Sortex machine: what the name means, and the colour sorters to compare
SORTEX is a registered trademark of Bühler, the Swiss group, for its optical sorters. In Indian mills the word is often used for any colour sorter, but other makers' machines are colour sorters, not SORTEX. Colour sorters of all brands are listed in India from about ₹6 lakh (1 chute) to ₹36 lakh (large rice lines); Bühler quotes SORTEX machines on request.
SORTEX and the other colour sorter brands
| Model | Capacity | Maker | What it checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMD DT Series Tea Sorter (DT5C6) | 2 outputs (rotation and return) | AMD (Anhui Zhongke Optic-electronic Color Sorter Machinery Co., Ltd) | colour and shape of tea leaf |
| AMD Jumbo 13 Chutes Rice Color Sorter | 13 chutes | AMD (Anhui Zhongke Optic-electronic Color Sorter Machinery Co., Ltd) | rice colour sorting |
| AMD LQ Four-view Cashew Colour Sorter | Not stated | AMD (Anhui Zhongke Optic-electronic Color Sorter Machinery Co., Ltd) | four-view 360-degree detection; optional deep learning |
| AMD RC12-E | 6–12 t/hr | AMD (Anhui Zhongke Optic-electronic Color Sorter Machinery Co., Ltd) | visible-light colour sorting; 3-lens structure; accuracy 99.9% or better |
| AMD RC2-E | 1–2.5 t/hr | AMD (Anhui Zhongke Optic-electronic Color Sorter Machinery Co., Ltd) | visible-light colour sorting; 3-lens structure; accuracy 99.9% or better |
| AMD RC5-E | 3–5 t/hr | AMD (Anhui Zhongke Optic-electronic Color Sorter Machinery Co., Ltd) | visible-light colour sorting; 3-lens structure; accuracy 99.9% or better |
| AMD RG-E Classic Rice Color Sorter | Not stated | AMD (Anhui Zhongke Optic-electronic Color Sorter Machinery Co., Ltd) | visible-light sorting; removes yellow and chalky rice |
| SC12 PRO | 13–42 t/hr | ANYSORT (Anhui Jiexun Optoelectronic Technology) | Largest chute-type AI rice quality sorter in the SC PRO series. ANYSORT gives 13-42 t/h. |
| SC2 PRO | 2–7 t/hr | ANYSORT (Anhui Jiexun Optoelectronic Technology) | Chute-type AI rice quality sorter for paddy and brown rice separation and for yellow, chalky and broken rice. ANYSORT gives 2-7 t/h. |
| SORTEX A (A1 to A5) | 40 t/hr | Bühler Group | Chute sorter range for grains, pulses, seeds, coffee and nuts, in five sizes, rated up to IP5X and ATEX compliant. Bühler gives up to 40 t/h. |
| SORTEX F PolarVision (FA1, FA2) | 20 t/hr | Bühler Group | Free-fall chute sorter for frozen and IQF fruit and vegetables, including frozen french fries, with PolarCam and InGaAs cameras. Bühler gives throughputs of up to 20 t/h. |
| SORTEX F BioVision (FB1, FB2) | 12 t/hr | Bühler Group | Chute sorter for nuts and dried fruit that detects defects as small as 2 mm. Bühler gives throughputs of up to 12 tonnes an hour. |
| SORTEX J SpectraVision (J1 to J7) | up to 7 modules (J1 to J7) | Bühler Group | Chute sorter for grains and seeds with full-colour RGB and InGaAs cameras, built with one to seven modules. |
| COMPASS C120 | Not stated | Key Technology | Chute-fed optical sorter with a 1200 mm inspection width, for IQF fruit and vegetables, nuts, dried fruit, confectionery and pet food. |
| COMPASS C60 | Not stated | Key Technology | Chute-fed optical sorter with a 600 mm inspection width, for IQF fruit and vegetables, nuts, dried fruit, confectionery and pet food. |
| MEYER CG Food 120CG.A (6SXZ-120CG2) | Not stated | Meyer (Hefei Meyer Optoelectronic Technology Inc) | 50,000 scans per second; AI defect classes down to 1-2 pixels; multispectral (visible, IR, UV, X-ray options); maglev ejectors over 1200 Hz |
| MEYER CG Food 780CG.A (6SXZ-780CG2) | Not stated | Meyer (Hefei Meyer Optoelectronic Technology Inc) | 50,000 scans per second; AI defect classes down to 1-2 pixels; multispectral (visible, IR, UV, X-ray options); maglev ejectors over 1200 Hz |
| MEYER M2 Compact (MSXC-120M) | Not stated | Meyer (Hefei Meyer Optoelectronic Technology Inc) | 50,000 scans per second; AI; multispectral options; maglev 3.0 ejectors |
| PIKASEN FMS2000-F | 1.8 t/hr | Satake Corporation | Compact chute sorter with a 240 mm chute and two full-colour cameras for coffee, corn, sesame, beans and chickpeas. Satake gives up to 4,000 lbs an hour. |
| Taiho 6SXM-1080V+Pro | Not stated | Taiho (Hefei Taiho Intelligent Technology Group Co., Ltd) | multispectral, four-view CMOS imaging; Pro uses hundreds of colour/shape algorithms |
| Taiho 6SXM-630V+IR | Not stated | Taiho (Hefei Taiho Intelligent Technology Group Co., Ltd) | multispectral, four-view CMOS imaging; Pro uses hundreds of colour/shape algorithms; infrared |
| Taiho 6SXM-630V+Pro | Not stated | Taiho (Hefei Taiho Intelligent Technology Group Co., Ltd) | multispectral, four-view CMOS imaging; Pro uses hundreds of colour/shape algorithms |
| Taiho 6SXZ-1080V+Pro | Not stated | Taiho (Hefei Taiho Intelligent Technology Group Co., Ltd) | 350 million pixel imaging |
| TOMRA 5C | Not stated | TOMRA Food | Free-fall chute sorter that scans product with lasers, cameras or both and rejects with a burst of air, for nuts, dried fruit and frozen vegetables. Built in 800 and 1200 sizes. |
| TOMRA Blizzard | Not stated | TOMRA Food | Free-fall pulsed-LED camera sorter for frozen fruit and vegetables after the IQF tunnel, rejecting with a burst of air. Built in 640 and 1200 sizes. |
Price bands in India
SORTEX is a registered trademark of Bühler AG. Optical Sorting is independent of Bühler and every other brand listed here; brand names are used only to identify the machines.
Questions people ask
Is every colour sorter a sortex machine?
No. SORTEX is Bühler's brand name, and only Bühler's optical sorters are SORTEX machines. Other makers (AMD, Meyer, Taiho, Anysort, Satake, TOMRA and Indian makers) build colour sorters under their own names. When you compare quotes, check which maker and model is actually offered.
What is the sortex machine price in India?
Bühler does not publish SORTEX prices; it quotes per project. Colour sorters from other makers are listed in India from about ₹6 lakh for one chute to ₹36 lakh for large rice lines (sellers' own listings, October 2026). See the colour sorter price page.
Which Bühler SORTEX models are there?
Bühler's range includes SORTEX A (chute sorters for grains, pulses, seeds, coffee and nuts, up to 40 t/hr), SORTEX J SpectraVision (one to seven modules for grains and seeds) and SORTEX F (for frozen vegetables, nuts and dried fruit). See Bühler on the brand directory.
What is a rice sortex machine?
It usually means a rice colour sorter of any brand. Rice sorters remove discoloured, chalky and yellow grains, paddy and stones. See rice colour sorters for the brands and price band.
Checked on Sat Oct 24 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time). How we check