Choose a hammer mill for general spice, herb and grain grinding when 20 to 100 mesh is enough.
Choose an air classifier mill when you need 100 to 300 mesh or tight particle size control. A pin mill suits brittle materials such as sugar crystal, gum and rice. Material properties and target fineness decide, in that order.
- Hammer mill: flexible, fineness set by screen size
- Pin mill: fine powder from brittle, crystalline materials
- Air classifier mill: finest powder, controlled by classification
- Oily or heat-sensitive material: add cold air grinding
The three mills in one table
How to decide
Name the material
Hardness, fibre, oil content and heat sensitivity decide which mills are even candidates.
Set the target fineness
Up to about 100 mesh is hammer mill territory. Above that, look at an air classifier mill.
Check the heat
Oily or heat-sensitive spices call for cold air grinding whichever mill you pick.
Match the rest of the line
Mills need feeding and screening: see the complete spice line.
The three mills at work
Grinder selection FAQ
QHammer mill or air classifier mill for spices?
A hammer mill handles most spice grinding up to about 100 mesh. An air classifier mill is for ultra-fine powder, typically 100 to 300 mesh.
QWhen is a pin mill the right choice?
For brittle, crystalline or gum-like materials such as sugar crystal and gum arabic, and for rice powder, as shown in our pin mill videos.
QDoes fineness alone decide the mill?
No. Material hardness, oil content and heat sensitivity matter as much as the target mesh.
