Commercial Meat Slicer Buying Guide
Commercial Meat Slicer Buying Guide
Blade size and manual vs automatic — how to choose a commercial meat slicer that matches your smallgoods and volume.
Not sure which suits you? Call us on 03 9783 6325.
A meat slicer is one of those tools where the right one saves hours and the wrong one is a daily frustration — too small for your smallgoods, or manual when the volume really needed automatic. Two questions decide it: how big a blade, and manual or automatic. Everything else is detail.
They're not only for delis and butchers. Home charcuterie makers, hunters processing their own game, and anyone slicing their own smallgoods buy commercial slicers because a domestic slicer can't take the duty. The decisions are the same.
Every figure here is from our own range.
If you'd rather talk it through, call us on 03 9783 6325.
Blade size — match it to what you're slicing
The blade diameter sets the biggest product you can slice and, roughly, how much work the machine is built for. Bigger blade, bigger smallgoods and more capacity.
| Blade | Max slice width | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 8" (220mm) | 12 mm | Café, light deli, home use |
| 10" (250mm) | 13 mm | Deli, sandwich bar, general use |
| 12" (300mm) | 14 mm | Butcher, busy deli, larger smallgoods |
| 13" (320mm) | 18 mm | High volume — automatic |
| 14" | 0–18 mm | Heavy production — automatic |
A 10" is the versatile middle for most delis and sandwich bars. Go to 12"+ if you're slicing larger smallgoods or whole muscle regularly, or 8" for light and home use.
Manual or automatic? The volume decision
Manual (gravity feed). You push the carriage back and forth by hand across the blade. Simple, reliable, cheaper, and completely fine for anything up to steady deli volume. Our 8", 10" and 12" models are manual.
Automatic. A motor drives the carriage so it slices continuously, hands-free, while your staff do something else — you set it going and stack the output. This only earns its (considerably higher) price at real volume: a busy butcher, a production kitchen, a high-turnover deli. Our 13" and 14" models are automatic. Most of these also let you switch to manual when you want it.
Rule of thumb: if someone would otherwise stand at the slicer for long stretches, automatic pays for itself. Occasional or moderate slicing → manual.
Features worth checking
- Slice thickness control — a dial from near-zero up to the max width (12–18mm depending on model) for everything from wafer-thin prosciutto to thick-cut.
- Blade material and sharpener — a quality blade holds its edge; a built-in sharpener keeps it keen without removing the blade.
- Safety guard and interlock — blade guard and a no-run-without-guard interlock. Essential around staff, and expected on commercial gear.
- Easy-clean build — removable parts and smooth surfaces; a slicer is a food-safety point that gets cleaned constantly.
- Non-slip feet — it stays put under the push-pull of manual slicing.
Frequently asked questions
What size meat slicer do I need?
What's the difference between manual and automatic?
How thick can it slice?
Can I use a commercial slicer at home?
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