Cashew Nut Machine: The Complete Range
A "cashew nut machine" can mean any stage of the line — shelling, peeling, grading, packing and more. Here’s the full range and how the machines fit together.
People search for "cashew nut machine" meaning any of the machines used to process cashews: grading, steaming, shelling (cutting), drying, peeling, kernel grading, colour sorting and packing, plus value-add and utility equipment. Each does one job, and together they form the processing line. TTQ manufactures the complete range, so you can buy a single machine or a fully integrated plant. Browse them below to find the machine you need.
A cashew nut is an awkward thing to machine: a hard shell wrapped around a delicate kernel, with a caustic oil in between that attacks both equipment and skin. That is why cashew machinery is a specialist field rather than general food equipment, and why the individual machines on a line are so different from each other in principle.
The core machines at a glance
| Stage | Representative model | Capacity | Power | Dimensions (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steaming | 1,000 kg + 2 wagons | 1,000 kg/batch · 20–25 min | 1.5 HP (1.1 kW) | 4.0 × 3.0 × 6.0 |
| Shelling (head) | 16 Head machine | 560 kg/h, Size A | 1 HP (0.75 kW) | 1.1 × 0.85 × 1.55 |
| Cutting (knife) | 10-knife machine | 400–500 kg/h, Size A | 1 HP (0.75 kW) | 1.5 × 1.2 × 1.8 |
| Borma drying | 2 T chamber | 2,000 kg/batch · 13–14 h | 4 HP (3 kW) | 4.8 × 3.0 × 2.0 |
| Humidification | 2 T chamber | 2,000 kg/batch · 3–5 h | 2 HP (1.5 kW) | 4.8 × 3.0 × 2.0 |
| Peeling | 3 Head | 360–420 kg/h | 5 HP (3.7 kW) | 8.5 × 1.0 × 2.6 |
| Kernel grading | 24-axis classifier | 280–360 kg/h | 1.5 HP (1.1 kW) | 7.0 × 1.5 × 2.5 |
| Colour sorting | Chute, 63 channels | 500–1,000 kg/h | 0.8 kW | — |
One representative model per stage, taken from the current equipment list — every stage has smaller and larger models. Hourly figures are continuous throughput; batch figures are a full chamber load with its cycle time beside it, which is the distinction that catches people sizing a line for the first time. A 2 T dryer at 13–14 hours is one batch per shift, not two tonnes an hour.
What each stage needs
Cleaning and grading
de-stoners and pre-cleaners remove field debris and metal, then a raw-nut grader sorts into five size bands. Everything downstream assumes uniform nut size, so skipping this stage degrades every stage after it.
Steaming and cooking
saturated steam under controlled pressure softens the shell so it cuts rather than shatters. This is also where the CNSL is conditioned.
Shelling
the heart of the line. Calibrated blades crack the shell without touching the kernel; whole-cutting rate is the number that matters.
Peeling
pneumatic and mechanical action removes the testa. Yield here depends on drying and rewetting far more than on the peeler itself.
Sorting and grading
vibrating decks separate kernels by size into commercial grades, then colour sorters remove defects by hue, shape and size.
Integrated lines
combining all of the above with conveying, elevators and centralised control for end-to-end automation.
How the machines work together
The sequence is not arbitrary and the machines are not independent. Grading sets what the cutter can do; steaming sets whether the shell cuts or shatters; drying and rewetting set what the peeler can achieve; and the colour sorter can only remove defects, never create quality that was lost upstream. Sizing one machine well and the rest carelessly gives you a line that runs at the speed of its worst stage — which is why capacity matching across stages matters more than the specification of any single machine.
Choosing machines
Start from raw-nut supply
how many kilograms per day can you actually source, reliably, through a season? Everything else follows from that number.
Match capacities across stages
a 500 kg/h cutter behind a 300 kg/h grader is 300 kg/h of plant with 500 kg/h of capital in it.
Weigh automation against local labour cost
the right level differs by country, and copying a plant from elsewhere copies its labour assumptions too.
Check what capacity figures assume
nut grade and shift length. Numbers quoted on different bases are not comparable.
Budget the supporting equipment
boiler, compressor, conveying and shell handling are not accessories; they are a substantial share of the total.
Maintenance and machine life
- Expect 10–15 years from well-maintained machines, and considerably less from neglected ones.
- Clean CNSL residue daily — it is caustic, it hardens, and every machine downstream of cutting accumulates it.
- Calibrate steam pressure controls regularly — drift here shows up as inconsistent conditioning across batches, which then looks like a shelling problem.
- Track blade and wear-part life — degradation is gradual, so schedule replacement rather than waiting for a visible failure.
- Keep a critical spares inventory — 5–10% of equipment value is the usual guidance, and it is cheap against a week of downtime in season.
What it looks like in practice
Small-scale entry
compact semi-automatic units from around 500 kg/h suit a first plant, and they can be automated incrementally rather than replaced.
Recovery gains
moving from manual to machine processing lifts production KOR — packed saleable kernel per 100 kg of RCN, typically 22–24 kg on a well-run line. The gain over hand-cracking shows up as whole kernels rather than as more total kilos, and whole kernels are where the money is; it is that gain, not the labour saving, that usually pays for the equipment.
West African deployments
plants across Ghana, Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria increasingly process domestically rather than exporting raw, which is where most new capacity is being built.
Capacity range
automatic shelling models generally run 100–700 kg/h, and scale by adding machines rather than by buying ever-larger single units.
Capacities on this page are per 8-hour shift. For the individual machines see the machinery hub; for how the stages fit together see the processing flow chart; for budgeting see the price guide.
Automatic Raw Cashew Nut Grading Machine
Size before you shell
Open →
Cashew Nut Shelling Machine
Crack the shell, keep the kernel
Open →
Cashew Nut Cutting Machine
Clean, consistent kernel separation
Open →
Cashew Dryer Machine (Borma)
Controlled borma drying
Open →
Cashew Peeling Machine
High whole-kernel yield, dry-peeled
Open →
Cashew Grading & Sorting Machine
W180 to W450, sorted by size and colour
Open →
Cashew Vacuum Packing Machine
Nitrogen-flush, export shelf life
Open →
Cashew Vacuum Packing Machine
Nitrogen-flush, export shelf life
Open →
Cashew Steaming Machine
Soften shells, protect kernels
Open →
Automatic Cashew Shelling Machine
Fully automatic, minimal hands
Open →
Cashew Scooping Machine
Extract the kernel, whole
Open →
Cashew Kernel Humidification Chamber
Condition moisture for clean peeling
Open →
Automatic Cashew Peeling Machine
Automatic dry-peeling at volume
Open →
Cashew Pouch Packing Machine
How retail pouch packing works — and who supplies it
Open →
Cashew Nut Roasting Machine
Even roast, edge to edge
Open →
Cashew Sugar Coating Machine
Glaze, coat, candy
Open →
Cashew Dicing Machine
Splits, pieces and dice
Open →
Cashew Color Sorter
CCD optics catch every off-colour
Open →
Cashew Metal Detector
Catch metal before it ships
Open →
Cashew Moisture Meter
Know the moisture, hit the grade
Open →
Cashew Shell Burner
Turn shell waste into heat
Open →
Wood Chip Boiler
Biomass steam for the line
Open →
Air Compressor
Clean air for every actuator
Open →To see how they work together, read cashew nut processing; to buy a whole line, see the turnkey plant.
The process, drawn
The eight core stages
Raw cashew nut in at one end, packed export kernel out at the other. Moisture is the thread: every stage either takes it out or puts a controlled amount back.
Capacities and cycles are Size A basis, per 8-hour shift. Stages 04 and 05 are separate machines in separate rooms — the borma oven dries, the humidifier puts moisture back.
Frequently asked questions
What is a cashew nut machine?
Can I buy just one cashew machine?
Related reading & machines
Cashew Processing Machinery
The complete cashew machine line
Open →
Cashew Nut Processing: The Complete Process
Raw nut to premium kernel, stage by stage
Open →
Fully Automatic Cashew Processing Plant
From raw nut to sealed kernel — one automated line
Open →Talk to a cashew engineer
Tell us your target capacity, grades and location — we’ll come back with a costed proposal.