How UK Scrap Yards Grade Your Metal

Walk into a scrap yard with a pile of copper pipe and a reel of electrical cable, and you will be offered two very different prices. That is grading — and understanding it can significantly improve what you receive.

Copper Grading

**Copper #1 (Millberry):** Bright, clean, unalloyed copper with no solder, paint, or insulation. Highest rate — currently around £4.40–£4.70/kg.

**Copper #2:** Copper with minor contamination — solder joints, oxidation, or light paint. Priced 10–15% below Copper #1.

**Insulated Copper Wire:** Priced based on estimated copper content after stripping.

Aluminium Grading

**Extruded aluminium:** Window frames, door frames, heat sinks. Higher purity, better price.

**Cast aluminium:** Engine blocks, manifolds, gearbox casings. Dense, often dirty. Mid-tier price.

**Mixed aluminium:** Will be priced at the lowest grade in the mix unless you sort it first.

Steel Grading

**Heavy steel:** Thick plate, structural beams, machinery. Highest per-tonne rate for ferrous.

**Light steel:** Thin sheet, pressed metal, smaller sections. Lower rate.

**Stainless steel:** Priced separately and significantly higher than carbon steel due to nickel content. Must be kept completely separate.