Short answer
A hydraulic breaker has no single price, but the items that set it are well defined. The largest is the size class, meaning the weight of the machine it will be mounted on. After that come the line (the hybrid Grey Line or the fully hydraulic Red Line), the housing type (boxed or open frame BL), the bracket and connection, and the tools and spare kit. If the breaker is imported, the delivery terms (FOB or CIF), freight, import duties and local costs also go into the total. That is why two quotes can only be compared once they cover the same scope, and why the right measure is cost per hour rather than purchase price. This guide gives no price list; it explains why each item changes the price and lists the information you need when asking for a quote.
Why is there no single price?
"Hydraulic breaker" covers a range that runs from a small breaker on a mini excavator to a heavy breaker on a large quarry excavator. They share a name, but in weight, construction and work they are entirely different machines.
The "price from" seen in listings usually covers the breaker alone; the bracket, hoses, tools, freight and taxes are added later. Two quotes for the same breaker can also look very different when they cover different scopes. The items below are set out to show what to look for when reading a quote.
Size class: the item that moves the price most
A breaker’s size class is set by the operating weight of the machine it will be mounted on. As the class goes up, so do the breaker’s weight, tool diameter and the amount of steel and machining in the body; this is the item that changes the price most.
The class is chosen to suit the machine, not the budget. A breaker that is small for its machine falls short in hard material, the operator forces it, and the tool, bushings and body wear early. A breaker that is large for its machine strains the machine’s stability and boom. Either way, what is saved at purchase is paid back later in parts and downtime. We covered the matching rule in the tonnage matching guide and how to read flow and pressure in the flow and pressure guide; you can see the models that suit your machine in the breaker selector.
One class down is not a saving
Dropping one class makes the quote smaller but not the job. The material to be broken stays the same, so the breaker works longer and harder; the difference comes back as wear parts and downtime. The right comparison is between quotes in the same class.
Line: Grey Line or Red Line?
HKM’s breaker range has 36 models: 17 in the Red Line and 19 in the Grey Line. The two lines are built for different working patterns. Grey Line breakers run on a hybrid power unit, with gas and hydraulics working together to produce each blow. Red Line breakers are fully hydraulic and work with a high-pressure accumulator; the M models reinforced for mining also belong to this line.
Quotes from the two lines for the same tonnage can differ, because their construction and equipment differ. The choice should be driven by the job, not the price gap: how many hours a day the breaker will run, how hard the material is and what the site conditions are. We summarised the difference in the Red or Grey comparison; the model tables are on the Red Line and Grey Line pages.
Boxed or open frame (BL)?
In a boxed (silenced) breaker, the body sits inside an outer housing on damping blocks. The housing reduces noise and vibration and protects the body from side impacts; it is preferred in built-up areas and on sites with noise limits. We covered this kind of work on the noise and vibration page.
An open frame breaker has no outer housing. At HKM, the open frame versions carry the BL suffix and are available on some models in the smaller classes; they are simpler, the body is easier to reach for service, and they cost less. In exchange, noise and vibration damping and body protection are not at the level of a boxed breaker.
The choice depends on the job: on an open site with no noise limit, an open frame is a sensible saving for a small breaker; for a breaker that will work in a built-up area, the boxed version pays back the difference.
What is in the quote: bracket, hoses, pins and equipment
A breaker does not work on its own; the parts that connect it to the machine are a significant part of the quote. HKM’s model pages list what comes in the set: the breaker, the mounting bracket, one chisel and one moil point, the hydraulic connection hoses, the carrier mounting pins and a tool bag. When you get a quote from another supplier, ask in writing which of these items are included; anything not included will be bought separately later.
- Bracket: it is made to the dimensions of your machine’s boom tip and is not standard. Without the right dimensions, neither the price nor the delivery can be confirmed; we covered which dimensions are needed in the bracket guide.
- Quick coupler: if your machine uses a quick coupler, the bracket is made to suit the coupler rather than the machine; say so when asking for a quote.
- Hammer line: if the machine has no breaker circuit (valve and line), that is a separate item and is usually installed by a local workshop. We covered what it needs in the hammer line and first start guide.
- Optional equipment: depending on the model, options such as automatic lubrication, underwater kits, a reinforced outer housing and a quick coupler adapter change the price. Decide which of them you really need based on your work.
Tools and spare kit
The tools that come with a quote may not be the right type for every job. A moil point is general purpose; a chisel earns its place in reinforced concrete and layered rock, and a blunt tool in secondary breaking of hard, brittle rock. We covered where each tool wins in the tool type guide. Stating the right tool type and your spare tool needs at the quote stage avoids a separate order and a separate freight charge in the first weeks.
The same logic applies to spare kits. If the breaker will work far from a service point, adding a service kit or seal kit, bushings and a spare tool to the first order makes the quote bigger but avoids the downtime of waiting for a part at the first failure. We covered which kit is needed when in the service kit and seal kit guide and what to keep on hand in the critical spare parts stock guide.
Delivery terms and freight
If the breaker is bought from abroad, the point up to which the quote is priced is decisive. A FOB price covers costs up to the goods being loaded on board at the port of loading; a CIF price also includes freight and insurance. Two quotes can only be compared when they use the same delivery term; we covered the difference, and where the risk passes, in the FOB or CIF guide.
In freight, weight and volume are what count. A small breaker can travel as part of a shared load; a large breaker or several attachments call for a container calculation. Putting tools and spare parts in the same shipment as the breaker avoids the cost of small parcels sent separately later. We covered how volume is calculated in the container and CBM guide.
Import duties and local costs
The cost does not stop when the goods reach the port. The items that go into the total in the destination country are usually these:
- Customs duty and the other taxes charged on import: the rate depends on the product’s HS code and your country’s rules. We covered why the code must be set correctly in the HS code and customs guide.
- Port and terminal charges, the customs broker’s fee and, if needed, storage.
- Inland transport from the port to the site, and unloading.
- Bank charges that depend on the payment method; a letter of credit costs differently from a bank transfer. We compared the methods in the payment methods guide.
- If the machine has no hammer line, the installation and first start labour.
We do not give rates by country
Tax rates vary from country to country and over time; a rate given in a guide may be wrong on the day it is read. Once you have the quote, having your local customs broker work out the exact figure from the product description and HS code takes the guesswork out of the total cost.
Comparing with a used breaker
A used breaker has a lower price tag, but the comparison is made together with the cost of getting it working: a seal kit or service kit if needed, a new tool and bushings, a bracket and hoses for your machine. On a breaker with an unknown history, these items only become clear after inspection. We gave the breaker-specific inspection list in the used breaker guide and the general decision in the new or used guide.
If the used breaker is also imported, freight and local costs are close to those of a new one, because a breaker’s weight and volume do not change with age.
Turning price into cost per hour
Even once two quotes cover the same scope, the purchase price alone is not the measure for the decision. A breaker’s real cost has four components: depreciation (price paid less resale value), wear parts, maintenance and downtime. Add those four and divide by the hours the breaker works, and you have the cost per hour. We showed how to build the calculation in the real cost of a cheap attachment guide.
Two things are often left out of this calculation: parts availability and access to service. If parts for a cheap breaker take weeks to arrive, the price gap closes at the first failure. We covered how to count downtime in the cost of downtime guide.
Do
- Compare quotes in the same class, with the same scope and the same delivery term.
- Ask in writing whether the bracket, hoses, pins and tools are included in the price.
- Add freight, taxes and local costs to the total cost.
- Ask about parts availability and what the warranty covers together with the quote (warranty guide).
Don't
- Do not take the "price from" in a listing as the total cost.
- Do not drop a class to fit the budget.
- Do not compare a FOB price directly with a CIF price.
- Do not decide on the price tag alone without working out the cost per hour.
What information is needed for a quote?
With this information we can tell you the right model and scope in a clear quote. Send your request to sales@hkm.com.tr or use the contact page.
- Machine: brand, model and operating weight; whether it has a hammer line and whether a quick coupler is used.
- Job: what material will be broken (concrete, reinforced concrete, rock, quarry, asphalt), how intensively the breaker will work and whether the site has a noise limit.
- Country and delivery point: the destination country and the port or city for delivery.
- Delivery term: FOB, CIF or another term. If you are not sure, giving the destination is enough.
- Extras: spare tools, a service kit or optional equipment.