Conveyor belt cleaners · Carryback, primary vs secondary vs tertiary, blade-to-belt pressure, position at the head pulley, blade material vs splices, speed limits
A conveyor belt cleaner is a blade assembly, tensioned against the belt at or after the discharge pulley, that scrapes off material still stuck to the belt so it does not fall along the return run. Ask three things first: belt width, head pulley diameter and belt speed, the material being carried and its temperature, and how many cleaning stages and what blade materials the belt and splices can tolerate.
Primary, secondary and tertiary scraper-type belt cleaners and their tensioners for bulk-handling belt conveyors. Return-side V-plows, belt washing stations, rotary brush cleaners and the conveyor belts themselves are outside this page.
01
Martin Engineering defines carryback as material that sticks to the belt past the discharge point and drops off along the return run, causing maintenance and clean-up cost, material build-up on rolling components (seized idlers, wandering belts, higher power use), slip, trip and fire hazards and airborne dust. It describes the primary cleaner, the first stage, as leaving only a thin layer of sticky fines on the belt for later stages; its guidance for primaries is a low tensioning pressure, roughly 2 psi (13.8 kPa), which allows a peeling angle against the belt, since higher pressure at that angle would endanger the belt, splice or cleaner. Primary cleaners are installed on the face of the head pulley just below the material trajectory and should be built and placed to stay out of the material stream and avoid build-up. [1]
Secondary cleaners are installed where the belt leaves the discharge pulley to remove the residual fines, close enough to the trajectory that cleanings return to the main stream. Tertiary cleaners can be added for final cleaning; because they sit away from the pulley, they should be placed at or near a roller where the belt is supported, so cleaning pressure does not lift the belt line and reduce efficiency. [1]
Give the supplier the belt width, head pulley diameter, belt speed, belt type and splice type and condition, material carried and its moisture and stickiness, temperature, available space at the head pulley, and whether the belt reverses.
02
Martin's selection guide asks for belt width, head pulley diameter, belt speed, material characteristics and application temperature, and gives a sizing chart that matches primary cleaner models to belt width and head pulley diameter. For secondaries it says to check belt speed against each cleaner's rating, for example 1,500 fpm maximum for one carbide-bladed model covering 18–120 in belts and 900 fpm for another, and to avoid tungsten carbide blades where a belt has multiple mechanical splices or one in poor condition, as both blade and splice may wear or be damaged rapidly. Tensioners include spring and air types. [1]
Editorial calculation: 1,500 fpm is 1,500 × 0.3048 ÷ 60 ≈ 7.6 m/s and 900 fpm about 4.6 m/s, so check your belt speed in the same units before choosing a model. [1]
Rui Le'er, a supplier linked to this page, lists an H-type head belt cleaner alongside drum pulleys and idlers. [2]
03
Each of the companies below sells belt cleaners as one item in a conveyor-parts range, next to idlers, pulleys, rollers or belts; Rui Le'er's listing is an H-type head cleaner. Ask each for the pressure, speed and temperature limits that Martin, Flexco and ASGCO publish for their own cleaners.
Ask any supplier for cleaner type and position, blade material and hardness, rated belt width and speed, head pulley diameter range, tensioner type and blade-to-belt pressure setting, mounting brackets, reversing capability and replacement blade supply.
04
Flexco's sell sheet for its H-Type High-Temp Precleaner with tungsten carbide V-Tips shows the limits a buyer should find on any primary cleaner datasheet. It lists a maximum belt speed of 1000 FPM (5 m/sec), a temperature rating of -30° F to 400° F (-35° C to 204° C) with spikes up to 450° F (232° C), a minimum pulley diameter of 8" (200 mm), belt widths of 18" to 48" (450 to 1200 mm), a usable blade wear length of 3/8" (9 mm) and a CEMA Cleaner Rating of Class 3. Flexco states the tungsten carbide blade is for vulcanized belts only. [3]
Flexco places blade contact on the pulley 15° below the horizontal centerline to keep the blades out of the discharge path. Installation needs 7" (175 mm) of horizontal clearance and 13" (325 mm), 15" (375 mm) or 16-1/2" (413 mm) of vertical clearance for SS, S and M suspension arms, and the arm size follows the head pulley diameter: 8 - 15 in (200 - 375 mm) for SS, 16 - 27 in (400 - 675 mm) for S and 28 - 35 in (700 - 875 mm) for M. The overall pole length is cleaner size + 48" (1200 mm). [3]
Measure head pulley diameter including belt and lagging, the clear space below the pulley and the conveyor span before ordering, and confirm the suspension arm size from these figures. [3]
05
Urethane primary blades are sold in grades that trade hardness against speed and heat. ASGCO lists four colour-coded Skalper grades for its own primary cleaners and as retrofit blades for other makers' cleaners, and describes the blade as having a flat pulley-side face for a sharp contact point and horizontal sipes (wear grooves) across the cleaning edge with an arc-shaped back, so that the edge stays sharp as the blade wears. Blade widths in its Mini-Skalper table run from 12 in (300 mm) to 84 in (2,100 mm). [4]
Editorial calculation: the 82 °C ceiling of the 85- and 95-durometer standard grades sits well below the 204 °C rating of Flexco's tungsten carbide high-temperature precleaner, so for hot clinker or similar loads the choice is between a high-temperature urethane grade up to 148 °C and a carbide blade. [4] [3] Editorial note: ASGCO's page states hardness as durometer without naming the scale; ask the supplier to confirm whether it is Shore A or Shore D.
| Skalper grade | Durometer | Belt speed limit | Temperature range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skalper 2 (extra abrasion resistant) | 95. [4] | <1,200 fpm (<6 m/s). [4] | −28 to 82 °C (−20 to 180 °F). [4] |
| Skalper 4 (abrasion resistant) | 85. [4] | <1,000 fpm (<5 m/s). [4] | −28 to 82 °C (−20 to 180 °F). [4] |
| Skalper HT (high temperature) | 85. [4] | <1,000 fpm, listed as <6 m/s. [4] | −28 to 107 °C (−20 to 225 °F). [4] |
| Skalper UHT (ultra high temperature) | 95. [4] | <1,200 fpm (<6 m/s). [4] | −28 to 148 °C (−20 to 300 °F). [4] |
06
| Part | Role | Fix in the order |
|---|---|---|
| Blade | Scrape material off the belt. [1] | Blade material; carbide or other. |
| Mainframe | Carry blades across the belt. [1] | Width; material. |
| Tensioner | Set blade-to-belt pressure. [1] | Spring or air. |
| Mounting brackets | Locate at pulley or roller. [1] | Bracket type. |
| Support roller (secondary/tertiary) | Keep belt line steady. [1] | Position. |
07
Martin's selection inputs are belt width, head pulley diameter, belt speed, material and temperature; the table pairs them with the published limits from Martin, Flexco and ASGCO. [1]
| Field | What it means and published values | Ask the supplier for |
|---|---|---|
| Belt width | e.g. models covering 18–120 in; 18" to 48" (450 to 1200 mm) for Flexco's high-temperature precleaner. [1] [3] | Width range. |
| Belt speed | e.g. 1,500 fpm or 900 fpm maximum. [1] | Speed rating. |
| Operating Temperature (°C) | Application temperature is a selection input; e.g. −35° C to 204° C for Flexco's carbide precleaner, −28 to 148 °C for ASGCO's UHT urethane grade. [1] [3] [4] | Range. |
| Blade hardness (durometer) | e.g. 85 or 95 durometer urethane grades (scale not stated by the maker). [4] | Hardness. |
| Tension Adjustment Range (mm) | Tensioner travel. [1] | Range. |
| Blade-to-belt pressure | Primary roughly 2 psi (13.8 kPa) blade pressure. [1] | Pressure setting. |
| Blade Material | Avoid tungsten carbide with poor mechanical splices. [1] | Material. |
| Frame Material | Mainframe. | Material and coating. |
| Weight (kg) | Assembly mass. | Mass. |
| Mounting Clearance (mm) | Space at head pulley; e.g. 7" (175 mm) horizontal and 13" (325 mm) to 16-1/2" (413 mm) vertical for Flexco's precleaner. [1] [3] | Clearance needed. |
08
Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.
Conveyor: [belt width; head pulley diameter; belt speed] Material: [type; moisture; stickiness; temperature] Belt: [type; splices and condition; reversing] Stages: [primary; secondary; tertiary] Space: [mounting clearance]
Jiangsu Wuyun, Shanxi YiQi, Toptrans, Tiantie and GCS list belt cleaners with idlers, pulleys, rollers or belts; Rui Le'er lists H-type head belt cleaners.
Lists conveyor belt cleaners with idlers and pulleys.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists belt cleaners with conveyor belts and idlers.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists H-type head belt cleaners with drum pulleys and idlers.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists belt cleaners with conveyor belts.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists conveyor belt cleaners with conveyor belts.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists conveyor belt cleaners with rollers.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Explore company information and manufacturing capabilities, then discuss the scope of your project with a relevant supplier.
Martin Engineering's guidance is a low tensioning pressure, roughly 2 psi (13.8 kPa), so primaries can sit at a peeling angle without endangering the belt or splice. [1]
Where the belt leaves the discharge pulley; tertiary cleaners further away should be at a roller for firm support. [1]
Martin advises avoiding tungsten carbide blades on belts with multiple mechanical splices or a splice in poor condition. [1]
Flexco's H-Type High-Temp Precleaner sheet states a 1000 FPM (5 m/sec) maximum belt speed, a -35° C to 204° C rating with spikes up to 232° C, an 8" (200 mm) minimum pulley and CEMA Cleaner Rating Class 3, with carbide tips for vulcanized belts only. [3]
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Martin Engineering, Flexco and ASGCO make belt cleaners and publish selection data; Rui Le'er is a supplier linked to this page.
Ask for use case, specification boundaries, supplier type, and RFQ preparation information for this product.
Compare manufacturer profiles with relevant product and process capability.