Crusher Jaws and Cones: 2026 Wear & Spare Parts Glossary

TLDR

“Crusher jaws and cones” is industry shorthand that refers to both the two main compression crusher types (jaw crushers and cone crushers) and the manganese steel wear parts inside them (jaw plates, mantles, and concaves). Jaw crushers handle primary crushing with dirty, unprepared feed, while cone crushers serve as secondary or tertiary crushers requiring clean, pre-sized material. Wear parts come in three standard manganese grades (14%, 18%, and 22% Mn), each matched to different rock hardness and abrasiveness levels, with expected service life ranging from a few hundred hours in abrasive granite to over 12,000 hours in softer stone.

What “Crusher Jaws and Cones” Actually Means

The phrase carries a dual meaning that trips up anyone new to aggregate processing. First, it refers to two types of equipment: jaw crushers and cone crushers, the workhorses of compression-based size reduction. Second, and more commonly in purchasing conversations, it refers to the wear parts inside those machines, specifically the manganese steel plates, mantles, and bowl liners that do the actual crushing.

When a parts buyer says “I need jaws and cones,” they almost never mean the whole machine. They mean replacement wear components. Suppliers like Unified Screening use the exact phrase to describe their inventory categories because that is how the industry talks.

This glossary covers both layers. The crusher types are explained briefly. The wear parts get the detail they deserve.

Jaw Crusher Parts Glossary

Jaw crushers are primary crushers. They use compressive force in a V-shaped chamber to break rock, with a typical reduction ratio of 6:1 and output ranging from 50mm to 190mm. Eli Whitney Blake invented the first jaw crusher in 1858, and the fundamental toggle linkage principle hasn’t changed much since. Here are the key components and terms that matter when ordering crusher jaws and cones.

Fixed Jaw Plate

The stationary crushing surface bolted to the crusher body frame. Available in one-piece or two-piece configurations depending on the crusher model. This plate absorbs the reaction force while the swing jaw does the reciprocating work.

Swing (Movable) Jaw Plate

Mounted on the moving jaw assembly, this plate delivers the crushing force through a back-and-forth rocking motion. Together, the fixed and swing plates are what people mean when they say “jaws.” Both plates wear simultaneously, though the swing jaw typically wears faster because it travels a greater distance against the material.

Cheek Plates

Side liners that protect the crusher body from abrasion. Often overlooked during parts ordering, worn cheek plates allow material to bypass the crushing chamber and damage the frame itself.

Toggle Plate

Serves two roles: it is the mechanical linkage transferring motion from the pitman to the swing jaw, and it acts as a safety fuse. In many designs, toggle plates include shear bolts that break intentionally if uncrushable material (tramp iron, for instance) enters the chamber, protecting the more expensive components behind them. A replacement like a C-series toggle plate is one of the most commonly stocked jaw crusher parts for exactly this reason.

Pitman and Flywheel

The pitman connects to the eccentric shaft and generates the reciprocating crushing motion. The flywheel stores rotational energy to carry the mechanism through the non-crushing half of each cycle. Neither is a wear part in the traditional sense, but bearing failures in the pitman assembly are a common maintenance headache.

Jaw Plate Tooth Profiles

Not all jaw plates are identical beyond dimensions. Tooth profiles vary by application. Qiming Machinery’s selection guide catalogs profiles including standard tooth, quarry tooth, recycling tooth, anti-slab tooth, and wavy tooth designs. Quarry profiles work best for hard, abrasive stone. Recycling profiles handle mixed demolition material with rebar. Anti-slab profiles reduce flat, elongated particles in the output.

CSS (Closed Side Setting)

The minimum gap between the fixed and swing jaw plates at the bottom of the chamber. CSS determines the finest output size. When ordering crusher jaws and cones, knowing your target CSS is essential because it dictates the liner profile and tooth geometry you need.

Cone Crusher Parts Glossary

Cone crushers sit downstream of jaw crushers, functioning as secondary or tertiary machines. A rotating mantle inside a stationary concave compresses material at 800 to 1,000 RPM, producing output as fine as 6mm. The Symons Brothers of Milwaukee developed the first cone crusher in the 1920s, and the first hydraulic cone crusher followed in 1948. Here are the parts that matter.

Mantle

The moving wear surface. It sits over the cone head mounted on the main shaft and oscillates as the shaft rotates eccentrically. Made from manganese steel alloy. The mantle is the part people picture when they hear “cones” in the context of crusher jaws and cones.

Concave (Bowl Liner)

The stationary wear surface housed within the upper frame assembly. This is the same part, but it goes by two names depending on the manufacturer: “concave” and “bowl liner.” This naming inconsistency causes real confusion in purchasing. If someone asks for a bowl liner and someone else asks for a concave, they want the same thing. Together, the mantle and concave form the crushing chamber.

Feed Cone (Distribution Plate)

Sits at the top of the crusher and distributes incoming material evenly around the mantle. An uneven feed pattern accelerates wear on one side of the mantle and concave, shortening the life of both. Replacement feed cones and distribution components are worth stocking because uneven wear from a damaged feed cone is an expensive problem.

Main Shaft

A forged steel shaft driven by the eccentric assembly below. The shaft does not spin, it oscillates. The eccentric bushing surrounding the shaft bottom creates the gyrating motion that gives cone crushers their crushing action.

Socket Liner (Seat Liner)

Protects the frame at the point where the cone assembly seats. Replacing a socket liner is far cheaper than repairing the frame casting underneath it.

CSS, OSS, and Throw

In cone crushers, the relationship between closed side setting and open side setting follows a simple formula: CSS + Throw = OSS. The throw is determined by the eccentric bushing geometry. CSS controls the smallest output particle, OSS controls the largest. Different cavity profiles (fine, medium, coarse, extra-coarse) shift these values, so specifying the correct cavity selection when ordering concaves is critical.

Manganese Steel Grades for Crusher Jaws and Cones

Three standard manganese grades dominate the market. Choosing the right one depends on what you are crushing.

Data compiled from Qiming Machinery and Samscreen product specifications.

The 18% manganese grade covers the widest range of applications and is the default for most quarry operations. The 22% grade costs more upfront but outlasts the 14% grade by a wide margin in hard rock, making cost-per-ton the better metric than purchase price.

Beyond manganese, specialized alloys exist for extreme applications. Martensitic steel (~500 BHN) does not work harden and suits impact crusher blow bars. Chrome steel (~650 BHN) delivers 3 to 4 times the wear life of manganese but is brittle and cracks under high impact. Ceramic insert and TIC (Titanium Carbide) insert technologies extend manganese liner life by 1.5 to 3 times in the right conditions.

Jaw Crushers vs. Cone Crushers: Quick Comparison

Understanding where each crusher type sits in a circuit helps when specifying parts for crusher jaws and cones.

Source: Anaconda Equipment

In a typical crushing circuit, material runs through a jaw crusher first, passes over a screen (which separates material already at target size), and then the oversize fraction enters a cone crusher for further reduction. Conveyors connect each stage. The jaw handles whatever comes out of the blast or the excavator bucket. The cone refines it into spec product.

Practitioners on Reddit’s r/millwrights frequently discuss troubleshooting Metso HP cone crushers, which reflects how central these machines are to everyday plant operations. Getting the right OEM replacement components for these units is a constant concern for maintenance teams.

When to Replace Crusher Jaws and Cones

Thickness Thresholds

Jaw plates should be replaced when remaining thickness drops to approximately 25 to 50mm. Running them thinner risks cracking, breakage inside the chamber, and potential damage to the crusher frame.

Replacement Intervals by Rock Type

These intervals assume standard operating conditions and 18% Mn liners:

Wear Life by Manganese Grade

The grade of manganese steel makes a measurable difference in service hours:

• 14% Mn (Mn13Cr2): 400 to 600 hours in abrasive applications; up to 4,000 to 6,000 hours in favorable conditions

• 18% Mn (Mn18Cr2): 8,000 to 12,000 hours, roughly 30 to 40% longer than the 14% grade

• 22% Mn (Mn22Cr2): Exceeds 10,000 to 12,000 hours under optimal conditions

Extending Wear Life

Rotating jaw plates quarterly (flipping and swapping fixed/swing positions where design allows) extends life by 30 to 50%. This is one of the simplest, most cost-effective maintenance practices in aggregate processing, yet plenty of operations skip it.

OEM vs. Aftermarket: The Real Tradeoff

This is a live debate in every quarry maintenance shop. OEM parts guarantee dimensional accuracy and material spec compliance, backed by manufacturer warranties (typically 12 months for non-wear structural parts). There is no guessing about fit.

Aftermarket suppliers counter that OEM parts are “designed for mass production, not for the daily demands of your circuit” and that custom-engineered geometries can outperform stock OEM profiles for specific applications. One aftermarket manufacturer claims a warranty failure rate of 0.17% compared to an industry average around 3%.

The practical answer depends on your operation. Plants running critical-path crushers with tight uptime targets tend to stick with OEM for predictability. Operations with in-house engineering capability and liner wear analysis can sometimes extract more value from custom solutions. For purchasing managers without specialized engineering support, OEM remains the lower-risk choice.

Frank Aggregate takes an OEM-first approach, stocking genuine parts across major crusher families. Their catalog lists over 25,000 crusher part SKUs with live inventory counts, and their in-stock items ship in as few as one business day.

Ordering Crusher Jaws and Cones: What You Need Ready

When placing an order for replacement crusher jaws and cones, have this information on hand:

1. Crusher make and model (e.g., Metso C130, HP300, Symons 7 ft.)

2. Part number if available (OEM number from the parts manual)

3. Tooth profile for jaw plates (standard, quarry, recycling, anti-slab)

4. Manganese grade (14%, 18%, or 22% Mn)

5. Target CSS range for cone crusher liners, which determines cavity selection

6. Quantity and urgency, which affects whether you pull from in-stock, factory stock, or global sourcing

Lead times vary significantly. Parts already on the shelf ship in days. Factory stock typically takes about a week. Globally sourced items can take around 12 business days, and parts not available anywhere globally can take up to three months.

If you are sourcing OEM crusher components for Metso, Nordberg, or Symons units, having the exact part number from your maintenance manual eliminates back-and-forth and speeds up fulfillment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a concave and a bowl liner?

They are the same part. “Concave” and “bowl liner” are interchangeable terms for the stationary wear surface inside a cone crusher. The name used depends on the manufacturer. Metso documentation tends to use “concave,” while older Symons literature often says “bowl liner.”

How often should jaw crusher plates be replaced?

It depends on the rock type and manganese grade. Limestone operations running 18% Mn plates typically replace every 5 to 6 months. Granite and basalt operations replace every 2.5 to 4 months. Replace any jaw plate when remaining thickness reaches 25 to 50mm regardless of calendar time.

What manganese grade should I use for general quarry work?

The 18% Mn / 2% Cr grade is the industry standard for most quarry and recycling applications. It balances cost, work-hardening performance, and wear life across a wide range of materials.

Can I use aftermarket crusher jaws and cones instead of OEM?

Yes, but the tradeoff is risk. OEM parts guarantee fit and material spec. Aftermarket parts can offer cost savings or custom geometries, but dimensional mismatches can cause vibration and premature failure. Operations without in-house engineering support generally do better with OEM.

What does CSS mean on a crusher?

CSS stands for Closed Side Setting. It is the narrowest gap between the crushing surfaces (jaw plates in a jaw crusher, mantle and concave in a cone crusher). CSS determines the smallest output particle size. In cone crushers, CSS + Throw = OSS (Open Side Setting).

Why does my cone crusher need clean feed?

Cone crushers operate at high RPM with tight tolerances between the mantle and concave. Dirty or wet material packs into the chamber, causes bridging, and creates uneven wear. Jaw crushers are far more forgiving with unprepared feed because they operate at lower speeds with a wider chamber.

How do I extend the life of my jaw plates?

Rotate your jaw plates quarterly. Flipping and swapping fixed and swing plates distributes wear more evenly and can extend total service life by 30 to 50%. Also ensure your feed is centered in the chamber rather than biased to one side.

What information do I need to order replacement jaws and cones?

At minimum: crusher make and model, OEM part number, manganese grade, and for jaw plates, the tooth profile. For cone crusher liners, also specify the cavity selection (fine, medium, coarse, or extra-coarse) and your target CSS. Having this ready before you call or browse a parts catalog saves significant time.