A bar cutting machine's capacity range, such as 8-16mm, 16-32mm or 16-42mm, states the smallest and largest single bar it is rated to shear. The practical rule: find the largest bar in your bar bending schedules and buy a machine rated comfortably above it, because a machine cutting at its top rating all day wears blades and stresses its motor faster.
What the capacity rating actually means
The top number is the maximum diameter of a single bar the machine is rated to shear. The bottom number is the smallest bar it handles practically. So a 16-32mm machine will cut anything from 16mm bar up to a single 32mm bar.
Two practical points hide inside that rating. First, cutting at maximum capacity is the hardest work the machine ever does. A machine that spends all day at its top rating wears blades and stresses its motor faster than one working in the middle of its range. Second, ratings are quoted for standard TMT/HYSD bars. Harder, higher grade steel near the top of the range is slower going. Both points push the same way: buy with a margin above your largest bar.
One more caution: do not read capacity from the model number. In the GQ series the number is the model series, not the rated bar size. The GQ42 is rated 16-32mm and the GQ52 is rated 16-42mm, so always check the rated range on the nameplate or spec sheet rather than guessing from the name.
Rebar sizes used on Indian sites
- 8mm and 10mm: stirrups, rings, slab distribution steel. The bulk of cutting volume on most sites.
- 12mm and 16mm: slabs, beams and columns in residential and small commercial work.
- 20mm and 25mm: columns and footings in larger buildings.
- 28mm and 32mm: heavy columns, rafts and footings in high-rise and commercial projects.
- Above 32mm: infrastructure work: bridges, flyovers, metro, industrial foundations.
The three capacity classes
8-16mm: the light class
Light machines in this class suit workshops that only ever cut stirrup and slab steel. The limitation is obvious: the day your project drawings show a 20mm column bar, a 16mm machine cannot help you. HMS does not stock a machine in this class; our range starts at the 16-32mm class, because most contractors outgrow a 16mm ceiling within a project or two.
16-32mm: the workhorse class
This class covers the structural bar on almost all building construction, up to 32mm column bars. In our range it includes the GQ42 (16-32mm), starting around ₹73,000, the GUTE GQ40 with Indian motor (16-32mm), starting around ₹1,10,000, and the HMS Made in India bar cutting machine (8-32mm), starting around ₹1,55,000. If you take varied contracts and want one machine that handles nearly any building job, this is the class to buy, and the GQ42 is its value entry.
16-42mm: the heavy class
The GQ52 (16-42mm), starting around ₹95,000, covers everything including the large diameters used in infrastructure work. Note something the prices reveal: the 16-42mm GQ52 costs less than the 16-32mm GUTE GQ40. Capacity is not the only thing you pay for. Build quality, motor brand and origin all sit in the price, which is why we say choose the capacity class first, then compare machines within and around it on build and budget. Our bar cutting machine price guide goes deeper into this.
| Capacity class | HMS machines | Typical work |
|---|---|---|
| 8-16mm | None stocked; the HMS range starts at 16-32mm | Stirrup and slab steel only, light workshop cutting |
| 16-32mm | GQ42 from around ₹73,000; GUTE GQ40 from around ₹1,10,000; HMS Made in India from around ₹1,55,000 | Almost all building construction, structural bar up to 32mm column bars |
| 16-42mm | GQ52, from around ₹95,000 | Infrastructure work: bridges, flyovers, metro, industrial foundations |
TMT grades matter as much as diameter
Indian sites use TMT bars in grades like Fe415, Fe500, Fe550 and Fe550D. The number is the yield strength: higher grade means stronger steel, and stronger steel is harder to shear. A machine cutting Fe550 at its maximum rated diameter is working harder than the same machine cutting Fe500 at the same size, with slower cuts and faster blade wear. If your projects specify higher grades at large diameters, that is one more reason to buy a capacity class above your largest bar rather than exactly at it.
How to choose by rebar size
The rule is simple: find the largest bar diameter in your bar bending schedules, then buy a machine rated comfortably above it.
- Largest bar 16mm and below: buy the 16-32mm class anyway. It costs little more than a light cutter, runs relaxed and covers your next project.
- Largest bar 20mm to 32mm: 16-32mm class. Most building work sits here.
- Bar above 32mm, daily flat-out 32mm shearing, or any infrastructure work: 16-42mm class.
Unsure between two specific machines? Our GQ42 vs GQ52 comparison works through a real example, and how to choose a bar cutting machine covers everything beyond capacity. Or call HMS in Bengaluru with your bar schedule; we have matched machines to projects across South India since 1999.
