Aluminium scrap (aluminum, in American spelling) is used or leftover aluminium from windows and doors, cladding, vehicle parts, cables, cans, radiators and machine parts. It is light, it does not rust, and it can be melted and reused many times without losing quality. Recycling it takes a small fraction of the energy needed to make new aluminium from ore, which is a large part of why scrap aluminium always finds a buyer.
The main types
- Extrusion: window and door frames, profiles and rails. Clean extrusion without glass, rubber or screws is one of the best aluminium grades.
- Sheet: cladding panels, roofing and offcuts from fabrication.
- Cast aluminium: engine parts, gearbox housings and pump bodies. Harder, rougher and priced separately.
- Alloy wheels: bought as their own grade once the tyre, weights and valve are off.
- Cans: light and bulky, so they pay less per kilo, but they add up.
- Cable: aluminium conductor, priced on the metal inside, the same way as copper cable.
- Radiators: all aluminium radiators, and mixed aluminium and copper radiators, which are graded differently.
- Turnings: swarf from machining, priced lower because of oil and fine particles.
Keep it clean
Aluminium is priced on how much of the load is actually aluminium. What pulls the rate down: steel screws and brackets, rubber seals and gaskets, the plastic strips inside some window frames, glass, paint and oil.
A magnet helps here. Aluminium is not magnetic, so anything that pulls on a magnet is steel. Take it off, or expect it to lower the grade.
Keep the types apart
Extrusion, sheet, cast and cans are melted for different uses. Mixing them in one bag means the whole bag is priced as the lowest type in it. A few separate bags cost nothing and usually pay for themselves.
Selling aluminium scrap
Bring it to the yard at Musaffah M42, or send a photo on WhatsApp to +971 52 727 0105, and we will tell you the grade and the rate for that day. Grades for the other metals are on the metal scrap page.
Common questions
Is aluminium scrap worth selling?
Yes. It pays less per kilo than copper or brass but much more than steel, and clean, sorted aluminium pays noticeably more than a mixed bag.
How do I tell aluminium from steel or stainless steel?
Aluminium is light for its size and a magnet does not stick to it. Stainless steel is also mostly non magnetic, but it is much heavier.
Do I need to remove screws and rubber from aluminium window frames?
You do not have to, but frames with steel screws, rubber and glass still attached are priced lower than clean extrusion.
