Commercial Placer Mining Equipment
Jet Suction Gold Mining
Dredges for Commercial
Placer Gold Recovery
Shell Dredging designs and builds custom commercial gold mining dredge with 5,000 PSI cutter heads systems for large-scale placer operations. Our systems are engineered for high-volume production, combining excavation, transport, and gold recovery into a single continuous process.
400
Cubic Yards / Hour (15″ Platform)
500 KW
Power Generation On-Board
5,000 PSI
Cutter-Head Operating Pressure
.006
Fine Gold Recovery (Microns)
What is a Gold Mining Dredge?
A gold mining dredge is a placer mining machine that extracts gold-bearing sand and gravel from underwater deposits. It works by suctioning material from riverbeds and processing it in a continuous system to recover fine gold.
Why Shell Dredging
Built for Commercial Gold Mining, Not Prospecting
Most dredges on the market are designed around recreational gold prospecting. Shell Dredging is built around something different: commercial placer operations that need to move serious material, recover fine gold efficiently, and keep operating costs in line. Our dredges are part of a complete placer gold mining equipment solution designed for commercial-scale operations.
Our proprietary jet suction dredger technology integrates excavation, material transport, and recovery into one continuous system, no extra handling steps, no unnecessary labor, no material lost between stages. From the cutter-head on the riverbed to the concentrator output, every part of the Shell system is engineered to work together.
What Sets Shell Dredging Apart
Our Systems
Three Dredge Platforms for Commercial Placer Gold Mining Equipment
We build commercial gold mining dredge configurations in three sizes to match different site conditions, throughput targets, and project scopes. Each model is built to the same Shell standard for recovery, reliability, and field performance.
The Shell System
How Gold Mining with a Dredge Works
Gold mining with a dredge works as a continuous process that combines excavation, transport, and gold recovery into a single system.
• Excavation – The dredge cuts into the riverbed using a high-pressure cutter head
• Transport – Material is pumped through the system
• Recovery – Gold is separated using integrated recovery systems
• Tailings – Processed material is discharged behind the dredge
Cutter-Head & Excavation
Running at 5,000 PSI, our cutter-head has the torque to dig 1/4 inch into bedrock — accessing gold-bearing material that surface equipment and conventional excavation methods routinely miss.
Concentrator & Classifiers
Our concentrator/classifier system achieves a 5,000:1 reduction ratio with recovery sufficient to capture .006 fine gold. Material is classified and concentrated without additional handling between stages.
Power & Electrical Systems
The electrical room serves as the nerve center for the entire dredge. On our 15-inch platform, 500 KW of on-board generation powers the concentrators, classifiers, and all operational controls.
Control Room Visibility
The dredge master operates from a central control room with full visibility of the entire dredge. Centralized controls reduce operator error and allow continuous monitoring of dredge performance.
Integrated RecoverY
Because excavation, transport, and recovery happen in one continuous system, there are fewer handling steps — and fewer places where gold can be lost. That’s a structural advantage over conventional multi-stage placer operations.
Custom Configuration
Our Every gold mining dredge is built to spec. We work with operators before construction to match the system to your water conditions, material type, depth, access, and production requirements.
Why Shell Dredging
The Largest Suction gold mining dredge in Alaska
Shell Dredging’s 15-inch platform represents what the system is capable of at full commercial scale. Operating in Alaska, it stands as the largest suction dredge in the state — a benchmark that took decades of engineering refinement to reach.
It’s not the size that matters most. It’s what the size enables: continuous high-volume material processing, fine gold recovery at scale, and the ability to work ground that smaller equipment can’t economically justify.
Industry Professionals
What Operators and Geologists Say
No other dredge that I know of has the ability to process so much material at such a high gold extraction rate, and for these reasons, I would rate the Shell dredge as having the most efficient gold extraction system I have ever seen.
Jim Halloran
Alaska Professional Geologist — License #54
I was trained in the operation of the final recovery and clean-up of the Shell system and found it to be easy to understand and enjoyable, even fun, to sit and watch as it produced lots of fine gold.
R.F. (Bob) Sherman
President & Founder — Sherman Equipment Company
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Talk to Shell Dredging About Your Operation
If you’re evaluating a commercial placer gold dredge — whether you’re in early research or ready to spec a system — Shell Dredging can help you work through the right platform for your site conditions, production targets, and recovery goals. We’ve built systems for operations in Alaska, Australia, and beyond. Tell us about your project.