Scrap Material Grade Reference
Industry-standard ISRI grade codes used by scrap traders worldwide. Use these codes when creating listings to help buyers understand exactly what you're selling.
Non-Ferrous Metals (Copper, Aluminium, Lead)
Candy (Bare Bright Copper Wire)
Uncoated, unalloyed copper wire, at least 1/16 inch thick, free of burnt wire, hair wire, copper coated wire, and all foreign materials.
Barley (#1 Copper Tubing)
Clean, uncoated, and unalloyed copper tubing and bus bars. May include clean, uncoated copper wire that is not bright and shiny.
Berry (#2 Copper Tubing)
Miscellaneous, uncoated copper wire and tubing, less than 1/16 inch thick. May include bottoms and punchings.
Clove (Light Copper)
Clean, uncoated copper clippings, punchings, bus bars, commutator segments.
Dream (Insulated Copper Wire)
Copper wire with various types of insulation. Recovery 65-85% copper.
Taint/Tabor (Aluminium Sheet/Cast Mix)
Aluminium sheet and cast metal, including auto parts, free of iron.
Twitch (Aluminium Turnings)
Aluminium turnings, borings, and clippings, free of iron, dirt, and other non-metallics.
Zebra (Aluminium Auto Shred)
Shredded aluminium from automobile fragmentising operations.
Zorba (Shredded Non-Ferrous Mix)
Shredded non-ferrous metals containing aluminium, copper, lead, stainless, nickel, zinc, and magnesium.
Soft Lead
Clean, soft lead in various forms. Pipes, sheet, solid, wheel weights.
Hard Lead (Battery Lead)
Antimonial or hard lead alloy. Battery plates and scrap.
Automotive
Zebra (Aluminium Auto Shred)
Shredded aluminium from automobile fragmentising operations.
Automotive Cores (Remanufacturable)
Used automotive parts suitable for remanufacturing. Alternators, starters, brake calipers.
Catalytic Converters
Used catalytic converters containing platinum group metals (PGMs).
Ferrous Metals (Steel, Iron, Stainless)
Heavy Melting Steel #1
Wrought iron and/or steel scrap, 1/4 inch and over in thickness. Individual pieces not over 60x24 inches.
Heavy Melting Steel #2
Wrought iron and/or steel scrap, black or galvanized, 1/8 inch thick and over, maximum 60x24 inches.
Shredded Scrap (Fragmentised)
Homogeneous iron and steel scrap magnetically separated, originating from automobile bodies, unprepared No. 1 and No. 2 steel.
Busheling (New Steel Clips)
Clean steel clips and skeleton scrap. Maximum 12x18 inches. May include clean stampings.
Bundles (Compressed Steel)
Old black and galvanized steel sheet scrap, baled or bundled. Minimum 75 lbs per cubic foot.
Stainless 200 Series
200 series stainless steel scrap, shredded or sorted.
Stainless 300 Series
304/316 stainless steel scrap, the most common austenitic grade.
Stainless 400 Series (Magnetic)
400 series stainless steel, magnetic, lower nickel content.
Electronic Waste (E-Waste, PCBs)
Low Grade PCBs
Printed circuit boards with low precious metal content. Computer motherboards, expansion cards.
High Grade PCBs
Printed circuit boards with high precious metal content. Server boards, telecom equipment.
Whole Electronic Units
Complete electronic devices, untested, as-is. Computers, phones, printers.
Use grade codes when listing your scrap
Listings with ISRI grade codes attract more serious buyers and reduce disputes about material quality.