Four crusher types dominate the construction and aggregate industry. Each one breaks rock and concrete differently, handles different materials, and fits different stages of the production chain. Pick the wrong type and you waste fuel, wear parts, and produce material that does not meet spec.
This guide breaks down how each type works mechanically, what it handles, and when to use it. If you run demo jobs or produce aggregate, the jaw vs impact comparison matters most. That section gets the deepest treatment.
The Four Crusher Types at a Glance
| Feature | Jaw Crusher | Impact Crusher | Cone Crusher | Gyratory Crusher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | Compression between two plates | High-speed blow bars shatter material | Compression between gyrating cone and concave | Compression between gyrating mantle and concave |
| Primary use | Primary crushing of hard rock and concrete | Primary or secondary crushing of soft to medium materials | Secondary and tertiary crushing | Primary crushing at high volume |
| Max feed size | 20″ to 48″+ | 16″ to 36″ | 6″ to 12″ (pre-crushed feed) | 48″ to 72″ |
| Output range | 3/4″ to 6″ (adjustable CSS) | 3/4″ to 4″ | 1/4″ to 2″ | 4″ to 10″ |
| Materials | Concrete, rock, brick, block, granite, basalt | Concrete, asphalt, limestone, recycled materials | Pre-crushed rock, gravel, limestone | Hard rock, ore, large-scale quarry feed |
| Handles rebar? | Yes (with magnet) | Yes (with magnet) | No | No |
| Portable models? | Yes (track-mounted) | Yes (track-mounted) | Limited | No (fixed plant only) |
| Best for | Demo contractors, recycling, road projects | Asphalt recycling, limestone, softer materials | Producing fine aggregate from pre-crushed feed | Large quarries and mining operations |
How a Jaw Crusher Works
A jaw crusher uses compression. Two heavy steel plates face each other inside a V-shaped chamber. One plate is fixed. The other swings back and forth on an eccentric shaft.
Material drops into the top of the V. As the movable jaw closes, it compresses the rock or concrete against the fixed jaw. The material fractures along natural weak points. Gravity pulls the broken pieces downward through the narrowing gap. Each swing of the jaw pushes the material further down and breaks it smaller.
The gap at the bottom of the chamber is called the closed side setting (CSS). The CSS determines your output size. Set the CSS to 3/4 inch and you get 3/4-inch-minus product. Open it to 4 inches for structural fill. You can adjust the CSS on the job without shutting down.
What jaw crushers handle:
- Reinforced concrete (rebar is not a problem with the integrated magnet)
- Natural rock: granite, basalt, limestone, sandstone, quartzite
- Brick, block, and masonry
- Mixed demolition loads with concrete, block, and stone
What jaw crushers do NOT handle: asphalt. This is the single biggest misconception in portable crushing. Asphalt is bituminous. It flexes and deforms under compression instead of fracturing. Feed asphalt into a jaw crusher and it gums up the chamber, wraps around the jaw plates, and chokes the machine. If you have asphalt to process, you need an impact crusher. Period.
Strengths:
- Handles the hardest materials (granite, basalt, reinforced concrete)
- Simple mechanical design with fewer wear parts
- Low operating cost per ton on hard feed
- Portable models fit on job sites
Limitations:
- Cannot process asphalt or other bituminous materials
- Produces angular, elongated product (not always ideal for finish applications)
- Lower reduction ratio than impact crushers (typically 6:1 to 8:1)
Portable Jaw Crushers for Contractors
Most contractors working demo jobs or road projects do not need a fixed-plant jaw crusher. Portable, track-mounted models bring the crusher to the material instead of trucking material to the crusher.
GCS connects contractors with Evortle portable jaw crushers:
Evortle CT-535: The compact model. 14,330 lbs. 74 HP Hatz Tier 4 diesel. 20×14-inch jaw opening. CSS adjustable from 0.8 inch to 4 inches. Throughput: 15 to 30 tons per hour depending on product size. Transport dimensions: 18 ft 9 in x 7 ft 1 in. Rides on a standard tag-along trailer behind a one-ton pickup. Track-mounted with wireless remote control. Built for residential tear-outs, small commercial slabs, and tight-access sites.
Evortle CT-850: The production model. 52,910 lbs. 150 HP Perkins Tier 4 diesel. 32×20-inch jaw opening. CSS adjustable from 1 inch to 4 inches. Throughput: 65 to 130 tons per hour. Transport dimensions: 38 ft 8 in x 7 ft 6 in. Ships on a lowboy. Track-mounted with wireless remote control. Built for parking structures, bridge decks, warehouse foundations, and high-volume road work.
The CT-850 includes a standard cross magnet that automatically pulls rebar and steel from the discharge stream. The CT-535 offers an optional cross magnet for the same function.
How an Impact Crusher Works
An impact crusher uses velocity instead of compression. A high-speed rotor spins inside a chamber lined with impact plates (also called aprons or curtains). Material enters the chamber and gets hit by blow bars mounted on the rotor. The blow bars launch the material against the impact plates at high speed. The material shatters on impact.
This is a fundamentally different breaking mechanism. Jaw crushers squeeze. Impact crushers hit. That difference determines which materials each type can process.
What impact crushers handle:
- Asphalt: This is the big one. Impact crushers shatter asphalt because the high-speed blow bars break the bituminous binder apart on impact. Compression cannot do this. Impact can.
- Concrete (reinforced and unreinforced)
- Limestone and other soft to medium-hard rock
- Recycled materials and mixed C&D loads
- Block, brick, and masonry
Why impact crushers handle asphalt and jaw crushers do not: Asphalt is held together by bitumen, a flexible petroleum-based binder. Under compression (jaw crusher), the bitumen deforms instead of fracturing. Under impact (blow bars hitting at 100+ feet per second), the bitumen bond shatters. The aggregate inside the asphalt separates cleanly. The result is a granular recycled asphalt product (RAP) that works as road base or can be reheated and reused in new asphalt paving.
Strengths:
- Processes asphalt, which no other crusher type can handle efficiently
- Higher reduction ratio than jaw crushers (typically 10:1 to 25:1)
- Produces a more cubical product shape (better for road base and concrete aggregate)
- Good for soft to medium-hard materials
Limitations:
- Blow bars wear faster than jaw plates on hard materials (granite, basalt)
- Higher wear cost per ton on abrasive feed
- Not ideal for extremely hard, abrasive rock
- More complex maintenance than jaw crushers (blow bar rotation, apron adjustment)
Jaw vs Impact: Head-to-Head Comparison
This is the comparison that matters most for contractors renting portable crushers. Both types come in track-mounted, portable configurations. Both handle concrete. The decision comes down to your material and your end product.
| Factor | Jaw Crusher | Impact Crusher |
|---|---|---|
| Crushing mechanism | Compression (squeeze) | Impact (hit) |
| Best material | Hard rock, reinforced concrete | Asphalt, limestone, softer concrete |
| Can crush asphalt? | NO | YES |
| Can crush granite? | Yes (ideal) | Yes (but high wear cost) |
| Can crush concrete? | Yes (ideal) | Yes |
| Rebar handling | Yes (magnet equipped) | Yes (magnet equipped) |
| Product shape | Angular, elongated | Cubical, well-graded |
| Reduction ratio | 6:1 to 8:1 | 10:1 to 25:1 |
| Wear cost per ton | Lower on hard materials | Lower on soft materials |
| Maintenance | Simpler (jaw plates, toggle, bearings) | More complex (blow bars, aprons, rotor) |
| Noise level | 85 to 95 dB at operator station | 90 to 100+ dB at operator station |
| Typical portable weight | 14,000 to 55,000 lbs | 30,000 to 80,000 lbs |
The decision rule is simple:
- Concrete, rock, brick, block: Jaw crusher. Lower wear cost, simpler maintenance, handles the hardest materials.
- Asphalt: Impact crusher. This is non-negotiable. Jaw crushers cannot process asphalt.
- Mixed loads with asphalt and concrete: Impact crusher. It handles both. A jaw crusher will choke on the asphalt.
- Limestone quarry production: Impact crusher. The softer material keeps wear costs down, and the cubical output is better for aggregate specs.
How a Cone Crusher Works
A cone crusher uses compression, like a jaw crusher, but the geometry is different. A cone-shaped mantle gyrates inside a concave bowl. Material feeds in at the top and gets pinched between the mantle and the bowl as the mantle swings. The material fractures and drops through the narrowing gap.
Cone crushers are secondary and tertiary machines. They take pre-crushed feed (typically 6 to 12 inches) and reduce it to 1/4-inch to 2-inch product. They excel at producing tight gradations and consistent aggregate specs.
What cone crushers handle:
- Pre-crushed hard rock (granite, basalt, diorite)
- Gravel and river rock
- Limestone and sandstone
- Quarry overburden
What cone crushers do NOT handle well:
- Rebar-reinforced concrete (rebar wraps around the mantle)
- Large feed sizes (they are not primary crushers)
- Sticky or wet material (clogs the chamber)
- Asphalt (same compression problem as jaw crushers)
Strengths:
- Produces fine, well-graded aggregate
- Tight product size control
- High throughput on pre-crushed feed
- Lower operating cost than impact crushers on hard, abrasive rock
Limitations:
- Requires pre-crushed feed (must pair with a primary crusher)
- Not available in compact portable models for most job-site work
- Cannot handle rebar or steel
- Higher upfront cost than jaw crushers
Where you see cone crushers: Quarries, aggregate plants, and mining operations. They sit downstream of a jaw or gyratory primary crusher and produce the fine aggregate sizes that DOT specs require. Most contractors will never rent a cone crusher. If you need fine aggregate from crushed concrete on a job site, a jaw crusher set to a tight CSS with a vibratory screener downstream gives you the same result.
How a Gyratory Crusher Works
A gyratory crusher is the heavy hitter. It works on the same principle as a cone crusher (compression between a gyrating mantle and a concave surface) but at massive scale. Feed openings accept material up to 72 inches across. The machine itself weighs hundreds of tons and sits on a concrete foundation.
Gyratory crushers are primary crushers for large quarries and mining operations. A dump truck backs up to the opening at the top and dumps rock directly into the chamber. No pre-breaking required.
Where you see gyratory crushers: Open-pit mines, large limestone quarries, and aggregate super-plants. These machines process 5,000 to 10,000+ tons per hour. They are fixed installations that cost millions of dollars and require crane assembly.
For contractors: You will never rent a gyratory crusher. They are covered here for completeness. If someone tells you they need a gyratory for a job site, they are confusing it with a jaw crusher. Portable jaw crushers cover every primary crushing application that fits on a construction site.
Primary vs Secondary Crusher: What Is the Difference?
These terms describe where the crusher sits in the production chain, not the machine type.
Primary crusher: The first machine in the circuit. Takes raw, unprocessed material (quarry blasts, demolished concrete, excavated rock) and reduces it to a smaller, manageable size. Jaw crushers and gyratory crushers are primary crushers. Impact crushers can also serve as primary crushers on softer materials.
Secondary crusher: Takes the output of the primary crusher and reduces it further. Cone crushers are the most common secondary crushers. Impact crushers also work as secondary crushers.
Tertiary crusher: A third-stage machine that produces fine aggregate. Cone crushers and vertical shaft impactors (VSIs) fill this role.
On most portable crushing jobs, you only need a primary crusher. A jaw crusher set to a 3/4-inch CSS produces base material directly. If you need a tighter gradation or a specific aggregate size, pair the jaw crusher with a vibratory screener to separate the output into graded fractions. That two-machine setup (crusher plus screener) replaces the three-stage circuit that quarries use.
Crusher Selection Decision Guide
Not sure which crusher fits your job? Work through this table.
| Your Situation | Recommended Crusher | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete slab tear-out, residential | Jaw (CT-535) | Hard material, tight site, rebar handled by magnet |
| Commercial building demo, heavy rebar | Jaw (CT-850) | High volume, structural concrete, production speed |
| Parking lot with asphalt and concrete | Impact | Asphalt requires impact; handles concrete too |
| Asphalt milling or removal | Impact | Only impact crushers process asphalt |
| Road base from crushed rock | Jaw | Hard rock, simple operation, adjustable CSS |
| Fine aggregate for DOT spec | Cone (or jaw + screener) | Tight gradation control; portable setup uses jaw + vibratory screener |
| Large quarry primary crushing | Gyratory or large jaw | Volume determines choice |
| Mixed C&D recycling | Impact or jaw | Impact if asphalt is present; jaw if concrete and rock only |
Pairing a Crusher with a Screen
A crusher alone produces “crusher run”: a mix of sizes from dust to the CSS setting. That works for road base and backfill. But if your project requires a specific aggregate size (like #57 stone or #4 stone), you need a screen downstream of the crusher.
A vibratory screener separates crusher output into three graded products. Feed the crusher run onto the top deck. The punch plate top deck scalps oversize material and sends it back to the crusher for another pass. Mid-size aggregate passes through the second deck. Fines drop through both decks. Three separate discharge conveyors deliver three clean piles: oversize, spec aggregate, and fines.
The result: spec aggregate produced on-site from demolition rubble. No hauling. No tipping fees. No buying virgin aggregate. That is on-site concrete recycling at its most efficient.
GCS connects you with crusher and screener packages on a single delivery. One mobilization. Two machines. Full aggregate production on your job site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a jaw crusher process asphalt?
No. Jaw crushers use compression to break material. Asphalt contains bitumen, a flexible petroleum-based binder that deforms under compression instead of fracturing. Feed asphalt into a jaw crusher and it will gum up the chamber, stick to the jaw plates, and stop the machine. Impact crushers handle asphalt because their high-speed blow bars shatter the bitumen bond on contact. If your job includes asphalt removal, you need an impact crusher.
Which is better for concrete: jaw or impact?
Jaw crushers are the preferred choice for concrete. Concrete is hard, brittle material that fractures cleanly under compression. Jaw crushers process reinforced concrete efficiently, and the integrated magnet pulls rebar from the output stream. Impact crushers also handle concrete, but blow bar wear is higher on hard materials. For pure concrete demo work, a jaw crusher gives you lower operating cost per ton.
What is the difference between a primary and secondary crusher?
A primary crusher is the first machine that processes raw material. It takes large feed (up to 48 inches for a jaw crusher) and reduces it to a smaller size. A secondary crusher takes the primary crusher output and reduces it further to produce finer aggregate. On most portable crushing jobs, a single jaw crusher with an adjustable CSS handles both functions. Multi-stage circuits with separate primary and secondary machines are standard in fixed quarries and aggregate plants.
What is the smallest portable crusher available?
The Evortle CT-535 is one of the most compact portable jaw crushers on the market. It weighs 14,330 lbs, measures 18 ft 9 in long by 7 ft 1 in wide in transport position, and rides on a standard tag-along trailer. It fits through residential gates and into tight job sites where larger machines cannot access. Despite its compact size, it processes 15 to 30 tons per hour depending on the target product size.
Can you screen the output of a crusher?
Yes. Pairing a jaw crusher with a vibratory screener lets you produce graded aggregate on-site. The crusher produces crusher run (mixed sizes from dust to CSS setting). The screener’s two vibrating decks separate that into three products through three discharge conveyors: oversize, spec aggregate, and fines. Oversize goes back to the crusher for re-processing. This two-machine setup produces spec aggregate from demolition rubble without trucking anything off-site.
How loud is a portable jaw crusher?
Expect 85 to 95 dB at the operator station, depending on the material being processed. Hard granite and heavily reinforced concrete run louder than block or brick. For reference, 85 dB is roughly the volume of heavy city traffic. OSHA requires hearing protection above 85 dB for extended exposure. Most municipalities allow crusher operation during standard construction hours (7 AM to 6 PM on weekdays). Check local noise ordinances before scheduling residential or urban work.
Get Matched with the Right Crusher
GrinderCrusherScreen has connected contractors with crushing equipment since 1973. Whether you need a portable jaw crusher for a concrete demo job, an impact crusher for asphalt recycling, or a crusher-and-screener package for on-site aggregate production, we match you with the right equipment for your project.
Call 770-433-2670 or visit the concrete crusher rental page to request pricing.
Thinking about buying instead of renting? Browse concrete crushers for sale on GrinderCrusherScreen.com.
