honey extractors for deep vs. medium/shallow frames buying guide

That '4/8-frame' rating on the box assumes you're not running deeps

The frame count on the box has two answers, not one

Deep frames are taller and heavier than medium or shallow frames, so most extractors hold fewer of them per batch than their headline number suggests. Here's the real deep vs. medium/shallow capacity on our reviewed 2026 picks.

See real capacity by frame size
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Quick answer: Our top pick for honey extractors for deep vs. medium/shallow frames is the Mann Lake HH160 Stainless Steel 6/3-Frame Hand Crank Extractor (Best for Deep-Frame Apiaries). If you're looking for most shallow/medium frames, the VEVOR Electric Honey Extractor, 4/8 Frame is a strong alternative.

Why '4/8-frame' really means two different numbers

Reviewed by the HiveWick team · last updated 2026-08-26

Deep frames run about 9-1/8 inches tall, medium frames about 6-1/4 inches, and shallow frames about 5-3/8 inches -- deep frames are simply bigger, so fewer of them fit around an extractor's drum at once. That's why extractors are so often sold with a split rating like '2/4-frame' or '4/8-frame': the first number is deep-frame capacity, the second is what the same drum holds once you switch to medium or shallow frames.

This matters most if your hive boxes are all deeps (common for brood boxes, and for beekeepers who run all-deep setups to keep frame sizes uniform). Buying based on the bigger, second number without checking which frame size it applies to is one of the more common extractor buying mistakes -- you can end up with real per-batch capacity half of what the box implied.

Below, we break out deep-frame and medium/shallow-frame capacity separately for each of our reviewed 2026 picks, so you're sizing against the frames you actually run, not just the biggest number on the listing.

Check both numbers on a split-rated extractor

A '2/4-frame' or '4/8-frame' rating means deep-frame capacity first, medium/shallow capacity second -- if you run all-deep boxes, size your decision around the smaller number, not the bigger one on the front of the listing.

Deep-frame batches take longer per harvest

Fewer deep frames fit per spin, so a harvest that would take 3 batches in an all-shallow setup can take 6 or more in an all-deep one -- worth factoring into how much capacity you actually need if your boxes are deeps.

Mixed apiaries need to plan around their most common frame size

If you run a mix of deep brood boxes and medium/shallow honey supers, size the extractor around whichever frame size makes up most of your actual honey harvest, not your total frame count across all box types.

Product Best For Price Rating
Mann Lake HH160 Stainless Steel 6/3-Frame Hand Crank Extractor Best for Deep-Frame Apiaries $280 - $340 4.6/5
VEVOR Electric Honey Extractor, 4/8 Frame Most Shallow/Medium Frames $260 - $320 4.6/5
VEVOR 2/4 Frame Manual Stainless Steel Honey Extractor Most Flexible Across Sizes $140 - $180 4.4/5
GOODLAND BEE SUPPLY Hardin Professional 2-Frame Manual Honey Extractor Best Budget for Mixed Frames $110 - $150 4.3/5
Best for Deep-Frame Apiaries

Mann Lake HH160 Stainless Steel 6/3-Frame Hand Crank Extractor

★★★★★ 4.6

Rated for 3 deep frames or 6 shallow/medium frames per batch, the highest deep-frame capacity of any manual pick in our lineup -- the one to reach for if most of your harvest comes off deep boxes.

  • 3 deep frames per batch, the most of any pick here
  • Same drum handles 6 shallow/medium frames when you switch box types
  • Heavy-gauge stainless built for repeated full-deep loads
  • Hand-cranking 3 full deep frames per batch is real effort
  • Sold without a stand in this configuration
$280 - $340 View on Amazon
Most Shallow/Medium Frames

VEVOR Electric Honey Extractor, 4/8 Frame

★★★★★ 4.6

Rated 4 deep or 8 shallow/medium frames -- the highest shallow/medium count in this lineup, and the motor means running double the batches on deep frames doesn't cost you extra hand-cranking effort.

  • 8 shallow/medium frames per batch, the most of any pick here
  • Electric motor absorbs the extra deep-frame batches without added hand fatigue
  • Still a respectable 4 deep frames per batch
  • Needs a nearby power outlet and more storage space than a manual model
$260 - $320 View on Amazon
Most Flexible Across Sizes

VEVOR 2/4 Frame Manual Stainless Steel Honey Extractor

★★★★★ 4.4

The 2/4 split rating scales down cleanly from the larger VEVOR electric model, giving small apiaries the same deep-vs-shallow flexibility without the price or footprint of the 4/8-frame version.

  • Doubles capacity (2 to 4 frames) when switching from deep to medium/shallow
  • Stainless-steel drum at a mid-range price
  • Height-adjustable stand included
  • Manual crank only -- no electric option in this configuration
$140 - $180 View on Amazon
Best Budget for Mixed Frames

GOODLAND BEE SUPPLY Hardin Professional 2-Frame Manual Honey Extractor

★★★★★ 4.3

A flat 2-frame drum rated to fit deep, medium, or shallow frames interchangeably -- no split rating to check, just confirm 2 frames of any single size covers your batch size at the lowest price in this lineup.

  • Same 2-frame capacity regardless of deep, medium, or shallow frame size
  • Lowest price in this comparison while staying food-grade stainless steel
  • Simple to reason about -- no split rating to double-check
  • 2-frame capacity only, so deep-frame batches still take longer overall than the larger picks
$110 - $150 View on Amazon

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does a '4/8-frame' rating on a honey extractor actually mean?

The first number is deep-frame capacity, the second is medium/shallow-frame capacity -- a '4/8-frame' extractor like the VEVOR Electric fits 4 deep frames or 8 medium/shallow frames per batch, not 8 of either size. Deep frames are physically bigger, so fewer fit around the same drum.

Why do deep frames take up so much more room than medium or shallow frames?

Deep frames run about 9-1/8 inches tall versus roughly 6-1/4 inches for medium and 5-3/8 inches for shallow frames -- that extra height means fewer deep frames physically fit around an extractor's drum in a single spin.

I run all-deep boxes -- which extractor actually fits the most per batch?

The Mann Lake HH160 leads on deep-frame capacity at 3 deep frames per batch among the manual picks here, and the VEVOR Electric 4/8-Frame matches it at 4 deep frames while removing the hand-cranking effort.

Does a 2-frame extractor's capacity change between deep and shallow frames?

Not on a flat-rated model like the GOODLAND BEE SUPPLY Hardin Professional -- it holds 2 frames of any single size (deep, medium, or shallow), unlike split-rated extractors where the number changes depending on frame size.

If most of my harvest comes off medium supers but my brood boxes are deep, which capacity should I size around?

Size around whichever frame size makes up most of what you're actually extracting -- for most beekeepers that's the honey supers (often medium or shallow), not the deep brood frames, since brood boxes aren't typically extracted for honey.