What UBC scrap is — and why Dutch material is sought after
UBC (used beverage can) scrap is aluminium body and lid stock recovered from post-consumer beverage cans, baled to densities of 350–500 kg/m³ for efficient ocean freight. Dutch UBC is among the cleanest UBC streams in Europe because the country's statiegeld deposit-return system collects cans at near-100% efficiency and feeds them into segregated baling lines. The result: less PET contamination, less moisture, consistent bale weights, and predictable recovery yields at the smelter (typically 88–92% metallic recovery).
ISRI specifications for UBC
We supply UBC to ISRI specifications 'Taldon' (loose) and 'Talc' (baled). Talc is defined as 'old aluminum can scrap, baled to a density of not less than 14 lbs/cubic foot, prepared from used beverage cans only, free of foil, dirt, plastic and other foreign material.' We additionally honour the more common contractual UBC clause: minimum 99% aluminium beverage cans, maximum 0.5% PET/HDPE, maximum 0.5% iron, moisture not more than 2%.
Inspection process
Every UBC bale lot is weighed on entry, sampled by random bale extraction, and visually checked for plastic content, food/beverage residue and moisture. Bales failing the visual check are returned to the supplier or rebaled. Pre-shipment inspection by SGS, Bureau Veritas or CCIC is available at load port — the inspector witnesses container stuffing, verifies bale weights, samples for plastics percentage and seals the container.
Bale dimensions and container loading
Standard Nautica UBC bale: 1100 × 1100 × 700 mm, 450–500 kg, densified on a 100-ton baler. Bales load 44 per 20GP for ~22 MT, or 88 per 40HQ for ~40 MT. Containers are floor-lined with kraft paper, photographed before sealing, and weight-verified at the terminal. For high-volume smelters we also offer break-bulk shipments of 500+ MT per parcel on combination carriers from Rotterdam.
Export documentation
UBC shipments from the Netherlands ship with commercial invoice, detailed packing list (bale count and average weight), Bill of Lading, EUR.1 origin certificate where applicable, Annex VII waste-movement document under EU 1013/2006 for non-OECD destinations, plus SGS or CCIC inspection certificate. Indian buyers receive BIS-format documentation; Turkish buyers receive TSE-aligned papers.
Pricing — LME-linked discount
UBC is priced as a discount to the LME 3-month aluminium contract, fixed at contract confirmation. Discounts typically range from $250 to $450/MT depending on prep (loose vs densified), bale density, PET content and destination freight. Higher-density bales (480+ kg/m³) attract the smallest discount because ocean freight per metallic tonne is lowest.
Where Dutch UBC ships
Primary destinations: Nhava Sheva and Mundra (India — for sheet ingot producers), Port Klang (Malaysia — for secondary smelters), Busan (Korea — for can-sheet rolling mills), Mersin (Turkey — for billet casters), Jebel Ali (UAE — for re-export distribution). Sailings depart Rotterdam weekly on Maersk, MSC, CMA-CGM and Hapag-Lloyd services.
Transit times and freight
Rotterdam → Nhava Sheva: 18–22 days. Rotterdam → Port Klang: 24–28 days. Rotterdam → Busan: 30–35 days. Rotterdam → Mersin: 12–14 days. Rotterdam → Jebel Ali: 16–20 days. Ocean freight is built into CIF quotes; FOB Rotterdam offers leave the freight to the buyer's nominated forwarder.
Why buy UBC from Nautica
Nautica's UBC stream comes from one of Europe's most disciplined collection systems, baled to high density, inspected before loading, and shipped on transparent LME-linked terms. We do not blend low-grade material into UBC bales to inflate weights. Repeat buyers in India and Turkey have run our UBC against in-house benchmark contracts and consistently report metallic yield within 1% of forecast.
FAQ-driven order flow
Send an RFQ specifying destination port, tonnage (1×20GP minimum, 25×40HQ for break-bulk discount), preferred inspection agency and payment terms. We respond within 24 hours with a written CIF or FOB offer locked to the LME 3M aluminium reference at offer time. Contract signed → 30% TT → load + inspect within 7–14 days → 70% LC or TT against documents → originals released.