Metals & Recycled Scrap

UBC Aluminium Scrap (Used Beverage Cans)

Name: UBC Aluminium Scrap (Used Beverage Cans)
Brand: CBIL
Availability: InStock

Mill-spec baled used beverage cans for closed-loop can sheet

Used beverage cans are the closest thing aluminium has to a closed loop, and mills that roll can sheet buy them as a raw material rather than as scrap. The reason is alloy consistency: a can body is 3004 and the lid is 5182, and the two together sit in a narrow, predictable chemistry band that lets a rolling mill return the metal to can stock with modest correction. That is worth a premium over general mixed aluminium — but only if the bale is to specification. Mill specifications are written around density, moisture and contamination: bales are contracted at a minimum density, commonly around 400–500 kg/m³, to dimensions the mill's charging system can handle, at a moisture ceiling in the low single digits, and free of steel cans, aerosol cans, plastic bottles, glass, liquid residue, lead and other loose non-ferrous metal. Aerosols matter more than their volume suggests: a pressurised can in a shredder or a delacquering furnace is a genuine hazard, and the free-of clause covering them is not boilerplate.

The economics come down to metallic recovery after the coating comes off. UBC arrives lacquered and printed, and that organic coating is burned off in a delacquering or thermal decoating step before melting; a well-prepared, dry, contaminant-free bale returns roughly 88–92% metallic recovery, while wet or dirty material loses several points and can foul the decoating line. This is why UBC prices per tonne of contained metal in practice even when it is invoiced per tonne gross, and why the moisture ceiling earns its place in the contract. We source baled, briquetted and shredded-and-decoated UBC from collection systems, deposit schemes and beverage-industry offcut streams across Europe, the UK and North America, arrange SGS or Intertek verification of bale density, moisture and contamination at loading, radiation scanning with certificate, and Basel Annex VII documentation where the shipment route requires it. Bales load at roughly 18–20 MT per 20ft container depending on density, on FOB, CFR and CIF terms.

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices Misurata to Izmir scrap freight on LaycanDesk.

Excluded origins are not offered, including product re-exported, blended or re-processed through a third country. Every lot moves with a certificate of origin naming the producing plant, mine or grower country, and nothing is quoted before the seller and loading point are known.

Indicative reference

$1,550–1,900 USD / MT

as at September 2026

IncotermsFOB · CFR · CIF

OriginsEurope, UK, USA, Southeast Asia

PackagingHigh-density briquettes or mill-spec bales in 40ft High Cube (24–25.5 MT with tri-axle chassis) or 20ft containers

HS Code7602.00 (PK PCT 7602.0090)

Reference level only — not an offer, and reviewed quarterly. Levels shown are as at September 2026. Firm pricing is quoted per RFQ, subject to volume, terms and inspection.

UBC Aluminium Scrap (Used Beverage Cans) — sourcing, inspection and logistics

Europe · UK · USA · Southeast Asia

Typical Specification

ISRI SpecificationISRI Taldon (briquettes) / ISRI Talcred (bales)

Alloy3004 body / 5182 lid

Metallic Recovery88–92% after de-lacquering

Briquette Density≥ 50 lbs/cu.ft (briquettes); ≈ 400–500 kg/m³ (bales)

Moisture≤ 2–4% max

Free OfSteel & aerosol cans · plastic · glass · liquid · lead

Container Payload24.0–25.5 MT per 40ft HC (tri-axle chassis) / 19–21 MT per 20ft

Specifications are indicative and adjusted to the agreed contract and destination requirements. Final spec confirmed on COA / SGS.

Available Grades

ISRI Taldon — Densified / Briquetted UBC Biscuits (≥ 50 lbs/cu.ft)Baled UBC — Mill Specification (400–500 kg/m³)Loose & Shredded UBCShredded & De-Coated UBCPainted Can Stock Offcuts (New Production)

Applications

Can sheet rolling (closed loop)
Secondary aluminium smelting & billet casting
Die-casting alloy production (A356 / ADC12)
Deoxidant for steelmaking

UBC Aluminium Scrap (Used Beverage Cans) — buyer questions

Which origins do you not handle?

Scrap of excluded origin is not offered, including material collected, processed or re-exported through a third country. Each lot moves with a certificate of origin and a radiation-free certificate, and the seller declares where the scrap was generated before a price is discussed.

Why does UBC price above general mixed aluminium scrap?

Alloy consistency. A can body is 3004 and the lid is 5182, so a bale of UBC lands in a narrow chemistry band that a rolling mill can return to can sheet with modest correction — a closed loop rather than a downgrade. Mixed aluminium has to be diluted and corrected into whatever alloy the caster can reach, which is worth less. The premium survives only if the bale meets the mill's density, moisture and contamination specification.

How does UBC aluminium scrap clear Pakistan Customs without penal surcharges?

Under Pakistan Customs tariff rulings, clean segregated Used Beverage Cans (ISRI Taldon briquettes or baled UBC) classify under PCT 7602.0090 (Other Aluminium Waste and Scrap) carrying 0% Customs Duty and 0% Additional Customs Duty (subject only to standard sales tax). However, if UBC is mixed with municipal shred, automotive Zorba, or iron attachments, customs appraisers reclassify the container under PCT 7602.0010, triggering a 20% regulatory duty and 14% penal surcharge (34% total penal duty). CBIL structures stuffing exclusively with pre-shipment SGS inspection verifying zero ferrous contamination and high density (≥ 50 lbs/cu.ft) on tri-axle chassis to achieve 24–25 MT net payload.

What bale specification do mills actually require?

Density first — commonly around 400–500 kg/m³ for bales or ≥ 50 lbs/cu.ft for briquettes — to dimensions the charging system can take, then a moisture ceiling in the low single digits, then the free-of list: no steel or aerosol cans, no plastic, glass or liquid residue, no lead or loose non-ferrous. We verify density, moisture and contamination through SGS or Intertek at loading rather than accepting the baler's word for it.

What metallic recovery should I expect from a UBC bale?

Around 88–92% from dry, clean, well-prepared material after de-lacquering. Wet or contaminated bales lose several points and can foul the decoating line, which costs more than the metal. In practice UBC is valued on contained metal even when it is invoiced gross — so the moisture ceiling is a commercial term, not a formality.

Why are aerosol cans singled out in the free-of clause?

Because a pressurised can entering a shredder or a decoating furnace is a real hazard to the plant and the people running it, and a handful in a bale is enough to cause an incident. The same logic covers liquid residue and sealed containers. It is one of the clauses we will not soften, and inspection at loading is there specifically to catch it.

Ready to source UBC Scrap?

Send your quantity, specification, preferred Incoterms and destination port. Qualified requirements receive a workable offer against verified supply.

Have UBC Scrap to sell? Submit an offer — we'll match it against live buyer demand.