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CBIL
Metals & Recycled Scrap
All Metal Scrap

Cast Iron Scrap

Motor blocks, heavy breakable cast and foundry borings

Cast iron is a separate purchase from steel scrap because it is a separate material: 2.5–4% carbon against steel's fraction of a percent, plus 1–3% silicon, which is precisely what a foundry wants in a cupola or induction charge and what a steel mill does not. The grades that trade are heavy breakable cast — machinery bases, pipe, radiators, counterweights and heavy castings broken to charge size — clean auto cast, motor blocks with the aluminium and non-ferrous attachments either stripped or explicitly declared, and cast iron borings and machine-shop turnings from engineering works. Size is a contractual term, not a detail: cupola charging and induction furnace coil geometry both cap the piece dimensions a foundry can accept, and a cargo of unbroken engine blocks or two-metre pipe sections is an expensive problem at the far end. We contract to the buyer's charge dimensions, commonly 0.5 m maximum, with weight limits per piece where the furnace requires it.

The two things that decide whether a cast cargo is worth its price are attachments and preparation. Unstripped motor blocks carry aluminium pistons, copper windings, bearing metal and sometimes residual oil — all of which reduce the payable iron and, in the case of copper, contaminate the melt. If they are there they must be declared and priced, not discovered on discharge. Borings and turnings carry cutting oil, swarf fines and moisture, oxidise quickly in storage and are often briquetted before charging to avoid blow-back and yield loss; contract them with an oil and moisture ceiling and expect a discount to solids that reflects the real recovery, not the theoretical one. Free-of clauses run the same as ferrous generally — no radioactive material, no sealed vessels, no explosives — with radiation scanning and a certificate at loading. Cast is dense, so containers load out on weight at around 25–27 MT per 20ft box, and we arrange SGS or Intertek supervision at stuffing 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

$290–360 USD / MT

as at September 2026

IncotermsFOB · CFR · CIF
OriginsEurope, UK, USA, South Africa (export permit)
PackagingLoose broken cast in 20ft containers; borings drummed, bagged or briquetted
HS Code7204.10

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.

Europe · UK · USA · South Africa (export permit)

Typical Specification

Carbon2.5–4.0%
Silicon1.0–3.0%
Piece Size≤ 0.5 m to buyer's charge dimensions
Non-Ferrous AttachmentsStripped or declared and priced
Oil & Moisture (Borings)≤ 2% oil · ≤ 1% moisture
Loadability25–27 MT per 20ft container

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

Available Grades

Heavy Breakable Cast (HBC)Clean Auto CastMotor Blocks — StrippedMotor Blocks — Unstripped (Declared)Cast Iron Borings & Machine-Shop TurningsDuctile / SG Iron Returns

Applications

  • Cupola & induction foundry charge
  • Grey and ductile iron casting
  • Counterweight & pipe casting
  • Brake disc & automotive castings

Category

Metals & Recycled Scrap

Incoterms

FOB · CFR · CIF

Pricing basis

USD / MT

Inspection

SGS / Intertek at load port

Cast Iron Scrap — 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 is cast iron scrap priced separately from HMS?

Different chemistry, different buyer. Cast runs 2.5–4% carbon and 1–3% silicon, which is what a foundry wants in a cupola or induction charge and what a steel mill has to dilute away. Foundries pay for cast on its own merits; a steel melt shop treats it as a contaminant in an HMS cargo. Keeping the two segregated at the yard is worth real money on both sides.

Do you supply stripped or unstripped motor blocks?

Both, but the difference is written into the contract and the price. Unstripped blocks carry aluminium pistons, copper windings and bearing metal, which cut the payable iron and put copper into a melt that does not want it. If you are buying unstripped we declare it up front and price the attachments in. What we will not do is ship unstripped material against a clean-cast specification.

What size do you cut cast iron to?

To your charge. Cupola charging and induction coil geometry both cap piece dimensions, so we contract to the buyer's number — commonly 0.5 m maximum, with per-piece weight limits where the furnace needs them. Unbroken blocks and long pipe sections are cheap to buy and expensive to handle at the far end, so it is worth specifying this before the cargo is stuffed rather than after.

Are cast iron borings worth buying?

They are, if the price reflects the real recovery. Borings carry cutting oil, fines and moisture, oxidise fast and often need briquetting before charging. Contract an oil and moisture ceiling, price against recovered metal rather than gross weight, and they can be a genuinely economic charge component. Bought loose on a solids price, they are not.

Ready to source Cast Iron Scrap?

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

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

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