Essential Guide to Selecting the Right Hydraulic Breaker for Your Excavator

August 18, 2026

Choosing the right hydraulic breaker directly determines your construction efficiency, equipment service life and on-site safety.Also known as a hydraulic breaker, this core excavator attachment breaks rock, concrete, and hard materials through hydraulic-driven impact force.A properly matched hydraulic breaker avoids common pain points such as low breaking speed, frequent part damage, excavator hydraulic overload, and high fuel consumption.

Caption: Different hydraulic breaker types for demolition, roadwork, and mining projects.

Step 1: Match CTHB Hydraulic Breaker to Your Excavator

The first and most fundamental step is ensuring your hydraulic breaker is compatible with your carrier machine—whether that’s an excavator, backhoe loader, or skid steer. This involves two critical aspects: weight and hydraulic characteristics.

Your breaker’s weight must be appropriate for your carrier.Beyond weight, you must verify that your carrier can supply the correct oil flow and pressure for the breaker. Hydraulic breakers rely entirely on the excavator’s hydraulic system for power. The breaker’s rated operating pressure (kg/cm²) and oil flow (L/min) must fully match the carrier’s output parameters, which is the key to stable working performance.

Finally, select the appropriate breaker specification and power based on the hardness of the material to be broken.

Model	Chisel Diameter	Suitable Excavator	Hammer Weight	Operating Pressure	Operating Oil Flow	Blow Frequency	Oil Hose Diameter	Breaking Power	Auto Grease System	Back Cylinder N2 Gas Pressure	Accumulator Pressure
No.	mm	Ton	kg	kg/cm²	L/min	bpm	inch	kJ	○	bar	bar
CTHB05	35	0.5-1	117	90-120	15-25	800-1450	1/2	0.134	○	14-17	/
CTHB10	40	0.8-2.5	128	90-120	15-25	800-1450	1/2	0.259	○	14-17	/
CTHB20	45	1.2-3.0	146	90-120	20-30	700-1200	1/2	0.356	○	14-17	/
CTHB30	53	2.5-4.5	214	90-120	25-50	600-1100	1/2	0.475	○	14-17	/
CTHB35	60	3–5.5	270	90-120	25-50	600-1100	1/2	0.575	○	14-17	/
CTHB40	68	4–7	324	110-140	40-70	500-900	1/2	0.661	○	14-17	/
CTHB43	75	6–9	412	120-150	50-90	400-800	1/2	0.756	●	14-17	/
CTHB45	85	7–14	766	120-150	50-90	400-800	3/4	0.935	●	14-17	/
CTHB50	100	11–16	1,015	150-170	80-110	350-700	3/4	1.564	●	14-17	/
CTHB60	125	15-18	1,780	150-170	80-110	350-700	3/4	1.877	●	14-17	/
CTHB70	135	16-21	1,910	160-180	130-150	400-800	1	2.668	●	14-17	/
CTHB81	140	18-26	2,100	160-180	120-180	350-500	1	3.196	●	14-17	/
CTHB81A	140	18-26	2,197	160-210	120-180	400-550	1	3.204	●	14-17	55-60
CTHB100	150	26-30	2,265	160-180	150-210	350-450	1	3.758	●	14-17	55-60
CTHB121	155	28-32	2,781	160-180	180-240	300-450	1¼	5.014	●	17-20	55-60
CTHB131	165	30-35	2,996	160-180	200-260	250-400	1¼	6.974	●	17-20	55-60
CTHB140	165	32-38	3,314	160-180	210-270	250-380	1¼	7.052	●	17-20	55-60
CTHB151	175	37-45	4,108	160-190	210-290	200-350	1¼	8.153	●	18-22	55-60
CTHB185	185	45-50	6,352	205-245	220-300	180-200	1¼	13.255	●	22-25	55-60
CTHB195	190	48-55	7,125	225-265	270-330	180-200	1¼	15.521	●	25-28	55-60
CTHB210	210	60-75	7,836	245-285	290-350	150-180	1¼	20.435	●	25-28	55-60

*Caption: CTHB Hydraulic Breaker Parameter Table

Step 2: Select the Right Hydraulic Breaker Structure Type

CTHB Hydraulic breakers are divided into three mainstream structures, suitable for different construction environments and budget needs.

CTHB Series breaker Advantages & Applications

Top Type Breaker

High Efficiency: Provides a powerful, concentrated vertical impact.
Easy control and position,more ideal for breaking jobs.
Vertical open-bracket design reduces the malfunction rate of chisel.
Larger working reach & good operator visibility.
Convenient disassembly & low‑cost maintenance.

Quarrying and Mining
Infrastructure Projects
Large-Scale Demolition

Box Silenced Type Breaker

Low noise level.Superior Vibration Damping.
Full-closed box design protects the main body from damage.
Environmental Friendliness: Addresses stringent environmental protection requirements on job sites .

Urban demolition, residential‑zone construction, tunnel engineering, indoor demolition
Noise‑sensitive municipal projects, heavy‑duty demolition with lots of rebar and debris

Side Type Breaker

Compact structure & low center of gravity.
Excellent operator visibility.
Easy maintenance.
High flexibility and adaptability.

Small-Scale Demolition: Ideal for breaking concrete slabs, sidewalks, and small building foundations in tight work environments
Waste Cleanup and Trenching

Step 3: Match Chisel Type According to Working Needs

The chisel is the core wearing part of the hydraulic breaker. A reasonable chisel selection can double the construction efficiency and reduce wear loss.

*Caption: Common chisels for different breaking tasks

– Wedge chisel: Specialized for trenching, asphalt cutting and layered rock separation.

– Blunt chisel: Universal type, suitable for concrete demolition, road peeling, and loose rock cleaning.

– Cone chisel: For breaking hard and tough rock, general demolition requiring penetrative breaking, and drilling in softer materials.

– Moil chisel: Concentrated impact force, suitable for hard rock splitting and high-hardness material breaking.

FAQs About CTHB Hydraulic Breaker Selection

Q1: What size hydraulic breaker do I need for my excavator?

Confirm the excavator’s operating weight first, comparison of CTHB hydraulic breaker specifications, then match hydraulic flow and pressure, and finally determine the type and chisel type according to materials and scenarios.

Q2: Which is better, open type or box type hydraulic breaker?

Open type is cost-effective and easy to maintain for ordinary engineering; box silent type is environmentally friendly and low-noise, suitable for urban strict environmental protection scenarios.

Q3: How to choose between high frequency and high impact breakers?

Choose high-frequency low-impact breakers for soft materials such as ordinary concrete and weathered rock; select low-frequency high-impact breakers for high-hardness materials such as granite and basalt to ensure efficient breaking effect.

Q4: Will an oversized breaker damage the excavator?

Yes. Long-term operation of an oversized breaker will cause hydraulic system overload, structural vibration fatigue, and greatly reduce the excavator’s service life.

Conclusion

To select the right hydraulic breaker, you cannot rely on experience or price alone. Standard matching must follow carrier weight, hydraulic parameters, material hardness, construction environment and maintenance conditions.An optimal matching configuration maximizes crushing efficiency, minimizes downtime caused by breakdowns, and reduces long-term operating costs, thereby generating greater economic benefits for demolition, road construction, and mining projects.

Vincent

Hi, I’m the author of this post, we have more than 10 years manufacture experience on excavator attachments. Our attachments sell more than 40 countries and offer the best solution for their tasks，such as：hydraulic breakers for demolition and construction sites，excavator shears for cutting and steel structure demolition, and excavator concrete crushers for rock/concrete crushing. If you have any requests, Get in touch with us for free quote and we will offer your one-stop solution for your market.

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