UBC stands for Used Beverage Cans — aluminium drink cans, usually alloy 3004/5182. We buy them loose or baled. Price is best when cans are dry and free of steel cans, liquid and rubbish.

What is aluminium Taint/Tabor (TT)?

Taint/Tabor is a grade of mixed, low-copper aluminium clippings and sheet that may be painted or coated. It pays less than clean extrusion or sheet because of the coating and mixed nature.

How do I get the best price for my scrap metal?

Separate metals by grade at source, keep them clean and dry, remove attachments, and present larger or baled loads. Sorting is the single biggest factor within your control.

Home / What We Buy

Scrap Metal Grades, Explained

Every grade we buy — what it is, what affects the price, and how to prepare it. Jump to any metal below.

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UBC Extrusion (6063)Taint/Tabor Aluminium Sheet Radiators Cast & Alloy Copper Brass Stainless Lead Cable & Wire Ferrous ELVs Plant & Machinery Factory Scrap

Specialists In

Aluminium — All Grades

Aluminium comes in many grades, and each pays differently.

Aluminium · UBC

UBC — Used Beverage Cans

Used Beverage Cans — everyday aluminium drink cans (alloy 3004/5182). Recycling them uses about 5% of the energy of new aluminium.

What counts: clean, empty aluminium drink cans, loose or baled.

What lowers the price: liquid in cans, steel food cans, plastic, dirt and moisture.

Best price tip: keep cans dry, free of steel, and bale them if you have volume.

Aluminium · Extrusion

Extrusion (6063)

Extruded sections — most commonly 6063 grade window and door frames and architectural profiles. One of the highest-paying aluminium grades.

What counts: bare aluminium sections, uncoated or lightly anodised.

What lowers the price: plastic thermal break, rubber gaskets, glass and steel screws.

Best price tip: strip out rubber, plastic and steel for top "EE" extrusion rates.

Aluminium · TT

Taint / Tabor (TT)

The trade grade for mixed, low-copper aluminium — soft clippings and sheet, often painted or coated (e.g. siding).

What counts: painted or clean light-gauge aluminium clippings and sheet.

What lowers the price: attached steel/iron, heavy paint, insulation foam, dirt.

Best price tip: separating cleaner sheet out can lift part of it to a higher grade.

Aluminium · Sheet

Aluminium Sheet

Clean rolled aluminium — panels, litho/printing plate, trim and bodywork sheet.

What lowers the price: paint, plastic film, rivets, steel fixings and composite (ACM) panels.

Best price tip: keep litho plate separate — it's a clean, premium grade.

Aluminium · Radiators

Aluminium & Alloy Radiators

Two main types: all-aluminium radiators and aluminium-copper radiators (priced higher for copper content).

What lowers the price: steel brackets, plastic end tanks, oil and refrigerant residue.

Best price tip: keep all-aluminium separate from alu/copper radiators.

Aluminium · Cast

Cast Aluminium & Alloy Wheels

Engine parts, gearbox casings, alloy wheels, LM castings and machining turnings/swarf.

What lowers the price: steel inserts and bearings, tyres on wheels, wet/oily turnings.

Best price tip: wheels pay more with tyres and steel weights removed.

Non-Ferrous & More

Every Other Metal We Buy

Top Value

Copper

Our highest-value everyday metal, graded by purity:

Bright/bare bright (No.1): clean unalloyed copper wire — top grade. No.2/braziery: with solder, paint or tarnish. Tube: clean plumbing pipe. Heavy: bus-bar and thick copper.

Best price tip: stripping cable to bare bright lifts it well above insulated cable rates.

Non-Ferrous

Brass

Fittings, valves, taps, locks, ornaments, gunmetal and turnings. We sort and grade mixed brass.

What lowers the price: attached steel, heavy plating, mixed-in pot metal.

Best price tip: separate clean yellow brass from plumbing/gunmetal.

Non-Ferrous

Stainless Steel

Graded mainly by alloy: 304 (18/8, non-magnetic) and 316 (higher value), with magnetic 400-series paying less.

Best price tip: keep 316 separate from 304 — it's worth more.

Non-Ferrous

Lead

We buy roofing/flashing lead, lead pipe and weights, handled safely. Batteries are a separate stream.

Best price tip: clean roofing lead, free of felt and fixings, pays best.

Non-Ferrous

Cable & Wire

Priced on the recoverable copper (or aluminium) content inside — from household twin-and-earth to armoured (SWA) and clean single-core.

Best price tip: thicker power cable yields more copper and pays more per tonne.

Ferrous

Ferrous (Steel & Iron)

Magnetic metals — heavy melting steel, plate & girder, light iron and mixed/skip metal. High volume makes it worthwhile, especially on clearances.

Best price tip: keep heavy clean steel separate from light/mixed iron.

Vehicles

End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs)

We collect cars, vans and ELVs and ensure they're processed through authorised channels with the right documentation, including DVLA notification.

Best price tip: have the V5C/logbook ready so we can sort the paperwork quickly.

Commercial

Plant & Machinery

Redundant industrial plant, machinery, motors and transformers — a valuable mix of steel, copper and non-ferrous. We dismantle and remove safely.

Best price tip: copper-bearing motors and transformers add real value.

Commercial

Factory & Production Scrap

Ongoing or one-off production offcuts, swarf, mixed metal and full clearances. Trade accounts and regular collections welcome.

Best price tip: segregating metal at source on the factory floor earns the highest return.

Pricing

What Sets Your Price

Whatever the metal, the same factors decide its value: the global LME benchmark, the grade and cleanliness, the form (sorted/baled beats loose/dirty), and the volume. The biggest factor in your control is sorting. Read the full pricing breakdown →

FAQs

What We Buy — Common Questions

What scrap metals do you buy?
All grades of ferrous and non-ferrous metal — copper, aluminium, brass, stainless, lead and cable, plus ferrous, ELVs, plant, machinery and factory scrap.

How is scrap metal priced?
From the LME benchmark, adjusted for grade, cleanliness, contamination, form and volume.

Do you buy mixed or unsorted loads?
Yes — both sorted and mixed. Mixed material pays a lower rate than clean, sorted grades, but we'll quote any load.

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