One of the most common messages we get after shipping a container of grinders is not about the grinders at all. It is a cafe owner or a distributor’s customer asking, in effect: “What setting should this be on?” The honest answer is that no grinder ships with a correct setting, because grind size is a target you hit with the beans in front of you — not a number stamped on a dial.
This is the reference chart we send. It covers grind size by brew method in microns, how to dial in espresso when something tastes wrong, how roast level and bean freshness move your setting, and what burr size actually buys you in a commercial setting. As a wholesale supplier of commercial grinders we sell across all of these categories, so we have no reason to talk you into a bigger machine than your bar needs.
Coffee Grind Size Chart by Brew Method
Micron figures are particle-size ranges, not exact points. Every grinder’s dial is different — use this to know which direction to move, then trust your palate.
| Brew method | Grind | Typical microns | Looks like | Contact time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish / ibrik | Extra fine | 40–200 | Flour, powdery | 3–4 min |
| Espresso | Fine | 200–400 | Fine table salt, slightly clumping | 25–30 sec |
| Moka pot | Fine–medium fine | 300–500 | Just coarser than espresso | 2–4 min |
| V60 / pour-over | Medium fine | 400–700 | Table salt | 2:30–3:30 |
| Aeropress | Medium fine–medium | 400–800 | Varies by recipe | 1–3 min |
| Batch brew / drip | Medium | 600–900 | Coarse sand | 4–6 min |
| Chemex | Medium coarse | 700–1000 | Coarse sand | 4–5 min |
| French press | Coarse | 900–1300 | Sea salt / breadcrumbs | 4 min |
| Cold brew | Extra coarse | 1000–1500 | Cracked peppercorn | 12–24 hr |
| Cupping | Medium coarse | 750–1000 | Consistent, minimal fines | 4 min |
The rule underneath the whole table: finer grind = more surface area = faster extraction. Short contact time needs a fine grind; long contact time needs a coarse one. Everything else is refinement.
Dialling In Espresso: A Repeatable Method
Start from a reference recipe and change one thing at a time. A common commercial baseline is 18 g in, 36 g out, 25–30 seconds from first drip.
| What you see or taste | What it means | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| Shot runs in under 20 s, pale, thin, sour | Under-extracted | Grind finer one small step |
| Shot takes over 35 s, dark, dripping, bitter and drying | Over-extracted | Grind coarser one small step |
| Time is right but taste is hollow | Channelling or uneven distribution | Fix puck prep before touching the grinder |
| Every shot behaves differently | Dose inconsistency or grinder retention | Weigh in and out; check retention |
| Shots drift slower through the day | Burr heat, or humidity change | Re-check mid-service; bigger burrs run cooler |
Adjust in small increments and purge a few grams after every change — the old grind sitting in the chamber will otherwise contaminate your next test shot. This is exactly the argument for low-retention designs, which we cover in the 64 mm flat burr single-dose grinder guide.
How Roast Level Changes Your Grind Setting
This is the part most grind charts leave out, and it is why a cafe that changes coffee supplier suddenly finds all its settings wrong.
- Darker roasts are more brittle. They shatter more easily, produce more fines, and extract faster. Moving from a medium to a dark roast usually means going a step or two coarser at the same recipe.
- Lighter roasts are dense and hard. They resist extraction, so light-roasted single origins typically need a finer setting and often a higher brew ratio.
- Fresh coffee degasses. Coffee roasted two days ago releases CO2 into the puck, disrupting flow and making shots run fast and channel. Most espresso settles after roughly 5–10 days of rest. If a new bag is behaving strangely, check the roast date before you blame the grinder.
- Humidity matters. Cafes in tropical and coastal markets see grind behaviour shift between morning and afternoon. Plan a mid-service re-check rather than trusting the morning setting.
If you roast your own coffee, this relationship works in your favour: consistent roast profiles mean stable grind settings across the bar. Roasteries that log profiles on machines like our YS Series roasters spend noticeably less time re-dialling. If you are still deciding how coffee gets roasted before it reaches the grinder, drum vs fluid bed roasting explains how the two methods produce different bean structure — and therefore different grind behaviour.
Burr Size, Throughput and What It Costs You to Skimp
Grind quality in a commercial setting is mostly a function of burr size, burr sharpness and motor headroom. Approximate figures for planning a bar:
| Burr set | Typical espresso throughput | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| 58–60 mm flat | ~2–3 g/sec | Small cafe, under ~150 drinks/day |
| 64 mm flat | ~3–5 g/sec | The specialty standard; 150–350 drinks/day |
| 75–83 mm flat | ~5–8 g/sec | High-volume bars, less heat build-up |
| Conical 63–75 mm | ~4–7 g/sec | Volume with a rounder, more forgiving cup |
| Shop / bulk retail grinders | 15–40 kg/hr | Grinding retail bags at point of sale |
An undersized grinder in a busy bar does not just slow service — burrs heat up, grind drifts through peak hour, and staff chase the dial instead of making coffee. Burr geometry and material trade-offs are covered in espresso grinder vs filter grinder, and the full purchasing checklist is in our commercial coffee grinder buyer’s guide.
Buying Grinders Wholesale: What to Confirm
We supply commercial grinders to cafes, distributors and equipment dealers worldwide, alongside the roasters we manufacture ourselves. Before any order, confirm these five things with any supplier:
- Voltage and plug type — 110 V and 220 V versions are genuinely different builds, not a switch. Tell your supplier the destination country.
- Burr size and material, and whether replacement burrs are stocked and shippable separately.
- Motor rating and duty cycle — a grinder rated for intermittent use will not survive a 400-drink day.
- Retention, especially if the buyer runs multiple coffees on one grinder.
- MOQ, spares kit and lead time — order spare burrs in the same container; freighting them separately later costs more than the burrs.
Browse what we stock on the commercial coffee grinder and industrial coffee grinder pages, or see how grinders fit alongside machines and roasters in the complete coffee shop equipment list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What grind size is best for espresso?
Roughly 200–400 microns — about the texture of fine table salt, fine enough to clump slightly when squeezed. Treat that as a starting range, then adjust until 18 g of coffee yields around 36 g of espresso in 25–30 seconds and tastes balanced. Every coffee needs its own setting.
Why do my espresso shots change during the day?
Three usual causes: burr heat build-up during peak hours, humidity changes, and coffee continuing to degas as a bag ages. Bigger burrs run cooler and drift less. Build a mid-service re-check into your routine rather than dialling once in the morning and hoping.
Does a darker roast need a finer or coarser grind?
Coarser, usually. Darker roasts are more brittle and porous, so they break into more fines and extract faster. Lighter, denser roasts generally need a finer setting. Changing roast level without re-dialling is one of the most common reasons a cafe’s espresso suddenly tastes wrong.
Do you supply 110 V and 220 V commercial grinders?
Yes. Grinders are built for a specific voltage, so tell us the destination country when you enquire and we will supply the correct version with the right plug — this is not something to convert on arrival. The same principle applies to espresso machines; see our espresso machine voltage guide.
Can I order grinders together with espresso machines and roasters in one shipment?
Yes, and consolidating is usually cheaper. We regularly load grinders, espresso machines and a roaster into a single container — a roastery in Oman took delivery of a custom roaster line, filling and sealing equipment in one shipment. It saves freight and gets everything commissioned on the same day.
Get a Quote
Tell us your drink volume, destination country and voltage, and whether you need espresso grinders, batch brew grinders, retail bulk grinders or a mix. We will come back with a configuration and wholesale pricing based on quantity — no public price list, because a 5-unit dealer order and a 100-unit distributor order are not the same conversation.
Send the details through the enquiry form on our contact page, or message us directly on WhatsApp with your volume and destination for a same-day reply during our working hours.
WhatsApp Us: +86 184 0771 4607
Last updated: August 1, 2026
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