1. The European Aluminum Scrap Map
Different European regions specialise in different aluminum grades. The Netherlands and Belgium dominate UBC collection because of dense urban beverage-can recycling networks and proximity to Rotterdam. Germany and Italy concentrate on 6063 and 6061 extrusion scrap from their architectural and automotive industries. France and Spain are strong in Troma wheel scrap from end-of-life vehicle programmes. Eastern European recyclers — Poland, Czech Republic — handle mixed Taint/Tabor and Tense for the deox-grade ingot market.
An Indian secondary smelter focused on UBC will get the best basis from a Dutch or Belgian counterparty loading directly at Rotterdam. A Korean wheel re-melter will negotiate better Troma from a French exporter consolidating at Le Havre or routing through Antwerp. Understanding the geography reduces freight cost and yard-handling charges in the final landed price.
2. ISRI Grades to Specify by Name
Buyers should always name the ISRI grade on the contract, never 'aluminum scrap' as a generic term. The grades that account for almost all European-Asia trade are: Talc (densified UBC), Taldon (loose UBC), Taint/Tabor (mixed clean low-copper), Tense (clean mixed low-copper sheet and cast), Tata (clean 6063 mixed extrusion), Tutu (clean painted/anodised 6063), Troma (clean automotive wheels), Tassel (clean mixed old sheet), Tally (clean mixed old castings) and Zorba (non-ferrous shred including aluminum and copper).
Each grade carries a defined chemistry, contamination tolerance and physical form. A contract that simply says 'mixed aluminum' leaves the supplier free to load anything from clean Taint/Tabor to off-spec Tassel — at the buyer's expense.
3. UBC Specifications That Indian and Vietnamese Smelters Demand
Used Beverage Cans are the workhorse feedstock of Asian secondary aluminum sheet ingot production. The standard specification: bales of 250–500 kg dimensions 1.0 × 1.0 × 1.0 m or 1.1 × 1.1 × 1.5 m; moisture below 2%; free liquid below 1%; magnetic content below 1%; organics below 4%; non-aluminum metallic contamination below 1%. A 20GP container loads 18–20 MT of bales or 21–22 MT of densified material.
Buyers should request a written moisture declaration per container and reserve the right to deduct excess moisture from the invoice. Densified UBC ships at higher weight per container, improving the per-tonne freight share and tightening the CIF price.
4. 6063 Extrusion — The Tightest Aluminum Discount in Europe
6063 extrusion scrap is the highest-yielding aluminum grade traded internationally. Chemistry target: Mg 0.45–0.9%, Si 0.2–0.6%, Fe max 0.35%, Cu max 0.10%, Mn max 0.10%, Zn max 0.10%, Ti max 0.10%. Material must be free of attachments, thermal-break inserts, screws, plastic, glass and steel. Pieces are size-reduced to fit a 20GP container at 24–26 MT loading weight.
Because recovery yield exceeds 95%, 6063 trades at the tightest LME discount of any aluminum scrap grade — typically 88–93% of LME cash CIF Nhava Sheva in 2026. Buyers needing tighter Cu or Fe limits negotiate a written guarantee on the contract and receive an XRF spec sheet per container.
5. Troma Wheels and the Wheel-Back-to-Wheel Trade
Troma — ISRI clean automotive aluminum wheels with hubs, valves, rubber, steel weights and lead removed — is the feedstock for the wheel-back-to-wheel re-melt trade. Chemistry is typically A356 (Al-Si 7%-Mg 0.3%) or A357. Container weights run 24–26 MT per 20GP.
Korean, Taiwanese and Turkish wheel re-melters pay tight LME discounts on Troma because the recovery yield is over 95% and the chemistry matches new-wheel casting alloys with minimal correction. The main contracting question is provenance: wheels sourced from licensed European end-of-life vehicle dismantlers carry traceable origin paperwork, while aftermarket consumer collections may include unknown alloys that fail XRF verification on arrival.
6. Comparing European Aluminum Scrap Suppliers — The Six Questions That Matter
One: does the supplier load directly at Rotterdam, Antwerp or Le Havre, or does material transit through a trader who never sees the yard?
Two: are ISRI grades segregated in dedicated bays with dedicated equipment, or loaded from a single mixed pile?
Three: does the supplier issue a written XRF spec sheet per container, or only on request?
Four: is SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek or CCIC inspection routine at the yard, or treated as a premium service?
Five: is the contract written against a named ISRI grade with a deviation clause, or against generic 'aluminum scrap'?
Six: is pricing quoted as a percentage of LME or a flat differential, with the LME date shown, or as a round flat USD/MT number detached from the exchange?
7. Pricing Practice in 2026
Almost every credible European aluminum supplier quotes against the LME Aluminium High Grade (P1020A) cash settlement. The quote shows the LME date used, the discount per grade, the CIF or FOB term and the resulting USD per metric tonne. Indicative 2026 bands CIF Nhava Sheva: UBC at 78–84% of LME; Taint/Tabor at 82–86%; 6063 at 88–93%; Troma at 90–94%; Tense at 85–90%.
Buyers receiving offers that depart significantly from these bands without explanation should pause: an unusually tight discount may signal a grade misclassification, while a wider-than-market discount may signal a supplier trying to clear off-spec inventory.