Choosing a vertical baler for Cardboard and Plastic

Updated on: 2nd March 2026 By:     Kieran Donnelly
Expert review by:     pt_dev

A vertical baler converts loose, bulky recyclable materials into dense, self-contained bales tied with wire. The bale can be stored efficiently, collected by a recycling contractor, and in many cases, sold as a recyclable commodity rather than paid for as waste disposal. The baler’s hydraulic ram compresses material from above downwards into a closed chamber; when the chamber is full, the ram holds the compressed material in place while wire ties are threaded through the chamber and knotted to hold the bale together after ejection.

For any business generating consistent volumes of cardboard or plastic packaging waste, a vertical baler is one of the highest-return waste management investments available. The economics are straightforward: loose cardboard in a skip or bin costs money to collect and contributes heavily to collection frequency. Baled cardboard takes up a fraction of the space, is collected less frequently, and may generate income from cardboard buyers rather than disposal costs. The difference between these two outcomes, compounded across a year of trading, is often several thousand pounds.

Gradeall manufactures vertical balers from its facility in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, with the vertical baler range covering models from compact entry-level machines through to high-capacity units for large-volume operations. This guide works through the specification decisions that determine which machine is right for your business.

Step One: Define Your Primary Material

Vertical balers are designed to process specific material types, and the material you are primarily baling determines the machine specification.

Cardboard and cardboard packaging are the dominant applications for vertical balers across retail, logistics, manufacturing, and offices. Cardboard is highly compressible and produces excellent bale density in a properly specified machine. It is also one of the most consistently valued recyclable materials; cardboard bales from commercial operations are purchased by paper merchants and cardboard recyclers at prices that fluctuate with the commodity market but rarely fall to zero.

Plastic film and stretch wrap from packaging is the second most common vertical baler application. Plastic film is less dense than cardboard in its loose form, but compresses into dense bales with adequate compaction force. Plastic bales from clean, segregated streams (clear film, coloured film, multi-layer film) have commodity value. Mixed or contaminated plastic bales have much lower value and may need to be paid for as waste.

Mixed cardboard and plastic together in the same bale is technically possible in many balers, but produces bales of lower density and lower recyclability than single-material bales. Most recyclers prefer or require segregated single-material bales. If your operation generates both materials in significant volumes, assess whether segregation into separate bale types is operationally practical; the income premium from segregated bales typically justifies the additional sorting effort.

Other materials. Vertical balers are also used for aluminium cans, textiles, and in some configurations, paper and mixed recyclables. Confirm that the specific machine you are considering is rated for the materials you intend to process. Not all balers handle all materials; running dense or abrasive materials through a machine rated only for cardboard and film shortens the machine’s life and voids the warranty.

Step Two: Volume Assessment

Vertical baler capacity is typically stated as bale weight capability (how heavy a bale the machine can produce) and throughput (how many bales per hour or per shift). Your waste volume, stated in tonnes per week or in wheelie bins or roll cages per day, needs to translate into bales per day to determine whether a given machine’s throughput is adequate.

Estimating bales per day: A typical cardboard bale from a mid-size vertical baler weighs 200 to 400 kg. An operation generating 1 tonne of cardboard per day produces 2.5 to 5 bales per day. A machine producing 4 to 6 bales per shift comfortably handles this volume. An operation generating 3 tonnes per day needs either a higher-capacity machine or multiple shifts of baling.

A simple count of the cardboard arising per day, in roll cages, wheelie bins, or flat-packed boxes, converts to approximate weight using the material density (typically 30 to 80 kg per cubic metre for loose cardboard). Multiply the volume by the density to get the approximate daily weight, divide by your target bale weight to get bales per day, and compare against the machine’s rated throughput.

Build headroom into the calculation. Delivery days generate more cardboard than non-delivery days. Christmas and seasonal peaks generate more than average trading periods. Specify for the peak, not the mean.

Gradeall’s Vertical Baler Range: Matching Model to Volume

Gradeall’s vertical baler range covers a wide span of capacities:

The GV500 is a high-capacity vertical baler suited to large retailers, distribution operations, and high-volume industrial applications generating substantial cardboard and plastic waste. The GV500 produces dense bales at throughput rates that suit operations with continuous or high-frequency baling requirements.

The G-ECO 500 addresses the mid-to-high volume commercial market with an energy-efficient design that reduces operating costs compared to conventional hydraulic machines at a similar capacity.

The G-ECO 250 produces bales up to 250 kg, suiting medium-volume retail, hospitality, and manufacturing operations generating moderate cardboard and packaging volumes.

The G-ECO 150 is a mid-sized baler for operations with lower but consistent cardboard volumes: smaller retailers, offices, catering operations, and light manufacturing.

Each model has a different footprint, power requirement, and bale weight specifications. Matching the model to the volume and available space is the core specification decision.

Step Three: Bale Weight and Density

Bale weight and density affect two things that matter commercially: how many bales fit on a collection vehicle (which affects collection logistics and cost), and the income you receive per bale from a recycling contractor.

Heavier, denser bales are generally better from both perspectives. A 400 kg cardboard bale takes up the same floor space as a 200 kg bale but is worth twice as much to the recycler. The same collection vehicle can carry more tonnes of material if bales are denser, reducing the cost per tonne of collection for the contractor, which may translate into better collection terms for you.

Bale weight and density are determined by the machine’s compaction force and the chamber dimensions. A machine with a higher compaction force produces denser bales from the same material input. Chamber dimensions determine bale size; for a given bale size, denser bales are heavier.

Don’t over-specify bale weight in isolation. A machine with a very high compaction force producing very heavy bales requires a forklift or mechanical handling equipment to move the bales safely once ejected. If your site has a forklift, this is not a constraint. If your team is moving bales by hand, pallet truck, or by a simple bale trolley, very heavy bales create a manual handling problem.

For most commercial operations without heavy mechanical handling on-site, bales in the 200 to 350 kg range are practical to handle with a basic pallet truck. For operations with forklift capability, bales of 400 kg and above are achievable and commercially beneficial.

Step Four: Footprint and Installation

Vertical balers are more space-efficient than horizontal balers and most compactors of equivalent throughput. Their footprint is their chamber cross-section plus the clearance needed on each side for operation and maintenance.

Height clearance is the most common installation constraint for vertical balers. The machine requires clearance above the loading opening sufficient for the operator to load material comfortably, and clearance above the machine itself for maintenance access. Machines with top-hinged loading doors require height clearance for the door to swing open. Measure the height clearance at the installation location carefully before purchase, including any overhead services (pipes, lighting, sprinkler heads) that might conflict with the machine or its door.

Floor loading. A vertical baler with a full bale chamber produces significant point loads through its base frame. Confirm that the floor at the installation location has adequate load-bearing capacity for the machine weight plus the maximum bale weight. This is particularly relevant for upper-floor installations in warehouses or mezzanine storage areas.

Power supply. Vertical balers typically require a three-phase 415V supply. Single-phase models exist at lower capacity, but most commercial machines need three-phase. If a three-phase supply is not available at the installation location, the electrical installation cost needs to be factored into the project plan.

Access for bale removal. Once a bale is ejected from the machine, it needs to be moved to a storage or collection area. Confirm that there is adequate floor space and an access route for pallet truck or forklift movement of bales from the machine’s ejection point to the storage area. A baler installed in a corner with insufficient space to manoeuvre a pallet truck in front of it creates an operational problem that is frustrating and slow to resolve.

Step Five: Wire Tying System

Every vertical baler uses wire to tie the completed bale. The wire tying system can be manual or automatic, and the choice affects both the speed of bale production and the ease of operation.

Manual tying requires the operator to thread individual wire ties through channels in the baling chamber after the compaction cycle, then knot or clip each wire to hold the bale before ejection. Manual tying is reliable and requires no complex mechanism, but adds time to each bale cycle. For operations producing a small number of bales per day, the time cost is modest. For high-throughput operations producing eight or more bales per shift, manual tying becomes a significant proportion of total baling time.

Automatic or semi-automatic tying threads and tensions the wire ties mechanically as part of the bale ejection sequence, reducing operator involvement to initiating the cycle. This reduces cycle time and operator effort, particularly for high-throughput applications. The tying mechanism adds mechanical complexity and is a maintenance item.

For the wire itself, Gradeall supplies baler wire suitable for use across its vertical baler range. Using the correct wire specification (gauge, tensile strength, cut or loop format) ensures reliable tie performance. Under-specified wire breaks under the bale’s expansion pressure after ejection, which requires rebaling. Contact Gradeall International for wire specification guidance for your specific model.

Step Six: The Income vs Cost Equation

A vertical baler changes your cardboard and plastic waste from a cost into a potential income. The financial shift works as follows:

Before the baler: Cardboard in a general skip or wheeled bin drives skip fill rate and collection frequency. You pay for the skip hire and collection. The cardboard contributes to disposal costs with no offsetting income.

After the baler: Cardboard in dense bales is a saleable commodity. The recycling contractor collects the bales, and either pays you a gate price per tonne or offers free collection (effectively a zero net cost). Your skip usage reduces because cardboard is no longer in the general skip stream, reducing skip hire cost. The combined effect is a positive financial swing that includes both cost reduction and income generation.

The net financial benefit depends on current cardboard prices (which fluctuate), your current skip cost, and the volume of material baled. In a strong cardboard market, the income from bales significantly exceeds the baler’s operating cost. In a weak market, the benefit comes primarily from skip cost reduction rather than bale income. The skip cost reduction is less volatile than bale income and provides the floor of the financial case in all market conditions.

“We’ve had customers who recovered the entire cost of their baler within twelve months purely from the combination of skip hire reduction and cardboard income,” says Conor Murphy, Director of Gradeall International. “The calculation varies with the market, but the direction of travel is consistent: a baler pays back, and then it continues paying for the rest of its life.”

Contact Gradeall International to discuss the right vertical baler for your operation. The full vertical baler range is available with technical support from Gradeall’s team in Dungannon, Northern Ireland.

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