Some jobs ask more of a shredder than any general-purpose machine can give. Whole refrigerators, solidified purge blocks, tires, pallets, bales, drums, barrels, pipes, and film, in high volume, all day. When the material is that demanding and the throughput target is that high, you need the most capable machine in the range. For Virtus, that is the X-Series.
The X-Series is our heavy duty industrial shredder, designed for the most demanding and high-throughput applications in the plastics recycling industry. It is the top of the shredder line, and it is built to shred just about anything you can put in front of it.
This is the final post in our shredder series, covering every shredder we build and who each one is for. This is the heavyweight.
Power sized for the hardest work
The X-Series is a single-shaft shredder built around a 750 mm diameter rotor in widths from 1500 mm to 3000 mm, driven by two oversized gearboxes. Its low speed of 45 rpm guarantees high torque and smooth operation, which is the combination that lets it power through material that would stall a lighter machine. The proven E-type rotor, knife holder, and knife designs are taken to new dimensions here to conquer the most demanding applications.
The feed system is a powerful two-speed swing ram. This swing-type design eliminates the risk of blocking and of wearing out the internal guide rails that a sliding ram depends on, and the high-powered twin-speed hydraulic system ensures maximum pressure when feeding material into the rotor and high speeds on the backstroke, which keeps throughput up. The hydraulic power pack is well integrated into the shredder housing to save space and protect it from damage, while staying easy to access or remove for maintenance.
Versatile despite the muscle
The X-Series is very versatile and can shred all kinds of input materials, which makes it a true multi-purpose shredder at the heavy end of the scale. The input can be all types of plastics, wood, paper, cardboard, e-waste, post-consumer waste, and rubber in various shapes and sizes. Typical input materials include fridges, purges, tires, pallets, bales, drums, barrels, pipes, and film. The output size is set by the installed screen, and except in some refuse-derived fuel and wood applications, the shredded output may be processed further downstream to reach a final target size.
For abrasive and demanding work, the concave ground square knives produce high-quality output and can be rotated after a side wears, the large diameter flat rotor has specially machined pockets that hold and secure the knives, and optional weld-on hard facing is available. The machine can be tailored with advanced controls and hydraulics, hard facing, and other wear options to match the application.
Who needs one
High-throughput recyclers. The X-Series is designed for the most demanding, highest-volume applications. If a general-purpose or big-volume shredder cannot keep up with your throughput or your material toughness, this is the step up.
Diverse and difficult material streams. Operations in plastics recycling, waste management, rubber processing, paper recycling, and refuse-derived fuel production use the X-Series because its robust design performs across all of those sectors, not just one.
Tire recyclers running mixed streams. For the recycling of complete truck and tractor tires, the X T model is configured with special wear protection and knives. If tires are one of several tough materials you handle, the X T configuration lets one heavy duty platform cover them. If tires are your primary business, our dedicated T-Series tire shredder is the focused choice.
Typical materials and real-world jobs
The X-Series is the heavyweight of the range. Here is the demanding material it is built for:
| High-throughput recyclers | Fridges, purges, pallets, bales, drums, barrels, pipes, and film in volume |
| Rubber and tire operations | Complete truck and tractor tires with the X T configuration |
| Waste and RDF producers | Mixed post-consumer waste and refuse-derived fuel streams |
| Tough-material processors | Abrasive, contaminated, and filled material with wear protection |
The X-Series is for the toughest, highest-volume work. Small clean scrap, bottle caps, and light recycling are overbuilt for it and better on a G-Series or a granulator. If tires are your main business, the dedicated T-Series is the focused choice.
X-Series at a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Rotor diameter | 750 mm rotor |
| Working widths | 1500 mm to 3000 mm |
| Drive | Two oversized gearboxes, 45 rpm for high torque |
| Feed system | Two-speed swing ram, high-powered twin-speed hydraulics |
| Typical input | Fridges, purges, tires, pallets, bales, drums, barrels, pipes, film |
| Options | X T tire configuration, hard facing, advanced controls and hydraulics, wear packages |
Where the X-Series sits in the shredder range
The X-Series is the most capable shredder Virtus builds, and it is sized and priced accordingly. The honest guidance is the same as it is across our whole line: buy this much machine when the work genuinely calls for it. The chart shows where the X-Series is the right answer and where a lighter machine would serve you better.
See it in action
Sometimes the easiest way to understand a machine is to watch it run. Our YouTube channel has material demonstrations across the full Virtus lineup, so you can see how different materials feed and process at each stage of size reduction before you ever pick up the phone.
Send us your toughest material
The X-Series is a significant investment for demanding work, so a real test matters more than ever. Send us a sample of your hardest, bulkiest material, tell us your throughput target and what you want the output to become, and our testing facility will run it and send back a confidential technical analysis with real results. We record the test too, so you can see your worst material handled before you commit to a machine of this scale.
After the sale, you are not on your own
Heavy duty shredding is hard on wear parts, and when knives, wear plates, or screens need replacing, parts for the X-Series are in stock on Virtus Equipment Direct, our online webstore, so you are not waiting on a quote for a part you already know you need. Our service team handles installation and can commission the machine, train your operators, and set up a maintenance schedule from day one. And if your team works in Spanish, so do we. Nuestro equipo le atiende en espanol, desde la primera llamada hasta la instalacion y el soporte.
Frequently asked questions
What makes the X-Series heavy duty rather than just large?
It combines a 750 mm rotor with two oversized gearboxes and a low 45 rpm speed for very high torque, plus a two-speed swing ram that avoids the blocking and guide-rail wear of sliding designs. That drivetrain and feed system are what let it handle the toughest, highest-throughput work, not just bigger parts.
What can the X-Series shred?
A very wide range: all types of plastics, wood, paper, cardboard, e-waste, post-consumer waste, and rubber. Typical inputs include fridges, purges, tires, pallets, bales, drums, barrels, pipes, and film. Wear options let it take on abrasive and contaminated material too.
Should I choose the X-Series X T or the dedicated T-Series for tires?
If tires are one of several tough materials you process, the X T configuration lets the X-Series cover them within a versatile heavy duty platform. If tires are your primary business, the dedicated T-Series tire shredder is the focused, optimized choice. Our team can help you decide based on your material mix.
What makes the X-Series heavy duty rather than just large?
It combines a 750 mm rotor with two oversized gearboxes and a low 45 rpm speed for very high torque, plus a two-speed swing ram that avoids blocking and guide-rail wear. That drivetrain and feed system handle the toughest, highest-throughput work.
What can the X-Series shred?
A very wide range: all types of plastics, wood, paper, cardboard, e-waste, post-consumer waste, and rubber. Typical inputs include fridges, purges, tires, pallets, bales, drums, barrels, pipes, and film.
Should I choose the X-Series X T or the dedicated T-Series for tires?
If tires are one of several tough materials you process, the X T configuration covers them within a versatile heavy duty platform. If tires are your primary business, the dedicated T-Series tire shredder is the focused, optimized choice.
Terms worth knowing
A few terms come up constantly when you are speccing this kind of machine. Here they are in plain language:
Two-speed swing ram. A pivoting hydraulic pusher that avoids the blocking and guide-rail wear of a sliding ram, with high feed pressure and a fast backstroke.
Twin gearbox drive. Two oversized gearboxes driving the 750 mm rotor at a low 45 rpm for very high torque.
Hard facing. A weld-on wear-resistant layer for abrasive and contaminated material.
Reversible knives. Concave ground square knives that rotate to a fresh edge when one side wears.
X T configuration. A version of the X-Series set up with special wear protection and knives for complete truck and tractor tires.
Related machines
If this machine is not quite the right fit, these are the neighbors to look at:
