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 came into force on January 1, 1995.

They were agreed by three industry parties, the British Foundry Association, UK Steel and the British Metals Federation from whom copies of a specifications booklet can be purchased.

General conditions applicable to all grades.

A     Safety
All grades shall exclude:

i     Pressurised gas, fuel or other sealed containers
ii     Explosives, shells, bombs and dangerously inflammable material

Any material which is potentially resealable must be sheared or cut prior to delivery. All deliveries and acceptances must comply with all statutory and legal requirements including those relating to health, safety and the environment.

B     Radioactive material
Any delivery which includes hazardous radioactive material as defined by the appropriate legislation will be refused and the supplier notified so that the appropriate action can be taken.

C     Cleanness
All grades shall be as free of dirt, free non-ferrous metals or foreign material of any kind, excessive oil, grease, rust and corrosion as is practicably achievable in the customary preparation. However, certain proportions may be permitted by joint agreement.

D     Residual and other alloys
All grades shall be as free of alloys as is practicably achievable. However, certain proportions may be permitted by joint agreement.

E     Grading
No delivery should contain a mixture of grades.

Grade OA
Plate and structural, consisting of cut structural and plate arisings predominantly 6mm thick in sizes not exceeding 1.5m x 0.6m x 0.6m (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 1.5m x 0.6m x 0.6m (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 1mx 0.6m (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 min
• 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 min
• Sn content:  0.03% max
• Cu content:  0.20% 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. Must conform to the following specification:

• Density:       0.8 tonne per cubic metre min

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 3mm thick) Bales in works furnace sizes, including a proportion of coated material, but excluding tin, enamel and terne coating, and may include no more than 10% of plate up to a maximum of 6mm thick, but to exclude stamping and forging flash, bar and billet ends. 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.

Grade 4F
New production steel strip and/or wire bobbins. In works furnace size, including a proportion of coated material, but excluding tin coated ferrous material and 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.

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

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

Grade 6A
Incinerator Bales Ñ Compressed Steel Bales consisting predominantly of tin coated steel cans processed through an incinerating plant and magnetically separated following incineration and prior to baling. In bale sizes to be jointly agreed.

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

Grade 7A
Heavy Carbon Steel Turnings. Crushed or naturally short, shovellable, free from bushy, free non-ferrous metals, scale, grinding dust, heavily oxidised turnings 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, from 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, galvanised, enamelled and all deleterious material (other than by joint agreement from a  specified source).

Grade 8B
Loose Light Steel Cuttings suitable for pressing. May include an agreed proportion of coated material, but excluding tin coated, terne coated and enamelled material.

Grade 9A
Heavy Cast Iron. Not less than 13mm thick, in works furnace sizes free from burnt metal.

Grade 9B
Cylinder Block. Low phosphorus iron, usually arising from the dismantling of vehicles and commonly known as cylinder block arisings (including the cylinder block head). Gearboxes contain gears to be discarded. Gearboxes stripped of gears may be included. Steel crankshafts, connecting rods, aluminium pistons and all other aluminium components to be removed.

Grade 9C
Oil Free New Production or Burnt Cylinder Block. Low phosphorus iron. Cylinder block heads and stripped gearboxes may be included if oil free and all steel, alloy and non-ferrous components are removed.

Grade10
Light cast iron. In works furnace sizes, free from burnt metal.

Grade 11A
Clean Cast Iron or Malleable Iron Borings and Drillings, free from steel turnings, scale, lumps and excessive oil.

Grade 11B
Briquetted Cast Iron Borings, free from corroded lumps and excessive cutting fluids.

Grade 12A
New Production Heavy Steel, excluding forging, flashings and stampings, predominantly 6mm thick in sizes not exceeding 1.5m x 0.6m x 0.6m (or as otherwise agreed) prepared in a manner to ensure compact charging, may include tube and hollow section with a wall thickness of not less than 6mm and a maximum overall outside diameter or wall to wall outside measurement of 50mm.

Grade 12C
New Production Heavy Steel, predominantly 3mm thick in sizes not exceeding 0.6m x 0.6m x 0.6m, or as otherwise agreed, prepared in a manner to ensure compact charging. May include tube and hollow section, new vehicle wheels, forging flashings and stampings.

Grade 12D
New Production Clean Shovellable Steel, in sizes not exceeding 150mm in any direction. May include new factory sheet clippings, punchings and stampings.