Manufacturer prices checked 3 November 2026; Indian supplier listings captured the same day; standards described from the standards bodies’ own summaries.
A Los Angeles abrasion machine is a heavy steel drum, 28 inches across and 20 inches long inside, that tumbles a sample of crushed rock or gravel with a charge of steel spheres at 30 to 33 revolutions a minute. The weight lost to wear tells a road or concrete lab how well the aggregate will survive traffic and handling. In the US, two major lab-equipment makers list the machine at $13,800 and $21,046. In India, the same test is run on locally made machines listed from about ₹45,000 to ₹1,06,400.
Which standard you are buying for
| Standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| ASTM C131/C131M | Test method for small-size coarse aggregate, maximum size under 37.5 mm |
| ASTM C535 | Test method for large-size coarse aggregate, larger than 19 mm |
| AASHTO T 96 | US transportation agencies’ equivalent test |
| EN 1097-2 | European method for resistance to fragmentation |
| IS 2386 (Part 4) | Indian method for mechanical properties of aggregate, including the LA test |
| IS 10070 | Indian specification for the LA abrasion machine itself |
ASTM notes that results from C131 and C535 have no known consistent relationship, so a lab tests by the method its specification names; aggregates between 19 and 37.5 mm can go either way. The European and ASTM tests also use different steel charges, and one UK maker sells separate ASTM and EN charge sets and a drum shelf position that suits both. Buy a machine certified to the standards your clients specify, with the right charge.
US manufacturer prices
| Model | What is included | Listed price |
|---|---|---|
| Humboldt H-3860D, 120 V or 220 V, 60 Hz | Machine with revolution counter, catch pan and one charge of 12 steel spheres; sound enclosure sold separately | $13,800 |
| Humboldt H-3860D.5F, 220 V, 50 Hz | As above | $14,100 |
| Gilson HM-70A, 230 V, 60 Hz | Machine with built-in sound enclosure, safety interlock, viewing window and catch pan | $21,046.20 (earlier $18,462) |
| Gilson HM-70AF, 230 V, 50 Hz | As above | $18,615 in an earlier copy of the page |
| Humboldt H-3865 abrasion charge | Replacement set of 12 steel spheres | $220 |
The gap between the two US machines is mostly the enclosure and safety design. Steel spheres tumbling in a steel drum are loud, and Gilson builds the sound enclosure and an electrical interlock into the machine, so it runs only with the lid and door closed and no moving parts are exposed. Humboldt sells its enclosure as an accessory and offers a digital counter retrofit kit for older machines. Gilson also says its machine meets AASHTO T 401, the Cantabro test for abrasion loss of asphalt specimens, which matters to labs that test asphalt mixes too.
Plan for weight. A comparable machine from the UK maker ELE weighs about 400 kg, and its standard model ships without the abrasion charge, which must be ordered separately. Delivery, a forklift or crane, and a floor that can take the load and vibration belong in the budget.
Indian prices
| Seller | Listing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi supplier, TradeIndia | Semi-automatic LA abrasion machine | ₹45,000 (listed with 0% GST) |
| Delhi supplier (Karol Bagh) | LA abrasion testing machine | ₹50,000 |
| Vertex Scientific and Lab Instruments, New Delhi | LA abrasion testing machine, per set | ₹65,000 |
| Ahmedabad manufacturer, TradeIndia | Semi-automatic, 5,000 g capacity | ₹85,000 |
| Supplier on TradeIndia | Semi-automatic with presettable digital counter, 375 kg | ₹1,06,400 |
Indian machines are built to IS 10070, the national machine specification, and government lab tenders, such as a Kerala polytechnic equipment schedule, ask for that conformity. One visible difference between listings is whether a digital presettable counter, which stops the drum at exactly 500 or 1,000 revolutions, is included; check for it, and ask for the drum’s internal dimensions and the shelf design in writing.
Accessories and the full cost of a test set-up
The drum is not the whole bill. Humboldt lists the accessories separately: a replacement abrasive charge of steel spheres at $220, a materials catch pan at $200, a sound enclosure at $3,400 and a digital counter retrofit kit at $540. Gilson sells its replacement charge of 12 balls at $292. You will also need ASTM E11 sieves, a balance with about a 20 kg capacity and, ideally, a sieve shaker. The machine’s gear reducer needs periodic oil changes with the grade the manual specifies.
Used and low-cost machines
Used LA abrasion machines appear on industrial marketplaces from time to time: a 2008 Proeti A0625 was listed in Romania at EUR 2,000 plus VAT, and US surplus dealers have listed used Gilson LA-70A machines on request. At the other end, Chinese suppliers list LA abrasion testers from about $550 to $2,250 per unit. For any low-cost or used machine, check the drum’s internal dimensions, the shelf, the rotation speed of 30 to 33 rpm and the counter, because test results only count if the machine conforms to ASTM C131, ASTM C535 or AASHTO T96. Some public tenders specify the Gilson HM-70A “or equal”, which sets the bar a substitute must meet.
Questions to ask a supplier
- Which standards is it built and certified to: ASTM C131/C535, AASHTO T 96, EN 1097-2, IS 10070?
- Internal drum diameter and length, shelf design and position.
- Is an abrasion charge included, and is it the ASTM or EN set?
- Counter type: mechanical, or digital presettable with automatic stop.
- Sound enclosure and safety interlock: built in, optional or not available.
- Weight, voltage and frequency, and how it will be delivered and positioned.
For the other machine most concrete and materials labs buy, see our concrete compression machine price guide, and for why a low list price can mislead, our list of common pricing mistakes.
Questions buyers ask
Why does the US price vary so much? The built-in sound enclosure, interlocks and extra test capability appear to account for much of the gap between $13,800 and $21,046.
Do I need both C131 and C535? Only if your specifications call for both small- and large-size aggregates; one machine runs both tests with the right charge and sample grading.
Why are Indian machines so much cheaper? They are made locally to IS 10070 and sold without the enclosures and features of the US models above. Confirm conformity and get a dimensional check before relying on results for client work.
How we priced this
Gilson’s price is read automatically every day; Humboldt’s and the Indian prices were copied by hand from the sellers’ pages. The earlier Gilson figures come from a cached copy of the same page, whose date we cannot confirm, so they are shown as “earlier” rather than dated.
| Tracked listing | Configuration | Latest price | Previous price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilson HM-70A LA abrasion machine with built-in sound enclosure, 230 V 60 Hz | Manufacturer web price, read automatically once a day | $21,046 | Unchanged since Nov 3, 2026 |
| Humboldt H-3860D LA abrasion machine, 120 V or 220 V 60 Hz | Manufacturer web price, recorded by hand Nov 3, 2026 | $13,800 | No earlier snapshot |
| Humboldt H-3860D.5F, 220 V 50 Hz not in average | Manufacturer web price, recorded by hand Nov 3, 2026 | $14,100 | No earlier snapshot |
| Humboldt H-3865 abrasion charge (12 steel spheres) not in average | Manufacturer web price, recorded by hand Nov 3, 2026 | $220 | No earlier snapshot |
Sources: Humboldt LA abrasion machine prices and ASTM C131/C131M scope. Gilson and ELE product pages, IndiaMART, TradeIndia and Aajjo listings and a Kerala government equipment tender were also reviewed.
Updated November 2026 with accessory and used-machine prices. Additional sources: Gilson LA abrasion machine, Gilson replacement charge, Machineseeker used Proeti listing, Humboldt H-3860D manual and Accio supplier listings.
