From Tires to Metal: Can Tire Shredding Equipment Handle Scrap Metal Too?

Many recycling plants today need more than just tire shredding. This blog explains how our heavy-duty shredders can also process scrap metal, steel drums, car body shells, and aluminum waste — giving you a smart solution if you’re looking for an industrial metal shredder for sale with flexible performance.

Heavy-duty tire shredding equipment for sale

Modern recycling plants demand more than single-function equipment. While tire shredding equipment for sale is typically used for reducing rubber tires into manageable chips, many customers now need machines that also handle scrap metal, steel drums, and even automobile shells. Can one machine do it all?

Expanding Beyond Rubber: The Power of Dual-Shaft Design

Heavy-duty tire shredding equipment for sale is often built with dual shafts, large torque gearboxes, and alloy cutting blades—features that also make it suitable as a scrap metal shredder. With the right blade material and clearance setup, this same equipment can process thin steel sheets, car panels, and aluminum drums.

What Kind of Metals Can It Shred?

Our industrial metal shredder for sale is not limited to tires — they’re engineered to function as scrap metal shredders, capable of processing a wide range of light and medium-thickness metals commonly found in recycling yards and industrial waste streams.

In addition to tires, the machine can effectively handle:

  • Steel oil drums, chemical barrels, and paint cans as a powerful metal drum shredder
  • Car body shells, doors, roof panels, and engine hoods as a reliable car body recycling shredder for cutting automotive shells into chunks
  • Steel shredder machines, capable of processing household appliances, such as such as refrigerators, washing machines, and microwave ovens. It can also deal with aluminum extrusions, and engine covers.

Blade Selection Matters for Industrial Metal Shredder for Sale

For metal processing, blade material is critical. Our scrap metal shredder modules can be fitted with H13 hardened blades or 55SiCr alloy steel, offering the impact resistance and strength needed for metal materials. These can be interchanged with 9CrSi rubber blades if switching back to tire processing.

Use Case: From Tire Shredder to Full-Scale Metal Recycling

One customer in South Africa upgraded their tire shredding equipment for sale with a reinforced rotor, hydraulic pushing system, and H13 blades, enabling the same line to serve as both a rubber shredder and metal drum shredder. It reduced investment, saved space, and allowed flexible production schedules between tire and metal batches.

If you’re operating a mixed-material recycling plant — handling tires, metals, plastics, or bulky industrial waste — our shredders are built for exactly that. Shuliy’s equipment combines high torque, durable blades, and modular design to meet the needs of comprehensive waste sorting facilities. Whether you need a rubber shredder, a metal drum shredder, or an industrial metal shredder for sale, we offer machines that deliver long-term performance and flexibility.

Related Read: What Else Can a Tire Shredder Handle?