Aluminium is the most abundant metal on earth and is one of the most common metals used in our everyday life. Think cans, cooking utensils, doors, windows, roofs, and more. It’s also used in all forms of modern transport – cars, trucks, ships, planes, and even spacecraft! Why should this matter to you? Because there’s a good chance you’ve got some end-of-life aluminium gathering dust that you can turn into cash!
What aluminium can I scrap?
One man’s trash becomes another man’s treasure when aluminium scrap enters the mix. Aluminium cans rank among the most common and easily recycled aluminium products. If you’re teaching kids about recycling, aluminium cans make a great place to start. Just make sure they’re clean and free of contaminants before recycling.
Other common aluminium items include:
Cast aluminium cookware (e.g., skillets, baking pans)
Aluminium mag wheels
Window and door frames
Lawnmowers
Car and boat motors (drained of oil and fluids)
Outdoor furniture
Scuba diving tanks (must be de-valved and cut in half)
At Endless, we pay top prices when you bring in your scrap aluminium. We update our prices every Monday to give you the most accurate, up-to-date rates. If your business needs scrap metal bins or collection services, we’re here to help.
Want current pricing? Call our team on 0800 44 88 99, Monday to Friday (7am to 5pm), or Saturday (7am to 1pm).
How is aluminium graded and priced?
Find yourself a piece of aluminium that’s as clean as a whistle and you’ll be in with a grin. Clean means aluminium that’s not mixed with steel (or any other metal, for that matter) and has no contaminants, like wood, glass, or plastic. The cleaner the aluminium, the higher the grade and therefore the price. Aluminium is weighed and paid for by the kilogram.
- Domestic aluminium includes any scrap aluminium that isn’t extruded or cast and has minimal contamination. That means a small amount of oil, plastic, dirt, grease, paint, or anodised finishes is okay. You’ll usually find this in pots, roof sheeting, ladders, guttering, boats, some car bonnets, and window frames with rivets or screws. To qualify as domestic, your aluminium can be slightly ‘dirty’—like a ladder with joins and rivets.
- Aluminium extrusion usually comes from off-cuts or damaged raw material from aluminium joinery factories. It appears in different forms—powder coated, anodised, or mill finished. To be considered extrusion, the material must be clean of any non-aluminium attachments. That means no steel bolts, plastic, screws, or other impurities. Otherwise, we’ll grade it as domestic.
- Aluminium clip refers to new, unused aluminium sheets made from manufacturing off-cuts. These must be completely clean, free from paint or anodising, and uncontaminated by other materials. If you’ve got a boat or car motor, water meter, lawnmower, or even venetian blinds, we usually grade these as irony aluminium—that’s aluminium mixed mostly with steel—and it falls under mixed metal.
Not sure of the value of your scrap aluminium? Our team would love to hear from you, so feel free to send us an enquiry to find out what your scrap metal is worth in today’s market.
How to upgrade and make more money from your aluminium scrap
So how can you be sure to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to scrapping aluminium? First things first, separate your metals so they’re not graded as mixed. If you’ve got some items that are alloys (that is a mix of aluminium with another metal), set them aside from the clean aluminium.
When it comes to selling domestic aluminium, most yards will not allow more than 5% contaminants. Make sure your aluminium is in shipshape condition by removing any steel, plastic, and wooden attachments. There are a few more things you can do to make more money from your aluminium scrap, depending on what you’ve got, so let’s get into the nitty-gritty…
- Mag wheels
Remove the tyres before bringing in your mag wheels—otherwise, we’ll grade them as irony aluminium. Hot tip: take off valves and wheel weights too to get the best return. - Window frames
We’ll accept aluminium window frames with glass still intact, but we’ll apply a waste deduction for the glass disposal. For the best return, remove the glass safely before bringing them in. - Aluminium wire
You’ll mostly find aluminium wire or cable in large electrical setups like power grids and industrial sites. Strip off any plastic PVC to boost the value—cleaner wire means a higher grade. - Aluminium swarf
These dry shavings or trimmings (often from joinery factory cuttings) need to be clean. Make sure they’re free from other metal swarf to meet the right grade.
If in doubt, our top tips are to keep your aluminium as clean as possible and separate your metals as thoroughly as you can. If you have any questions, you’re in good hands with Endless.