RICHI LOGO

5T/H Cardboard Pellet Mill in the United States

This is a project about a cardboard pellet mill in the United States. This customer is a family-owned recycling firm that has been serving local industries for over 20 years. For decades, they focused mainly on collecting, baling, and shipping cardboard to paper mills.

5T/H Cardboard Pellet Mill in the United States

OVERVIEW

This is a project about a cardboard pellet mill in the United States. For many mid-sized recycling companies across the United States, the ever-growing mountains of discarded cardboard have long presented both an opportunity and a headache. One recycling operator in the Midwest decided it was time to take control — turning bulky waste cardboard into a high-value biomass fuel using two cardboard pellet mills from RICHI Machinery.

This customer is a family-owned recycling firm that has been serving local industries for over 20 years. For decades, they focused mainly on collecting, baling, and shipping cardboard to paper mills. However, in recent years, the demand for raw recycled cardboard has fluctuated wildly, and transportation costs have eaten deeply into profits.

Rather than keep selling bales at unpredictable prices, the company wanted to add value on-site. By pelletizing clean cardboard waste, they could produce a stable, high-energy product that local biomass power plants and large commercial boilers increasingly want as an alternative to fossil fuels.

To get started, they chose to invest in two high-capacity cardboard pellet machines — not a full line yet, but a strategic upgrade that plugs right into their existing shredding and drying equipment. This phased approach allows them to test market demand, build contracts with buyers, and scale production sensibly.

  • Name:

    Cardboard Pellet Press

  • Country:

    United States

  • Date:

    2025

  • Capacity:

    5T/H

  • Model:

    MZLH678

  • Main Power:

    185 KW

  • Finished Pellet Diameter:

    4~12 mm

  • Main Raw material:

    clean cardboard waste

Choosing the Right Cardboard Pellet Mill for American Conditions

After evaluating several pellet press suppliers, the company selected MZLH678 cardboard pellet mill in the United States— and they ordered two units. Here's a snapshot of the machine specs:

Model MZLH678
Main Motor Power (kw) 185
Anti-Arch Feeder Power (kw) 3
Force Feeder Power (kw) 1.5
Ring Die Inner Diameter (mm) 673
Finished Pellet Diameter (mm) 4~12
Capacity (T/H) 2.5–3.0 per machine

Combined, these two cardboard paper pellet making machines can handle up to 5 tons of finished pellets per hour — a perfect match for the volume of clean cardboard waste the company already collects from local warehouses, retail stores, and packaging plants.

What's Going Into These Cardboard Pellets?

Unlike agricultural biomass or wood waste, waste cardboard has its own unique properties. It's already low in moisture and has decent energy content but can be tricky to densify if not processed correctly.

The recycling company runs the cardboard through industrial shredders and hammer mills to get a consistent flake size. A light drying step ensures moisture stays under 12% — optimal for the cardboard pellet press to compress the fibers into uniform fuel pellets.

Occasionally, they blend in a small percentage (5–10%) of clean, non-laminated paper scrap to improve binding and burn quality. But the majority of the input is purely cardboard, carefully sorted to keep out plastics and adhesives that could ruin pellet quality.

How This cardboard pellet mill in the United States Helps the Business Compete

Before adding the cardboard pellet mill in the United States, the company was fully dependent on selling bales of OCC (Old Corrugated Containers). Now, with these pellet presses, they control more of the value chain.

Pelletized cardboard burns more efficiently than loose waste, stores easily, and moves at lower cost per BTU. Local district heating plants and industrial greenhouses have shown strong interest in substituting cardboard pellets for traditional wood pellets or coal.

Besides selling to nearby biomass plants, the company is exploring partnerships with municipal utilities that want to boost their renewable energy mix with locally produced solid fuels.

What Else Can a cardboard pellet mill in the United States Produce?

A big advantage of choosing RICHI's heavy-duty cardboard pelletizer is its flexibility. While the main focus is cardboard, the same machine can easily process:

With a quick change of the ring die, the customer can adjust pellet size and compression to match different feedstocks. This gives the recycling firm a powerful hedge against market swings: when cardboard supply dips, they can switch to other local residues without needing new equipment.

Real Impact on Local Communities and the Environment

In the USA, sustainability standards are tightening across industries. Many manufacturers, schools, and municipal heating plants want reliable alternatives to fossil fuels — but they also want fuel that's truly renewable and locally sourced.

By converting clean cardboard into fuel pellets on-site, this recycler reduces waste hauling costs, shrinks landfill volume, and cuts carbon emissions from long-haul transport to distant paper mills.

At the same time, they create a consistent, high-energy biofuel that fits right into modern biomass boilers. This helps their region move closer to carbon-neutral heating goals — and keeps valuable dollars circulating in the local economy.

How RICHI Supported This Project from Start to Finish

When the client first reached out, they had never run a ring die pellet mill before. RICHI's team helped them choose the right cardboard pellet press, adjust the die compression ratio for recycled fiber, and design a simple yet robust feeding system that avoids blockages.

RICHI engineers also provided on-site commissioning support and training for operators — ensuring the customer knew exactly how to run, maintain, and adjust the machines for maximum uptime.

No-Nonsense American-Style Return on Investment

One thing that made this cardboard pellet mill in the United States project possible was the clear ROI. With a stable local source of waste cardboard, the client expects each cardboard pellet mill to pay for itself within 18 months.

By adding value to what was once sold as a low-margin bale, they now command higher per-ton prices for clean, easy-to-burn biofuel pellets. And because they already own the shredding and sorting lines, the investment risk stays low.

Why Other US Operators Are Looking at Cardboard Pellet Mills

As more states roll out landfill diversion targets and clean energy incentives, cardboard pelletizing will only get more attractive. Whether you're a recycling yard, a packaging waste processor, or a logistics hub with lots of boxes flowing through, a good cardboard pellet mill can be your ticket to transforming waste streams into steady, profitable biofuel production.

And with reliable machines like the RICHI cardboard pelletizer, you can scale at your own pace — start small with one unit or ramp up to multiple lines as demand grows.

Ready to Pelletize Cardboard? Talk to RICHI.

If you're tired of watching cardboard bales stack up, or you want a smarter way to profit from America's endless packaging waste, it's time to look at a cardboard pellet press from RICHI Machinery.

From the first design sketch to the final bolt, RICHI builds cardboard pellet mills in the United States that are tough, simple to run, and engineered to handle challenging recycled fiber. They know cardboard is different from wood or straw — and they have the practical solutions to keep your line running reliably.

Don't let all that corrugated gold go to waste. Reach out today and see how a cardboard pellet mill in the United States can transform your business, your fuel supply, and your bottom line — one pellet at a time.

Helping you Grow your Business

Having the right mix of reliable, high-quality pellet machine and pelletizing systems and expert support is essential to your success. Watch how our end-to-end feed pellet plant solutions have helped our customers optimize their performance.

Our customized and future-proofed turnkey pellet plant solutions is designed with you at the core. From vision to reality and beyond, our team stays connected with yours. Giving you peace-of-mind with an expert at your side.

At RICHI, we go beyond project completion. With RICHI Servicee, we’re your dedicated partners in success. Count on us for expert guidance, minimal downtime, and optimized productivity. Choose RICHI for unmatched service and support.

POSITION IN INDUSTRY

Meet global product demands and quality standards with industry-leading pellet plant design, engineering, equipment, and construction services for pellet processors.

Global Reach, China base

Your Partner Beyond Project Completion

2000+ cases

RICHI is the leading designer, manufacturer and builder of pellet plants in the world, completing over 2000 projects in 140 countries across 6 continents.

Read More

The Right Combination


Increase plant productivity, profitability, and safety by integrating high quality equipment into your pellet production line. Over the years, RICHI has become China's top pellet equipment manufacturer. At the same time, RICHI has established valuable partnerships with the world's leading component and raw material manufacturers to bring you the best there is in technology, automation, and efficiency in pelleting plant machinery.

Industries We Serve

For nearly 30 years, RICHI has been providing best-in-class pellet plant equipment and services to clients across a variety of industries, sizes, and needs. We pride ourselves on the knowledge and skill that each team member possesses – from our technical sales team to our process design engineers. You can count on RICHI Machinery to take your operation to the next level of innovation, quality, and success.

Need help with your pellet manufacturing plant project? Contact us today.

 

ANIMAL FEED

BIOMASS

WOOD

ORGANIC FERTILIZER

AQUA FEED

CAT LITTER

MUNICIPAL WASTE RECYCLING

SPECIAL PELLET PRODUCTION

RICHI MACHINERY

RICHI Machinery continues to deliver world class pellet mill equipment, pellet plant engineering and project solutions that add value to our customers in the animal feed, wood waste, agriculture waste, organic fertilizer, cat litter and special pellet products industries. Throughout the years, we RICHI Machinery have built strong brand, becoming industry-leading pellet machine manufacturer. We value integrity, promise quality, and prioritize your success.

Learn More

Expertise

With our expert team, we precisely implement your process engineering requirements in pellet mill and pelletizing plant systems. No matter which industry you’re in – we understand your needs and deliver solutions that meet the highest standards.

Quality

At RICHI, quality comes first. Our pellet making machine and related pellet line equipment undergo rigorous quality controls to ensure they meet the highest standards. Rely on products that are durable, safe, and efficient.

Experience

With decades of experience in pellet machine and pellet production line production, we have earned a reputation as a trusted partner in various industries. Our expertise allows us to cover a wide range of applications.

service

Not only do we offer premium pelleting equipment, but we are also experts at designing, building, installing, and maintaining facilities from the ground up. Our expertise is within pellt plant process design, discovering the most efficient, productive, and profitable way to handle your materials in an end-to-end cycle.

contact us

Keeping in touch with us is an effective way to solve all your problems. If you have any needs or questions, please leave your contact information, then RICHI technical consultants will send design, quotation, videos to your mailbox. You can also contact us directly via WhatsApp: +86 13838389622

Application:

* We will store the information you have provided us. We will only use this information for the purpose of helping to answer your inquiries. We will not disclose your information to third parties.

Copyright©2015-2024 by HENAN RICHI MACHINERY CO., LTD. All rights reserved.