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Used in numerous agricultural and waste management/recycling operations, balers are designed to compress, shape and bind a variety of materials. Balers used in agricultural applications are generally employed for collecting precut grasses (i.e., hay) and vegetation into compact, sturdy shapes for future use or easy disposal. In waste management applications, balers are most commonly used to bale materials like newspaper and cardboard, although they can also be used on rougher materials, such as scrap metal and plastic.

Collected materials can be baled in rectangular, square or cylindrical shapes, depending on the baler. After enough materials have been collected, the baler wraps twine, net or wire around the finished bale and ejects it. Manual-tie balers require that the operator secure the ties on finished bales, while auto-tie balers perform the operation before ejecting the bale. High-end baling systems allow users to bale an assortment of materials, from aluminum cans to solid waste, in variable dimensions; these units are generally used for scrap and waste management and recycling.

Balers are available in both permanent and portable models, with smaller portable models generally useful for more specific tasks. For example, portable square and round balers intended for agricultural use should not be employed to bale scrap metal, as it could damage the device. Straw and hay bales produced by these devices can still weigh more than a ton. Certain portable bailing systems are designed to produce bails that provide additional rain resistance.

Baler types include vertical, horizontal, wide mouth and two-ram balers. Vertical balers typically have a smaller footprint (they occupy less floor space) than a horizontal baler, since they bale from top to bottom, rather than across. Generally, horizontal balers have a higher processing capacity and produce denser bales than vertical units, and are therefore preferred in high-volume operations, except in instances where available space is the primary concern.