Poultry farms and packaging businesses face a constant battle with packaging costs. Buying pre-made cartons from suppliers eats into margins. Delivery delays disrupt operations. Rising material prices squeeze profits further. For anyone handling eggs in volume, the packaging line is a cost center that never stops bleeding money. An egg crate making machine changes the economics entirely. It takes waste paper—newspapers, cardboard, office scrap—and turns it into sellable egg trays and cartons on-site. No more supplier markups. No more stockouts. The production runs when you need it, at the quantity you need. One machine can produce 1000 to 7000 trays per hour, covering everything from a small farm to a large packaging operation.
We have built pulp molding equipment for over a decade at our factory in Zhengzhou, China. We produce seven standard models, from the YG-1×3 to the YG-6×8. Each unit undergoes a full factory test before shipping. Buyers receive a test report and video with their machine.
Egg Crate Making Machine: Complete Product Specifications
We offer seven models of this equipment. Each one uses a rotary forming system. All wet-end components—molds, pulp tank, and pipes—use 304 stainless steel. The table below shows the complete lineup.
| Model | Capacity (pcs/h) | Forming Molds | Total Power (kW) | Electricity Use (kW/h) | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YG-1×3 | 1000 | 3 | 40 | 28 | 3-5 |
| YG-1×4 | 1500 | 4 | 40 | 29 | 4-6 |
| YG-3×4 | 2500 | 12 | 50 | 35 | 4-6 |
| YG-4×4 | 3500 | 16 | 60 | 42 | 4-6 |
| YG-4×8 | 4500 | 32 | 130 | 91 | 4-6 |
| YG-5×8 | 5500 | 40 | 140 | 98 | 5-7 |
| YG-6×8 | 7000 | 48 | 186 | 130 | 6-8 |
The YG-1×3 fits a small workshop. The YG-6×8 needs about 500 square meters. We provide a free layout drawing for each model before any payment is made.
Why an Egg Tray Machine Pays for Itself in 12 Months
An egg tray machine from YG delivers a simple financial equation. Waste paper costs $30-$50 per ton. One ton makes about 12,000 egg trays. At $0.12 each wholesale, that is $1,440 in revenue from $50 of raw material. The margin sits at 40-50% after electricity, water, and labor.
Here is the math on a YG-4×4 (3500 trays per hour):
- Running 8 hours per day: 28,000 trays per day
- 22 working days per month: 616,000 trays per month
- Raw material cost: about $2,500 per month
- Electricity + water: about $1,200 per month
- Labor (4 workers): about $3,200 per month
- Total monthly cost: approximately $6,900
- Monthly revenue (at $0.12 per tray): approximately $73,920
Monthly profit: approximately $67,000
The machine pays for itself in the first year. Compare that to buying pre-made cartons at $0.15-$0.20 each. The savings are substantial.
We manufacture every component in-house at our Zhengzhou factory. We cast the molds, machine the frames, and assemble each unit. No middlemen. No import markups. We pass the savings directly to you.
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Automatic Egg Tray Making Machine: 4 Steps to Production
An automatic egg tray-making machine follows a straightforward process. Here is how it works from start to finish.
Step 1: Pulping. Waste paper goes into a hydrapulper with water. A rotating drum breaks the paper down into a 1-2% fiber slurry. This takes 30-45 minutes per batch. The system can run continuously with proper feeding.
Step 2: Forming. The slurry flows into a tank below the forming section. A rotary drum dips into that tank. Vacuum pressure pulls fibers onto each forming mold. Each mold produces one tray per cycle. The YG-6×8 has 48 molds, producing 7000 trays per hour.
Step 3: Transfer. As the drum turns, a separate transfer mold picks up each wet tray. It places the tray onto a conveyor or drying rack. The transfer happens without damaging the wet paper. The automation handles this step without manual intervention.
Step 4: Drying. Trays move through a multi-layer drying tunnel or sit in sun drying areas. Gas drying tunnels take 15-20 minutes. Sun drying takes 4-6 hours in warm weather. The drying method depends on your climate and production volume.
The whole cycle from waste paper to finished tray takes 45 minutes to 6 hours, depending on drying. The forming machine cycles every 8-12 seconds.
Find the Right Model for Your Project
Egg Tray Production Line: 5 Features That Protect Your Investment
An egg tray production line from YG includes several design features that improve reliability and performance. We have incorporated feedback from hundreds of installations worldwide.
Stainless steel wet end. All components that touch water and pulp—molds, pulp tank, and pipes—use 304 stainless steel. Competitors use galvanized steel that rusts within 2-3 years. Stainless steel lasts 10+ years. This single feature saves thousands in replacement costs.
Bronze vacuum pumper. The vacuum pumper uses a 30mm thick bronze plate. Bronze lasts three times longer than cast iron in wet environments. When cast iron corrodes and pits, surfaces lose vacuum pressure. Production slows down. The bronze plate maintains consistent performance.
Taiwan precision indexer. The rotary drum runs on a high-precision cam indexer from Taiwan. Cheap indexers drift over time, causing misaligned trays. Our indexer holds a position within 0.1mm even after 10,000 hours of operation. No misaligned trays. No wasted material.
Japanese sealed bearings. Bearings on all key shafts come from the top Japanese brands. Sealed bearings keep paper dust out. Grease fittings let operators lubricate without disassembly. A machine that gets greased once a week will run for a decade without major repairs.
Factory testing. Each unit runs for 4 hours at the factory before crating. Buyers receive a video of the test run with their machine’s serial number. No surprises. No hidden problems. The warranty covers 12 months from delivery.
Egg Crate Making Machine: A Real-World Case Study
A poultry farm in Iowa with 80,000 laying hens bought a YG-4×4 from us in early 2024. They had been buying pre-made cartons from a supplier for $0.18 per tray. Monthly packaging costs hit $4,300. Delivery delays happened every 2-3 months, leaving them scrambling for cartons during peak sales periods.
The machine arrived with 16 forming molds, a hydrapulper, and a 6-month supply of spare parts. Their crew trained for one week on pulping, forming, and drying operations. They started with sun drying and added a multi-layer drying tunnel after three months.
In the first month, they produced 600,000 trays. Raw material cost: $1,200 for waste paper. Electricity and water: $900. Labor (4 workers): $2,800. Total cost: $4,900. The same 600,000 trays would have cost $10,800 from their supplier. Monthly savings: $5,900.
The machine paid for itself in 9 months. The farm now sells surplus trays to three neighboring poultry farms, adding another $1,200 per month in revenue. They ordered a second machine in early 2025.
5 FAQ A Bout Egg Crate Making Machine
Any uncoated paper works. Newspaper, office paper, cardboard boxes, egg carton waste, and paper mill scraps are all fine. Do not use waxed paper, plastic-coated cups, or glossy magazines. The best mix is about 60% newspaper and 40% cardboard.
The machine needs 10-30 square meters, depending on the model. The drying space is larger. For sun drying, plan 200-500 square meters. For a drying tunnel, add 50 square meters. Packing needs another 30 square meters. We provide a custom layout drawing.
For small models up to 1500 pcs/h, one person can operate after training. For larger models, you need 4-6 people. The automatic control panel reduces labor, but someone must feed paper, stack trays, and handle packing.
Sun drying takes 4-6 hours in warm weather. A multi-layer drying tunnel takes 15-20 minutes. Many customers start with sun drying and add a tunnel after six months of profits.
Yes. Add paper dye to the hydrapulper. Green, pink, blue, and yellow dyes are common. For branded trays, we engrave your logo directly into the forming molds. No extra cost for logo engraving on the first mold sets.
Aluminum molds last longer (5+ years) and produce a better surface finish. Plastic molds are more affordable for smaller operations. We offer both options and can advise based on your production volume.
