Scrap glossary

Scrap buyers use many English trade words. This glossary explains them simply, so you know exactly what you are selling and why a buyer quotes a certain rate.

HMS (heavy melting scrap): HMS, or heavy melting scrap, is thick iron and steel scrap that can go straight into a steel furnace. It is the most widely traded grade of ferrous scrap in the world and the benchmark many mills use to price imported and local scrap.
Busheling scrap: Busheling is clean, new steel scrap left over from manufacturing, such as sheet off-cuts and stamping leftovers from car, appliance and fabrication factories. Because it has never been used, painted or rusted, it is one of the most valuable grades of steel scrap.
Shredded scrap: Shredded scrap is ferrous scrap that has been torn into small, fist-sized pieces by a large shredding machine. Shredders take mixed light scrap such as car bodies and appliances, then use magnets to separate the steel from plastic, rubber and non-ferrous metals.
Zorba (mixed non-ferrous): Zorba is the trade name for shredded mixed non-ferrous scrap. It is mostly aluminium, with smaller amounts of copper, brass, zinc, stainless steel and some leftover plastic or rubber, recovered after the steel has been removed from shredded cars and appliances.
UBC (used beverage cans): UBC stands for used beverage cans: empty aluminium soft-drink and juice cans collected for recycling. Cans are among the easiest aluminium to recycle and can be melted back into new can sheet.
LME (London Metal Exchange): The London Metal Exchange (LME) is the main international market where copper, aluminium, lead, zinc, nickel and tin are traded. Its daily prices are the global reference for these metals, so local scrap buyers watch them closely.
MCX copper price: MCX is the Multi Commodity Exchange of India, where copper and other metals are traded in Indian rupees. Many people in South Asia search for the MCX copper price, but it reflects the Indian market, not Pakistan's.
Bare bright copper: Bare bright copper is clean, unalloyed, uncoated copper wire with a shiny surface, no insulation, paint, solder or green oxidation. It is the top grade of copper scrap and earns the highest price per kg.
Ferrous and non-ferrous scrap: Ferrous scrap contains iron and is usually magnetic: iron, steel and cast iron. Non-ferrous scrap contains little or no iron and is not magnetic: copper, brass, bronze, aluminium, lead, zinc, nickel and good stainless steel.