Aluminium is one of the most valuable recyclable metals in the world. It can be recycled repeatedly without significant loss of quality, which makes it essential to construction, automotive, aerospace, electrical, packaging and manufacturing.
Aluminium scrap is generated by manufacturing, demolition, machining, end-of-life vehicles, packaging waste and consumer products. Rather than being thrown away, it is collected, sorted, processed and recycled into new aluminium.
The industry uses two classification systems. Product categories describe what the material physically is. ISRI grades are the international quality specifications used in global scrap trading. Understanding both helps buyers and sellers identify material correctly and trade using accepted terminology.
The physical form or origin of the scrap — the names most used by dealers, foundries and recyclers.
Profiles made by forcing heated aluminium through dies into long, consistent cross-sections.
Sources: Window/door frames, curtain walls, solar frames, office partitions, furniture, machine structures.
Common alloys: AA6063, AA6061, AA6005, AA6082
Flat aluminium sheet from manufacturing, fabrication, demolition and industrial processing.
Sources: Roofing, cladding, kitchen equipment, sheet offcuts, sign boards, aircraft panels.
Components made by pouring molten aluminium into moulds; common in automotive and industry.
Sources: Engine blocks, cylinder heads, gearboxes, pump/compressor housings, cookware, castings.
Common alloys: ADC12, LM24, A356, A380
Used or damaged alloy wheels from cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles.
Sources: Dismantlers, garages, accident repair centres, fleet maintenance.
Electrical conductors and overhead transmission cable made mainly of aluminium.
Sources: Power transmission lines, electrical contractors, utilities, industrial facilities.
Aluminium heat exchangers from vehicles and industrial cooling systems (may contain copper/plastic/steel).
Sources: Cars, trucks, air-conditioning, industrial cooling equipment.
Small chips from machining — drilling, milling, turning, grinding; often oily.
Sources: CNC machining, manufacturing plants, engineering workshops.
Thin aluminium for food, pharmaceutical and industrial packaging.
Sources: Food trays, household foil, pharmaceutical foil, catering packaging.
High-purity aluminium plate from commercial offset printing — very clean, premium value.
Sources: Printing presses, newspaper publishers, commercial printers.
Used aluminium drink cans collected from homes, hospitality, recycling centres and public schemes.
Sources: Soft drink, beer and energy drink cans. (A product category, not an ISRI grade.)
Architectural/industrial profiles removed during renovation, demolition or manufacturing.
Sources: Commercial buildings, solar installs, office interiors, fabrication.
Different aluminium products not yet sorted; mixed alloys, needs sorting, lower value.
Sources: All sources combined.
By-product formed during melting; contains recoverable aluminium but needs specialist processing.
Sources: White dross and black dross.
Aluminium cable from power distribution and industrial electrical systems.
Sources: Bare conductors, insulated cables, underground cables.
Two aluminium skins bonded to a plastic/mineral core; aluminium must be separated before recycling.
Sources: Building façades, signage, interior wall panels.
ISRI specifications define quality, cleanliness, preparation and composition so scrap trades consistently worldwide. An ISRI grade is a quality spec for a product category — not a different product.
Prepared UBC that has been sorted, cleaned and baled to ISRI specification.
Requirements / notes: Clean aluminium cans, properly sorted, baled, minimal contamination, free of excess steel and plastic.
Example: Loose cans → sorted → cleaned → baled → Talon
Prepared lithographic printing-plate scrap meeting ISRI quality specifications.
Requirements / notes: High-purity, uniform alloy, clean surface, free of paper, plastic and excess coatings.
Example: Used printing plates → cleaned → sorted → Talk
Mixed cast aluminium scrap with minor attachments such as steel bolts or bushings.
Requirements / notes: Engine blocks, gearboxes, pump housings and automotive castings.
Clean mixed wrought aluminium — mainly sheet and extrusion.
Requirements / notes: Low contamination, clean material, mixed wrought alloys.
Clean bare aluminium wire and conductor scrap.
Requirements / notes: Bare wire, no insulation, minimal contamination.
Prepared clean aluminium radiator scrap.
Requirements / notes: Aluminium radiators with minimal plastic and steel attachments.
Mechanically separated aluminium recovered from mixed non-ferrous scrap (commonly from Zorba).
Requirements / notes: Mixed aluminium alloys; may need further alloy sorting.
A mixed non-ferrous shredded metal stream from end-of-life vehicles and appliances.
Requirements / notes: Contains aluminium, copper, brass, zinc, stainless and magnesium. Not an aluminium grade — the feedstock Twitch is recovered from.
| Product Category | ISRI Grade | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Used Beverage Can (UBC) | Talon | Talon is the prepared, specification-grade form of UBC. |
| Lithographic Plate | Talk | Talk is the prepared grade for clean litho printing plates. |
| Cast Aluminium | Tense | Tense is prepared mixed cast aluminium with limited attachments. |
| Sheet & Extrusion | Taint / Tabor | Taint/Tabor covers clean mixed wrought aluminium. |
| Aluminium Wire | Tread | Tread is clean, bare aluminium wire to ISRI spec. |
| Aluminium Radiator | Trump | Trump is clean prepared aluminium radiator scrap. |
| Mixed Non-Ferrous | Zorba → Twitch | Zorba is the mixed feedstock; Twitch is the separated aluminium fraction. |
Example 1: A recycling company collects loose soft drink cans.
Product: UBC Scrap. After sorting, cleaning and baling to spec it becomes Talon.
Example 2: A printing company disposes of used offset plates.
Product: Lithographic Plate Scrap. After preparation to ISRI standards it becomes Talk.
Example 3: A dismantler sells engine blocks with small steel inserts.
Product: Cast Aluminium Scrap. Commonly traded as Tense.
Example 4: An electrical contractor removes bare overhead conductors.
Product: Aluminium Wire Scrap. Prepared to spec, traded as Tread.
Example 5: A factory produces clean 6063 extrusion offcuts and sheet cuttings.
Product: Extrusion & Sheet Scrap. Sold as clean mixed wrought aluminium, traded as Taint/Tabor.
When identifying aluminium scrap, ask two questions:
1. What is the material? — this gives the product category (UBC, cast, extrusion, wire).
2. Does it meet an international trading spec? — if so it also gets an ISRI grade (Talon, Tense, Taint/Tabor, Tread, Trump, Talk).
We buy every grade above — sorted or mixed, single loads or regular tonnage. Get a fair quote today.
Get a Quote →