Material is fed into the crushing chamber from the top. The mantle gyrates eccentrically, compressing and crushing the material against the concave. Crushed material falls through the discharge opening at the bottom, which can be adjusted to control the size of the output.

As rock enters the top of a cone crusher, it is squeezed between the shroud and bowl liner or concave surface as the eccentric shaft rotates causing compression in the cavity. The material becomes smaller as it moves downward through the wear lining as the opening in the cavity tightens. Large pieces of ore are crushed once and then fall to a lower level where they are crushed again. This process continues until the fragments are small enough to fall through the narrow opening at the bottom of the crusher.