Plastic Pelletizing Line

Plastic Pelletizing Lines for Recycled Plastic Materials

A plastic pelletizing line is the last stage of recycling: it turns clean flakes, film scrap or rigid regrind back into pellets a moulder or extruder will actually buy. SUHUI builds single screw and twin screw configurations covering PE and PP film, rigid HDPE, PP, PS and ABS regrind, PET flakes and PVC scrap, with extrusion, filtration, cutting and cooling matched to the feed rather than to a headline capacity figure. Feed form decides most of the specification. For PVC the PVC granulating pelletizing line handles rigid uPVC and flexible PVC at 2–4 mm pellet size, with fume extraction fitted as standard because PVC releases HCl at melt temperature. Film scrap still carrying dirt or moisture goes through a PP PE film washing line first, then to the film compacting pelletizing line, because loose film will not feed a screw without densification. As a factory-direct manufacturer we size the plastic pelletizing system against the stages in front of it. Bulk density of the incoming material, residual moisture and contamination level all move the screw, the filter and the cutting method, and those three inputs matter more to pellet quality than any single number on a datasheet.

Machine Range

Products in This Pelletizing Line Category

PVC Granulating Pelletizing Line

The SUHUI PVC granulating pelletizing line converts rigid uPVC and flexible PVC scrap — offcuts, cable insulation, window profiles and post-consumer PVC — into uniform 2–4 mm recycled PVC pellets....

PET Flakes & Glass Fiber Twin Screw Pelletizing Line

The SUHUI PET flakes glass fiber twin screw pelletizing line produces high-performance engineering plastic pellets by compounding recycled PET flakes with glass fiber reinforcement (10–40% loading). The resulting composite pellets...

Rigid Plastic Granulating Pelletizing Line

The SUHUI rigid plastic granulating pelletizing line processes HDPE, PP, PS, ABS and mixed rigid plastic waste into uniform 2–5 mm recycled pellets. Heavy-duty granulating, high-torque twin-screw extrusion, multi-stage melt...

PP PE Film Compacting Pelletizing Line

The SUHUI PP PE film compacting pelletizing line transforms post-industrial and post-consumer polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) film waste into high-quality recycled pellets. It processes a wide range of plastic...

Selection Guide

Which Pelletizing Line Fits Your Material?

Material / project situation	Recommended machine	Why it fits
PVC scrap, cable compound and profile offcuts	PVC Granulating Pelletizing Line	PVC degrades and releases HCl if it sits too long at melt temperature, so screw geometry, temperature profile and residence time are set conservatively and fume extraction is standard, not an option. Rigid uPVC and flexible PVC run on the same line with different profiles.
PET flakes, glass fiber compounding and filled formulations	PET Flakes & Glass Fiber Twin Screw Pelletizing Line	Twin screw is specified here for mixing and devolatilization, not for output. PET carries moisture that must leave the melt through vacuum venting, and glass fiber has to be fed downstream so the fibres are wetted without being shredded by the screw.
HDPE, PP, PS and ABS rigid regrind from crushers	Rigid Plastic Granulating Pelletizing Line	Rigid regrind has high bulk density and feeds a single screw without help, so this is the simplest and cheapest lane. What decides pellet quality is filtration: regrind from post-consumer sources carries labels, paper and fines that blind a screen changer faster than most buyers expect.
LDPE, HDPE and PP film, raffia and woven bag scrap	PP PE Film Compacting Pelletizing Line	Loose film has almost no bulk density and simply bridges over a feed screw. A compactor densifies and part-dries the material before extrusion, which is why film lines cost more than rigid lines at the same nominal output.
Mixed or unsorted plastic waste	Sort first, then choose	No pelletizing line resolves mixed polymers. PP and PE tolerate each other in limited ratios; PVC or PET in a PE stream will scorch or degrade and show up as black specks and inconsistent melt flow. Sorting and washing come before this stage, not after it.

Typical Pelletizing Process Flow

01 Feeding A screw or belt feeder for rigid regrind, a compactor for film. The job of this stage is a constant volumetric feed: pellet diameter drifts as soon as the screw is starved, and most complaints about inconsistent pellets start here rather than at the die.
02 Extrusion Single screw for clean, uniform feed; twin screw where the material needs mixing, devolatilization or compounding. Screw length and temperature profile are set by polymer, not by target output, and PVC in particular is limited by how long it can sit hot.
03 Filtration The stage that decides pellet grade. A manual screen changer is fine for clean in-house scrap; post-consumer material needs a continuous or backflush changer, otherwise production stops every time the screen blinds. Filter mesh sets how clean the pellet can be.
04 Pellet cutting Strand, water-ring, underwater or die-face. This choice sets pellet shape, moisture carry-over and how much operator attention the line needs. It is covered in detail further down this page.
05 Cooling Water bath, water ring or air. Pellets that go to the silo warm will block and clump, and any moisture left on the surface comes back as bubbles when the customer processes them, so drying capacity is sized with the cutter.
06 Collection Dewatering, drying, vibrating classification and bagging. Classification pulls out fines and doubles, and this is the stage a buyer inspects first, because pellet uniformity is what they can judge without a lab.

Feed Form Decides the Line, Not Polymer Alone

Two plants running the same polymer can need entirely different equipment. What separates them is the physical form the material arrives in.

Feed form	Bulk density	What it forces into the specification
Rigid regrind (crushed bottles, containers, purge)	High	Feeds a single screw unaided. Simplest lane, lowest cost per kg/h. Budget goes into filtration rather than feeding.
Film and raffia	Very low	Bridges over a feed screw. Needs a compactor or force feeder ahead of extrusion, which raises both cost and footprint at the same nominal output.
PVC scrap	Varies	Thermal limits dominate. Conservative temperature profile, short residence time and fume extraction, regardless of what form the scrap is in.
PET flakes and compounds	Medium	Moisture must leave the melt. Vacuum venting and usually twin screw, because the requirement is devolatilization rather than throughput.

Send bulk density and moisture content with your enquiry, not just the polymer name. A PE film line and a PE rigid regrind line at 500 kg/h are different machines at different prices, and the difference is decided entirely by how the material behaves at the feed throat.

Material that is still dirty belongs on a plastic washing line before this stage, and anything too large to feed needs a pass through a crusher or shredder first.

How the Pellet Is Cut and Why It Matters

Cutting method is the most consequential choice inside a pelletizing line and the one buyers ask about least. It sets pellet shape, residual moisture and how much operator attention the line needs.

Method	How it works	Pellet character	Best for / watch for
Strand	Melt is drawn into strands through a water bath, then chopped by a rotating cutter.	Cylindrical, very uniform	Clean, well-filtered material. Strands break if the melt is contaminated or unstable, and restringing costs production time.
Water-ring	Die-face cutter throws pellets into a rotating water ring that cools and carries them away.	Slightly irregular, teardrop	The general-purpose choice for recycled PE and PP. Tolerant of variable melt; pellets carry more surface water, so drying capacity matters.
Underwater	Cutting happens fully submerged at the die face.	Round and the most uniform	Highest pellet quality and highest cost. Justified when the buyer pays a premium for uniformity or when output is continuous and high.
Die-face (air)	Cut dry at the die, cooled by air.	Coarse, irregular	Materials that must not touch water. Simple and cheap, but pellet appearance limits what the output can be sold as.

The practical split for recycled material is narrow. Strand buys uniformity and demands clean melt; water-ring tolerates real-world scrap and demands drying. Underwater is worth it when a customer pays for round pellets, and die-face only when water is unacceptable.

For a step-by-step walk-through of the whole sequence from flake to bagged pellet, see how plastic pellets are made.

Choosing Between Single-Stage and Two-Stage Lines

A second extrusion stage is not an upgrade for its own sake. It buys filtration and degassing capacity, and it is worth paying for only when the feed actually needs them.

Configuration

Single-Stage Line

Two-Stage Line

How it works

Single-stageOne extruder melts, filters and feeds the cutter directly.

Two-stageA second extruder takes the melt from the first, adding another filtration point and a degassing zone.

Best for

Single-stageClean in-house scrap, washed rigid regrind, single-polymer streams with known history.

Two-stagePost-consumer film, printed or laminated material, anything with high volatile or fines content.

Filtration

Single-stageOne screen changer. Mesh is limited by how much pressure the single screw can build.

Two-stageTwo filtration points, so a finer final mesh is achievable without stalling the first stage.

Degassing

Single-stageLimited to one vent. Printed film and damp feed will show bubbles and voids.

Two-stageDedicated degassing between stages, which is the main reason printed film lines are specified this way.

Watch for

Single-stageCheaper and simpler to run, but it exposes every weakness in the upstream washing stage.

Two-stageHigher cost, more floor space and a second drive to maintain. Over-specified for clean feed.

The question to answer first is not output but feed history. If the material has been printed, laminated or collected post-consumer, budget for two stages. If it is your own washed production scrap, a single-stage rigid plastic granulating line will hold pellet quality at a lower price.

What Drives the Cost of a Pelletizing Line

The reference range spans a factor of ten, which is why a single number is meaningless without knowing the feed. Where a project lands is set mostly by the form the material arrives in.

Reference budget

$10,000–100,000

Throughput

100–1,000 kg/h

FOB, line only. Washing, drying and material handling upstream are quoted separately.

Feed lane	Where it sits in the range	What moves the number
Clean rigid regrind, single stage	Lower third	Simplest feeding, one extruder, manual or hydraulic screen changer. Throughput class is the main variable.
PVC scrap	Lower to middle	Fume extraction and conservative temperature control are mandatory, but the machine itself stays relatively simple.
Film with compactor	Middle to upper	The compactor is a second major machine. Add degassing and a continuous screen changer for printed film and the line moves up again.
PET or compounding, twin screw	Upper third	Twin screw, vacuum system and side feeders. Cost is driven by mixing and devolatilization requirements, not by kg/h.

Two options account for most of the spread inside any one lane: the screen changer and the cutting method. A continuous backflush changer and an underwater cutter can together cost more than the extruder they are attached to, and both are specified from feed cleanliness rather than from output.

Cross-category price ranges for shredding, washing and complete lines are on the plastic recycling machine overview. Exact figures depend on material and output and are confirmed with the quotation.

Before You Ask

What to Send Before Requesting a Quote

To receive a more accurate recommendation, send your material type, material form, contamination level, required capacity, target output, plant space, local voltage and destination country. Material photos or videos are also helpful.

Material type: PET, HDPE, PP, PE, PVC, ABS, PS or mixed plastic
Material form: bottle, film, bag, pipe, lump, profile, flake, pellet or powder
Material condition: clean, dirty, wet, oily, labeled, baled or loose
Target output: flakes, pellets, pipe, profile or finished product
Capacity requirement: kg/h or tons/day
Destination country and voltage
Existing equipment, if any

Request a Pelletizing Line Recommendation

Tell us your material and target output. We reply with practical recommendations, not generic sales replies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a plastic pelletizing line?

A plastic pelletizing line melts clean flakes, film scrap or regrind and converts the material into uniform recycled pellets through extrusion, filtration, cutting and cooling.

What materials can be pelletized?

Common materials include PE and PP film, HDPE, PP, PS and ABS rigid regrind, PET flakes and PVC scrap. The screw and pelletizing method are matched to the material.

Do dirty materials need washing first?

Yes. Contaminated material should be washed and dried before pelletizing, otherwise impurities damage filtration and reduce pellet quality.

When should I use a twin screw pelletizing line?

Twin screw systems suit PET, glass fiber compounding and formulations that need stronger mixing, devolatilization or compounding performance.

Which pellet cutting method should I choose?

For recycled PE and PP, water-ring cutting is the usual answer because it tolerates variable melt quality, at the cost of needing more drying capacity. Strand cutting gives the most uniform cylindrical pellet but requires clean, well-filtered melt or the strands break. Underwater cutting produces the roundest pellet and costs the most, and is justified when a customer pays a premium for uniformity. Die-face air cutting is only used when the material must not contact water.

Do I need a single-stage or two-stage pelletizing line?

Decide from feed history rather than output. Clean in-house scrap and washed rigid regrind run well on a single stage. Post-consumer film, printed or laminated material and anything with high volatile content needs a two-stage line, because the second extruder adds a degassing zone and a second filtration point. A two-stage line specified for clean feed is money spent on capacity you will not use.

How much does a plastic pelletizing line cost?

A pelletizing line typically runs USD 10,000 to 100,000 FOB for 100 to 1,000 kg/h. The ten-fold spread is explained mainly by feed form: clean rigid regrind on a single stage sits at the bottom, film lines with a compactor sit in the middle, and twin screw lines for PET or compounding sit at the top. Within any lane, the screen changer type and the cutting method move the price most.

Why are my recycled pellets inconsistent in size?

Inconsistent pellet size almost always starts at the feed rather than the die. A starved or surging screw changes melt pressure, and pellet diameter follows it. Check that the feeder delivers a constant volume, that the compactor output is steady if you run film, and that the screen changer is not partly blinded, since rising back pressure changes the flow through the die.