A gyratory crusher includes an inner and an outer crushing shell. The outer crushing shell has three regions along its axial length including: an inlet region that tapers radially inward from an uppermost first end; a crushing region that extends radially inward from a second lowermost end; and a radially innermost shoulder region that is positioned axially between the inlet and crushing regions. An angle of inclination of a radially inward facing surface at the inlet and shoulder regions and the axial length of the crushing surface are designed to optimize crushing capacity in addition maximizing reduction.