Different Types of Scrap Aluminium

Aluminium is a non ferrous material that is non magnetic and can be identified by its silvery white appearance. Aluminium is very versatile and used in many different products as it will not corrode and is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity.

As with copper, aluminium has several different grades that can fetch different pricing when it comes to scrapping this metal. Below we list all the grades of aluminium that we accept as scrap. For current pricing check out our scrap metal pricing page LINK.

Here is a summary of the different grades of aluminium or ali widely accepted

• Clean HE9
• Painted HE9
• Poly Cuts
• Clean Alloy Wheels
• Commercial Pure
• Dural
• Ali Cable
• Ali Quadrant
• Ali Cuts
• Cast Aluminium
• Old Rolled Aluminium
• Aluminium Turnings
• Clean Aluminium
• Iron Aluminium

Clean HE9 Aluminium

Clean HE9 Aluminium is the most desirable aluminium for scrapping. This is very similar to 6063 aluminium alloy which is used in production of different products due to its ability to be formed in complex shapes with smooth surfaces. Often used in window and door frames and signage.

Painted HE9

This is HE9 but due to its durability and versatility this type of aluminium often gets painted and therefore becomes less desirable when recycling. Scrap values will reflect this with a lower price that clean HE9

Aluminium Poly Cuts

This is aluminium sheeting bonded with a polyethylene coating stuck to one or both sides. This material is also known as aluminium composite or sandwich boards. Often used in signage, this material is harder to recycle and the lower scrap price therefore reflects this.

Clean Alloy Wheels

Due to its strength and durability aluminium has long been used to create alloy wheels for vehicles. As vehicles are scrapped the wheels can then be stripped of the tyres and easily recycled. This is one of the most popular scrap aluminium categories

Commercial Pure Aluminium

This has a pure 99% grading of aluminium metal and is also referred to as 1100 aluminium alloy. This material is easy to recycle and one of the strongest forms of aluminium often used in building materials, therefore one of the most desirable alis that scrap yards will be looking for

Dural

Is a trade name for what refers to an aluminium copper alloy. This is used heavily in the aviation industry due to its strength and weight. It is also known as duraluminium or duralumin. The copper increases its strength but makes it prone to corrosion

Aluminium cable

Due to aluminium being an excellent conductor of electricity it has been widely used in cables. Where as copper is used for most household cables , aluminium is often used for larger cables such as overhead power cables. Most scrap yards will accept scrap ali cable

Aluminium Quadrants

Ali Quadrants are often used as a rounded edging to protect hard surfaces such as tiles or hard surfaces in floor or wall insulations. Often these can be mixed with other allos to create different finishes such as copper.

Aluminium Cuts

These are off cuts of aluminium and will have often have to be clean (no paint) and not mixed with poly or a low percentage for the scrapyard to accept them.

Cast Aluminium

Casting is the simplest way to form aluminium into products used by the public. It involves heating the ali until molten and pouring into a mould. This retains the quality of the metal, therefore this type of ali will be widely accepted at scrap yards.

Old Rolled Aluminium

Old rolled ali can consist of clean unpainted alloy in the form of sheeting, tubing or cuts. It must be free from cast attachments and any iron. This is widely accepted across the UK.

Aluminium Turnings

Aluminium turnings are the small offcuts or shavings of aluminium that are created during the manufacturing process of creating aluminium products. These vary in quality and size and can be difficult to recycle if mixed with other ali turnings

Irony Aluminium (Irony Ali)

Irony aluminium is a mixed ali that is contaminated with other elements including materials such as iron and also wood and plastics. For this grade the metal must contain at least 70% aluminium and no more that 30% iron. Also sometimes known as aluminium breakage.

Summary

This guide should have given you a breakdown of the types and grades that most scrap yards will accept. If you have a material that you can’t identify your local scrap yard will help you to grade and price the metal. If you would like a price on your material check our scrap metal pricing page or give us a call

LKM Recycling are a total waste management company based in Kent and we buy scrap metals at our site in Sittingbourne. If you are a business that produces scrap metal or any other waste stream then get in touch for solutions that could help your business become more environmentally friendly whilst potentially monetising your waste

See also: Different types of scrap copper