A metal screen deck on abrasive ore processing wears through its wires in weeks, and every replacement is a line shutdown, disassembly, and a lost shift. Count not the panel cost but the cost of downtime and the picture of cost changes. A polyurethane screen costs more at purchase but lasts several times longer and barely stops the line. This article explains what drives its price in Ukraine, why it is cheaper than metal over the full ownership cycle, and how to get a quote for your screen.
How Much Polyurethane Screens Cost and What Drives the Price
There is no single price for a polyurethane screen because cost is built from panel dimensions, deck thickness, aperture size and shape, material hardness, and batch volume. A simple flat panel with round perforations costs less than a profiled deck with modular locking lugs and complex-profile slot apertures.
The dominant cost factor is the mass of polyurethane and the complexity of the tooling for the specific geometry. The larger the panel and the thicker the deck, the more material is used in casting. The more complex the aperture profile and fastening system, the higher the mould cost. This is why a low-volume screen for a rare box and a high-volume standard size have different prices at the same panel footprint.
Hardness also affects selection and therefore the final cost of the set. TIMOL cast polyurethane is produced in the range from 50 Shore A to 70 Shore D, and the right value is selected for the specific fraction and abrasive. For this reason, an accurate price is given not by phone on the spot but after measuring the screen box or receiving your drawing.
Metal vs Polyurethane Price: Calculating the Full Cycle
The direct answer: per individual panel, metal is often cheaper, but on total cost of ownership over time polyurethane wins through service life, light weight, and absence of frequent shutdowns. The table compares materials on properties that directly affect the economics.
| Property | Cast polyurethane (PU) | Carbon steel St3 | Hardox wear steel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abrasion DIN 53516, mm³ | 38-39 | n/a | n/a |
| Operating temperature, °C | -60…+100 | -40…+500 | -40…+250 |
| Density, g/cm³ | 1.05-1.25 | 7.7-7.9 | 7.8-7.85 |
| Hardness | 85A-95A | 120-250 HB | 370-540 HB |
| Vibration and noise damping | excellent | poor | poor |
The primary economic number is density. Polyurethane at 1.05-1.25 g/cm³ is six to seven times lighter than steel at 7.7-7.9 g/cm³, so a panel loads the vibrating screen drive less, is easier to install by hand, and needs no crane for replacement. This directly reduces labour costs and wear on the installation itself.
The second number is wear resistance. Polyurethane has DIN 53516 abrasion of only 38-39 mm³ and its service life is 2-5 times higher than standard rubber, so panels are replaced several times less often than metal ones. Hardox is harder — 370-540 HB — and on large sharp stone it can compete, but it is heavy, does not absorb impact, and corrodes. Polyurethane additionally damps noise and vibration, hence lower structural loading and reduced noise levels in the plant. Comparisons with other wear-resistant solutions are in the product catalogue.
Engineer’s tip: calculate screen cost per tonne of processed material to replacement, not per square metre of deck. A cheap metal deck replaced monthly with a line shutdown works out more expensive per tonne than a polyurethane deck that runs for seasons. Before ordering, record the actual throughput of the current screen in tonnes — this gives you an honest basis for comparing total ownership cost.
What Affects Manufacturing Cost
The cost of a specific order is built from four parameters: panel dimensions, deck thickness, aperture geometry, and hardness. Panel dimensions are dictated by the screen box, so a panel is always made to the actual installation measurements rather than the other way around.
Aperture shape and size affect both price and screen performance. Round, square, and slot apertures have different manufacturing complexity, and the perforation pitch determines how much material remains in the deck. Fine fractions require closer perforation spacing and thinner decks; coarse fractions need thicker and stronger decks. All of this is calculated for the specific screening task.
Batch volume also matters for order economics. A single panel for repairing one screen and a full set for re-decking an entire installation are priced differently because the tooling for the geometry pays off over a production run. When planning a replacement, it is therefore more economical to order a complete set at once than to buy panels one at a time.
Ease of installation is equally important to final cost. A polyurethane panel six to seven times lighter than a metal panel of the same footprint is installed by hand without a crane or crew, and modular locking lugs allow one section to be replaced by in-house staff in minutes. These hidden labour and equipment costs are rarely included in comparisons but often determine how expensive metal deck maintenance actually is compared to polyurethane over a year.
How to Order Polyurethane Screens and Save
The simplest way to get an accurate price is to send the factory a drawing or exact measurements of the screen box along with the material type and fraction. Based on this data the technologist will select thickness, aperture, and hardness, and the cost is calculated for the specific product without overpaying for unnecessary material reserves.
Savings start at the selection stage. Correctly selected hardness for the specific abrasive gives maximum service life, so there is no benefit in specifying universally hard decking where softer material with better self-cleaning is needed, and vice versa. A modular design of individual panels allows only worn sections to be replaced, not the full deck, which further reduces maintenance cost.
Plan replacement in advance by actual wear condition, not after failure. A polyurethane screen wears gradually and predictably, so a replacement set can be ordered before the deck fails and emergency downtime avoided. Application of screens across industries is described in the reference information section.
Getting a Quote to Your Drawing from TIMOL
To get a price for polyurethane screens for vibrating screens in Ukraine, contact TIMOL factory in Dnipro with your drawing or screen box measurements. We cast decks using the free-casting process to any panel footprint, aperture shape, and thickness, so we produce both standard panels and non-standard ones for rare installations.
The free-casting process does not require expensive press tooling for each size, making it economical for a single panel and for a full installation set. Polyurethane screens are used in mining, metallurgical, construction, and other industries, and the factory produces parts for 12 industrial sectors.
Send a drawing, installation dimensions, or a sample of the worn screen, specify the material type and fraction, and we will calculate the cost, select the hardness, and confirm the lead time. For a quote for your screen, contact us via the contacts page.