Clay Crushing and Grinding: What Works (with Real Customer Cases)

Struggling with sticky, wet clay? Frequent blockages in your crushing mill? Product too coarse for your needs?

If you're processing kaolin, bentonite, talc, or other clay minerals and your clay grinding and crushing stages are slow, inefficient, or costly — this guide will help you choose the right clay machine and improve production.

Common types of industrial clay

Industrial clays vary widely in moisture, hardness, and purity. That means your choice of clay crusher or grinder machine has to match the material.

Clay type	Features	Grinding challenges
Kaolin	High whiteness, soft	Needs high whiteness and medium fineness
Bentonite	Highly absorbent, swells easily	Sticky and wet — difficult to grind
Talc	Very soft	Requires ultra-fine clay grinding
Illite	Sticky	Clogs easily during crushing and grinding
Pyrophyllite	Chemically stable	Generates airborne dust, needs fine grinding

To help you handle everything from soft talc to sticky illite, we offer a line of  high-performance clay crushers and grinders. Browse below to find the model that best fits your material and processing needs.

Which clay crusher should you use?

Crushing is the first step. The right industrial crushing machine can turn lumpy, sticky clay into manageable pieces for your clay grinding machine.

Two main types of crushers are used for clay: Hammer Crusher and Double Toorhed Roll Crusher.

Hammer crusher

The hammer clay crusher is ideal for soft, wet clays (moisture <15%) with impurities.

It handles raw materials up to 300 mm and offers one-step crushing with low dust output.

This type of industrial clay crusher is affordable, uses less power, and is especially suitable for small to medium-scale clay processing plants.

Here are some of our most popular hammer clay crusher models: Get the latest quote

Model	Capacity (t/h)	Power (kW)
PC 400×300	3–10	11
PC 800×600	10–40	55
PC 1200×1200	22–95	132

Double toothed roll crusher

The double-roller clay crusher uses a twin-roll compression design, making it highly effective for breaking down clay and soft rock with moisture content up to 30%.

It's equipped with built-in scrapers to prevent material buildup and blockages—ideal for sticky or damp materials.

The final output size can be easily adjusted by changing the gap between the rollers, producing consistent particles between 2–10 mm in size.

Keep in mind: this type of crushing mill is designed for fine crushing only—it handles materials with an input size up to 30 mm, so it's not suitable for primary crushing of large clay chunks.

Here are some of our best-selling double toothed roll clay crusher models: Get the latest quote

Model	Capacity (t/h)	Power (kW)
2PG0425	3–10	5.5×2
2PG0740	10–30	30×2
2PG1060	20–50	55×2

Which clay grinder should you use?

Different clays need different grinding levels. Moisture and output also matter. Choosing the right clay grinder helps you work faster and get better results.

At FTM Machinery, we offer three main types of clay grinding equipment: Vertical Roller Mill, HGM Ultrafine Grinding Mill, and Ball Mill.

Vertical roller mill

The vertical roller mill is ideal for high-capacity clay grinding plants, with output ranging from 8 to 200 tons per hour.

It features a built-in hot air system that can dry wet clay directly inside the mill, so you do not need a separate dryer. Final moisture content can be reduced to less than 1%.

HGM ultrafine grinding mill

The HGM clay grinder is an upgraded version of the traditional Raymond mill, using a cage-type classifier for finer powder selection. It delivers finished product sizes from 60 to 800 mesh.

Ball mill

The ball mill is a versatile clay grinder machine that handles both wet and dry grinding. It's suitable for most clay types and production scales.

Liner materials are available in:

• High manganese steel: budget-friendly and commonly used
• Rubber: wear-resistant, corrosion-proof, low-noise—good for eco-focused factories
• Ceramic: avoids iron contamination, higher cost but cleaner output

Ball mill vs Ultrafine mill vs Vertical mill

Clay processing solutions: 2 industry cases

Case 1: Bentonite plant in Saudi Arabia — high moisture, high output, strict environmental standards

This customer processes raw wet bentonite clay straight from the mine. The material has high moisture, forms large clumps, and contains impurities like weeds and rocks. Local environmental regulations strictly limit dust emissions.

FTM Machinery delivered a complete clay crushing and grinding solution using an industrial hammer crusher and a vertical grinding mill.

• Hammer crusher breaks up large clumps with no clogging, even with wet material
• Vertical mill uses hot air inside for direct drying—no need for a separate dryer
• The plant is designed for 100 tons/day, with dust removal efficiency up to 99.9%

Need to crush and grind sticky clay or wet soil? This clay grinding and crushing mill setup is built for throughput, reliability, and compliance.

Case 2: Cosmetic powder factory in California, USA — high whiteness and ultra-fine powder

This customer produces talc powder for cosmetics, requiring high purity and whiteness, with a fine output of 800 mesh. The raw material is slightly sticky, causing blockages in regular crushers.

FTM Machinery provided a roller crusher combined with an HGM ultrafine mill.

• Roller crusher uses compression to shape particles without discoloration
• HGM ultrafine mill reaches 800 mesh with stable output
• Cleanroom setup with eco-friendly dust collection meets U.S. standards

If you're targeting ultra-fine powder and premium markets, this clay grinder and crushing mill combo offers consistent performance with ultra-fine output.

Conclusion

Want to quickly find the right clay equipment combination for you?

FTM Machinery has provided clay crushing and grinding solutions for over 100 customers in ceramics, non-metallic minerals, and rubber powder industries. Click here Contact Us to get your free personalized equipment plan.