United Kingdom specifications for iron and steel scrap for the manufacturing of iron and steel

These jointly agreed specifications are subject to regular review and were effective from October 1, 2006. They supercede those issued on January 1, 1995.

These specifications were agreed by the Cast Metals Federation, UK Steel and the British Metals Recycling Association, from whom copies of a specifications booklet can be purchased.

Grade OA 
Plate and structural, consisting of cut structural and plate arisings predominantly 6mm thick in sizes not exceeding 1.50m x 0.60m x 0.60m (or as otherwise agreed) prepared in a manner to ensure compact charging. May include properly prepared wagon material less than 6mm thick. Excludes tube and hollow section.

Grade 1
Old Steel, predominantly 6mm thick, in sizes not exceeding 1.50m x 0.60m x 0.60m (or as otherwise agreed) prepared in a manner to ensure compact charging. May include tube and hollow section, wire rope properly prepared by agreement with consumer, properly prepared material from heavy commercial vehicles including wheels, but excluding body and wheels from light vehicles.

Grade 2
Old Steel, predominantly 3mm thick, in sizes not exceeding 1m x 0.60m x 0.60m (or as otherwise agreed) prepared in a manner to ensure compact charging. May include properly prepared material from dismantled vehicles including light vehicle wheels, but must exclude vehicle body arisings and also domestic appliances.

Grade 3A
Fragmentised, old light steel arisings fragmentised into pieces not exceeding 150mm in any direction. Must be free from dirt, free non-ferrous metals and foreign material and exclude excessive moisture, introduced loose cast iron, incinerator material, grindings, swarf, turnings and borings. Should also be free from tin cans. Must conform to the following specifications:

• Density:       1 tonne per cubic metre minimum
• Sn content:  0.03% max
• Cu content:  0.20% max

Grade 3B
Fragmentised, old light steel arisings fragmentised into pieces not exceeding 200mm in any direction. Must be free from dirt, free non-ferrous metals and foreign material and exclude excessive moisture, introduced loose cast iron, incinerator material, grindings, swarf, turnings and borings. Should also be free from tin cans. Must conform to the following specifications:

• Density:       0.8 tonne per cubic metre minimum
• Sn content:  0.03% max
• Cu content:  0.25% max

Grade 3C
Fragmentised, old light steel arisings fragmentised into pieces. Must be free from dirt, free non-ferrous metals and foreign material and exclude excessive moisture, introduced loose cast iron, incinerator material, grindings, swarf, turnings and borings. Should also be free from tin cans.

• Density:       0.60 tonne per cubic metre

Grade 4A
New production compressed steel sheet (less than 3mm thick) bales, in works furnace sizes, free from all coated, tinned, galvanised, enamelled and deleterious material (other than by joint agreement from a specified source). Tightly baled and free from loose material.

Grade 4C
New production compressed steel sheet (less than 6mm thick) Bales in works furnace sizes, including a proportion of coated material, but excluding tin, enamel and terne coating, stamping and forging flash, bar and billet ends and other high residual material. Tightly baled and free from loose material.

Grade 4E
New production compressed steel bales, including rod and wire, in works' furnace sizes, including a proportion of coated material but excluding tin-coated ferrous material and excluding copper washed steel wire other than by joint agreement. Tightly baled and free from loose material.

Grade 4F
New production steel strip and/or wire bobbins. In works' furnace sizes, including a proportion of coated material, but excluding tin-coated ferrous material and excluding copper washed wire other than by joint agreement. Must be securely fastened.

Grade 4G
New Production Compressed De-tinned Steel Sheet (less than 0.25mm thick) Bales in works' furnace sizes. Tightly baled and free from loose material.

• Sn content     0.05% max
• Cu content     0.15% max
• Cr content      0.04% max
• Ni content      0.02% max

Grade 5A
Compressed old light steel in works' furnace sizes. Must be free from tin coated and non-metallic material. Must not include heavy iron and steel, wire ropes, wire, fuel tanks, or tin coated materials and must not include loose or free dirt or tyres.

Grade 5B
Pressed and sheared old light steel. To include material emanating from press shears, consisting of pressed and sheared depolluted motor cars, white goods and old light iron and steel arisings. Must not include heavy iron and steel, wire ropes, wire, fuel tanks, or tin coated materials and must not include loose or free dirt or tyres.

Grade 5C
Loose old light steel. May consist of depolluted motor cars, white goods and old light iron and steel arisings. Must not include heavy iron and steel, wire ropes, wire, fuel tanks, or tin coated materials and must not include loose or free dirt or tyres.

Grade 6A
Incinerator Bales - Compressed Steel Bales consisting predominantly of tin coated steel cans processed through an incinerating plant and magnetically separated following incineration and prior to baling. Bale size and density to be jointly agreed.

Grade 6B
Loose incinerated - Steel arisings in loose form consisting predominantly of tin coated steel cans processed through an incinerating plant and magnetically separated following incineration.

Grade 6C
Non-incinerated magnetically extracted steel cans - baled. Steel food, drinks and other domestic cans magnetically extracted from non-sorted and non-incinerated domestic waste at municipal and private waste treatment plants and materials recycling facilities. May have minor visible presence of other materials such as paper and plastics. Bale size and density to be jointly agreed.

Grade 6D
Non-incinerated magnetically extracted steel cans - loose. Steel food, drinks and other domestic waste at municipal and private waste treatment plants and materials recycling facilities. May have some minor visible presence of other materials such as paper and plastics.

Grade 6E
Clean steel cans - baled. Steel from food, drinks and domestic aerosol cans collected from the public e.g. by can banks and door-to-door ("kerbside") collection schemes. Cans should be free from excessive contamination by other materials. Bale size and density to be jointly agreed.

Grade 6F
Clean steel cans - loose. Steel from wood, drinks and domestic aerosol cans, collected from the public e.g. by can banks and door-to-door ("kerbside") collection schemes. Cans should be free from excessive contamination from other materials.

Grade 7A
Heavy Carbon Steel Turnings. Crushed or naturally short, shovellable, excluding bushy or heavily oxidised turnings, free non-ferrous metals, scale, grinding dust, or other materials from chemical industries and free from excessive oil.

Grade 7B
Heavy Carbon Steel Turnings. The majority crushed or naturally short, but with up to 20% bushy content permissible (by volume as determined by visual examination) not shovellable, excluding free non-ferrous metals, scale, grinding dust, heavily oxidised turnings or other materials from chemical industries, and free from excessive oil.

Grade 8A
New Loose Light Steel Cuttings. Suitable for pressing, free from coated, tinned, enamelled and all deleterious material (other than by joint agreement from a specified source). May include galvinised steel (although the proportion may be limited by joint agreement).