| Hardened Steel Bowl | Hard rocks, ores, minerals, slag, ceramics, glass, and construction materials | High impact resistance; suitable for tough and abrasive samples; generally economical | May rust if exposed to moisture; relatively high iron content can affect trace-element analysis | Possible iron, chromium, nickel, or manganese transfer depending on alloy and wear conditions | Routine geological, mining, cement, aggregate, and industrial quality-control work | Low to medium |
| Stainless Steel Bowl | Food ingredients, chemicals, minerals, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and general laboratory samples | Good corrosion resistance; easy to clean; durable for wet or moderately aggressive materials | Not ideal where metal-free analysis is required; may wear when processing very hard abrasives | Iron, chromium, nickel, and other alloy elements may be introduced at low levels | General-purpose laboratories and applications requiring frequent washing or corrosion resistance | Medium |
| Tungsten Carbide Bowl | Very hard minerals, cement clinker, ores, geological specimens, carbides, and abrasive materials | Extremely high hardness and wear resistance; efficient pulverization of difficult samples | Higher purchase cost; brittle compared with steel; unsuitable for some contamination-sensitive analyses | Potential tungsten, carbon, cobalt, or binder-element contamination depending on construction | High-throughput preparation of highly abrasive and hard samples where long wear life is important | High |
| Agate Bowl | Minerals, pharmaceuticals, pigments, powders, and samples requiring low-metal contamination | Very low hardness-related metal contamination; chemically stable for many laboratory samples; smooth surface | Brittle; unsuitable for heavy impact, oversized feed, or very hard coarse materials; limited capacity options | Generally low metallic contamination, but silicon and mineral particles can be introduced through wear | Small-batch analytical sample preparation and applications where sample purity is critical | High |
| Alumina Ceramic Bowl | Ceramics, oxides, pigments, electronic materials, chemicals, and moderately abrasive powders | High hardness; good chemical resistance; suitable when metallic contamination must be minimized | Brittle under shock; may chip if overloaded or used with large feed particles | Possible aluminum or ceramic-particle transfer; usually lower metal contamination than steel | Ceramic and powder laboratories, chemical processing, and non-ferrous analytical work | Medium to high |
| Zirconia Bowl | High-purity chemicals, electronic powders, pigments, advanced ceramics, and sensitive analytical samples | High wear resistance; good chemical stability; very low contamination for many applications | Costly; capacity may be limited; severe impact or improper loading can damage the bowl | Possible zirconium-based particle transfer; usually avoids iron-based contamination | High-purity research, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, and trace-analysis sample preparation | High |
| Silicon Nitride Bowl | Hard ceramics, technical powders, electronic materials, and contamination-sensitive samples | High hardness; good thermal-shock resistance; low density and low metallic contamination | Premium cost; less common; compatibility with the pulverizer must be checked carefully | Potential silicon or nitrogen-containing wear particles; normally avoids steel-derived elements | Specialized research and high-purity powder processing | High |
| Polyurethane-Lined Bowl | Soft to medium-hard rocks, coal, soil, polymers, biological materials, and samples requiring reduced noise | Low noise; reduced metallic contamination; good impact absorption; suitable for selected sensitive samples | Can wear, swell, or degrade with strong solvents, heat, or sharp abrasive particles | May introduce polymer fragments or organic extractables; verify chemical compatibility before use | Noise-sensitive laboratories and samples where metal contamination is undesirable | Medium to high |
| Hard-Faced or Wear-Resistant Alloy Bowl | Highly abrasive ores, recycled materials, industrial minerals, and continuous quality-control samples | Extended service life; strong resistance to abrasive wear; suitable for demanding production environments | Alloy composition varies; higher hardness can increase brittleness; not intended for every analytical method | Wear elements may include iron, chromium, nickel, cobalt, tungsten, or other alloy constituents | Industrial laboratories prioritizing durability, throughput, and predictable maintenance intervals | Medium to high |