Sluice Box and Gold Jig Specifications
The figures below describe typical industry specifications for this class of equipment rather than a single fixed model. Use them to scope a requirement, then confirm exact figures against the supplied unit before purchase.
| Specification | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Sluice width | 300–1,200 mm, matched to feed rate |
| Sluice length | 3–8 m, in modular sections |
| Sluice slope | 1:12 to 1:16, adjustable |
| Sluice riffles | Expanded metal, Hungarian or ribbed matting, by ore type |
| Feed size, sluice | Screened to roughly 2–25 mm, oversize removed first |
| Jig capacity | 1–30 t/h by unit size |
| Jig pulse rate | 150–300 strokes per minute, adjustable |
| Jig recovery | Effective on liberated gold from about 0.3 mm to 10 mm |
| Water, sluice | Steady, evenly distributed flow across the full width |
| Concentrate handling | Locked cleanup box or removable riffle sections for security |
Sluice Box and Gold Jig: Uses and Applications
- Coarse gold recovery from alluvial and eluvial gravel
- The 2 mm and above fraction split off ahead of a centrifugal concentrator
- Manual or small mechanised operations without a full tank plant
- A cheap first-pass recovery stage on new ground before investing further
Maintenance Schedule
Most premature failures in this equipment class trace back to a missed routine check rather than a design fault. The intervals below are a practical starting schedule; adjust them to your duty cycle and the manufacturer manual.
| Interval | Task |
|---|---|
| Every shift | Check water distribution is even across the sluice width; inspect riffles for packing with sand or clay. |
| Weekly | Clean up and inspect riffle matting or expanded metal for wear; check jig screen for blinding. |
| Monthly | Inspect sluice frame and joints for leaks; service jig pulse mechanism and bearings. |
| Cleanup | Follow a fixed, documented cleanup procedure with more than one person present. This is where concentrate is most exposed. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Sluice or jig for coarse gold?
A sluice is simpler, cheaper and the standard first step, and works well once the feed is properly screened and the water flow is even. A jig recovers coarse gold more consistently across variable feed and needs less operator attention to the water and slope, at higher capital cost. Many plants run a sluice first and add a jig later as throughput justifies it.
Why not send everything to the centrifugal concentrator?
Centrifugal concentrators are built for material under about 2 mm; larger material blocks the fluidisation holes and drops recovery, including on the fine gold the concentrator is meant to catch. Splitting the feed by size, coarse to the sluice or jig, fines to the concentrator, recovers more gold overall than forcing everything through one machine.
How is coarse gold lost on a sluice?
Water flow that is too fast washes gold across the riffles instead of into them; too slow and the sluice sands up and loses separation. Uneven flow across the width leaves dead zones where sand buries the riffles. Getting slope and water right, and checking it, matters more than the sluice itself.
How do I secure the concentrate?
Fixed cleanup schedule, more than one person present, and a locked cleanup box or removable riffle panels rather than an open trough anyone can reach. This is coarse, visible gold, and it is the most exposed point in the whole plant.
Supply and Delivery Across Tanzania
Bart Mining supplies sluice box and gold jig and related equipment to mining operations throughout Tanzania, with primary coverage of the Lake Victoria Goldfields (Mwanza, Kahama, Geita, Shinyanga and Bukombe), alongside the Lupa Goldfields around Chunya and Mbeya, and delivery nationwide from Dar es Salaam.
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