Aluminium is low density, which means a load that looks substantial often weighs far less than sellers expect. It is also the metal where attached steel does the most damage to the price, because a small steel component is heavy relative to the aluminium around it.
The grades we buy
Alloy wheels (Troma)
Cast alloy road wheels with tyres, balance weights and steel valve stems removed. One of the better paying aluminium grades because the alloy is consistent and known. Wheels with tyres still fitted are accepted but priced lower, since we have to strip them.
Cast aluminium (Tense)
Engine blocks, gearbox housings, pump bodies and similar castings. Steel liners, bearings, studs and fixings are deducted. Whether it is worth stripping them depends on how much steel is in the casting; ask us before spending a day on it.
Extrusion and sheet
Window and door frames, curtain walling, trim and profile offcuts. Clean mill-finish extrusion pays best. Thermal break plastic, rubber gaskets, glass and steel screws all come off the weight, and heavily glazed frames may be worth stripping first.
Turnings and swarf
Machining arisings from production. Priced on dryness and cleanliness. Cutting fluid is weight you will not be paid for, so drain and store under cover. Keep alloys separate where your process allows, since mixed swarf drops to the lowest grade present.
Used beverage cans (UBC)
Best handled baled. Loose cans are mostly air, and a transit full of them can weigh remarkably little relative to the journey.
What reduces the price
Steel is the main one. Screws, hinges, brackets, liners and reinforcement bars inside extrusion all get deducted, and a magnet will find most of them in seconds. Anodising is fine, but thick powder coating and paint reduce the grade. Insulation foam bonded into panels is expensive to separate and priced accordingly.
Preparing aluminium for collection
- Run a magnet over the load. Anything it picks up is a deduction.
- Keep extrusion, cast, wheels and turnings in separate piles.
- Drain cutting fluid from swarf and keep it dry.
- Bale or crush cans if you generate them in quantity.
- Remove glass from window frames where practical.