Is crusher feed capacity the same as saleable sand capacity?

No. Recirculated oversize, rejected fines, and multiple products can make the figures different. Define net compliant product at the agreed conditions.

Which machine is best for manufactured sand?

There is no universal answer. Rock behavior, feed grading, target curve, shape, fines, capacity, and site constraints determine the circuit.

Should buyers send a rock sample?

Yes when test work is needed to reduce uncertainty. Agree on sample quantity, representativeness, tests, and ownership of results.

What makes quotations comparable?

Use the same feed data, product curves, capacity boundary, utilities, scope, performance conditions, and exclusions for every bidder.

Request a Process-Based Proposal

Ruilong manufactures crushing, screening, sand-making, and supporting electrical-control equipment and provides aggregate-plant project support. Review the Ruilong equipment range and send the feed report, target grading, capacity, moisture range, site data, scope, and acceptance criteria through the contact page.