Can I Adjust the Thickness of My Shisha Charcoal Briquettes? (What is the Range?)
When setting up a charcoal factory, new buyers frequently ask: “If I buy a 25mm square mold, am I stuck making a perfect 25mm x 25mm x 25mm cube forever? Can I make the charcoal taller or shorter?” The short answer is yes. You can easily adjust the thickness (height) of your shisha charcoal briquettes…
When setting up a charcoal factory, new buyers frequently ask: “If I buy a 25mm square mold, am I stuck making a perfect 25mm x 25mm x 25mm cube forever? Can I make the charcoal taller or shorter?”
The short answer is yes. You can easily adjust the thickness (height) of your shisha charcoal briquettes without having to buy a completely new metal mold.
However, you cannot adjust it to any size you want. The maximum and minimum thickness you can achieve depends entirely on the physical power of the machine you are using. Here is a clear guide to the thickness ranges of our most popular machines.
1. The 25-Ton Mechanical Press: 8mm to 3cm
The 25-ton mechanical machine is the standard workhorse for beginner and mid-level factories. It uses a high-speed gear system to punch the charcoal powder into shape.
- The Thickness Range: You can adjust the height of the charcoal from a thin 8mm up to a maximum of 3 centimeters (30mm).
- How to Adjust It: The adjustment is strictly mechanical. An operator uses a wrench to adjust the height of the lower punch inside the machine. Lowering the punch allows more charcoal powder to fall into the mold, making a thicker briquette.
- Best Used For: This 8mm to 3cm range is perfect for the most popular retail sizes. You can easily switch between making a standard 25mm cube, a slightly taller 26mm premium cube, or a flat 15mm thick round puck (often used for quick-lighting charcoal).
2. The 100-Ton Hydraulic Press: 1cm to 6cm
What if your wholesale buyer requests a jumbo-sized charcoal block or a long hexagon shape that burns for two hours? A mechanical gear press cannot push the powder deep enough. For extreme thickness, you must use a heavy-duty hydraulic hookah charcoal briquette machine.
- The Thickness Range: The hydraulic system allows you to press charcoal from 1 centimeter (10mm) all the way up to a massive 6 centimeters (60mm) thick.
- How to Adjust It: You do not need to use wrenches on the internal metal parts. The hydraulic machine is equipped with a smart induction probe (sensor). The operator simply moves this sensor up or down on the control rail. The sensor tells the T-shaped hopper exactly how deep to fill the mold with wet charcoal powder.
- Best Used For: This machine is mandatory if you want to produce 5cm or 6cm long hexagon “logs” or extra-thick custom blocks for premium hookah lounges.
Why You Cannot Make 6cm Charcoal on a Small Machine
Beginners often wonder why they cannot just put a deeper mold on a small 25-ton machine. The answer is density and pressure.
If you fill a 6cm deep mold with loose charcoal powder and punch it with only 25 tons of force, the top of the charcoal will be hard, but the bottom half will be loose and full of air. When the customer touches it, the bottom will crumble into dust.
To make a piece of charcoal that is 6cm thick, the pressure must travel all the way through the thick powder block. Only the extreme, sustained squeezing force of a 100-ton hydraulic pump can guarantee that the center and bottom of a 6cm block are just as rock-hard as the top layer (reaching the required 1.2 to 1.3 t/m³ density).
Perfecting the Mixture for Thick Charcoal
Whether you are pressing a thin 8mm coin or a heavy 6cm block, your raw material mixture must be flawless. Thick blocks are especially sensitive to bad formulas. You must ensure your pure charcoal powder is mixed with precisely 20% to 25% moisture and a high-quality 3-5% CMC binder so that it flows deeply into the mold without leaving air gaps.
To learn exactly how to mix your powder so it never cracks during deep pressing, read our beginner’s guide on the shisha charcoal manufacturing process.
If you know exactly how thick your buyers want their charcoal, contact our engineering team! We will help you choose the exact shisha charcoal press machine and set up the smart sensors so you can start production on day one.
