Fist-sized, dense fragments produced when cars, appliances and light structures pass through a hammer-mill shredder. The most consistent ferrous grade and the preferred feed of many electric-arc furnaces.
Fist-sized, dense fragments produced when cars, appliances and light structures pass through a hammer-mill shredder. The most consistent ferrous grade and the preferred feed of many electric-arc furnaces.
Shredded scrap is made, not collected. A shredder plant feeds end-of-life vehicles, white goods, demolition sheet and light iron into a hammer mill that tears the metal into pieces roughly the size of a fist. Magnetic separation then lifts the steel away from the non-magnetic residue, which goes on to become Zorba and shredder fluff.
Because every piece has been through the same machine, the product is uniform in size and density. That is what mills pay for: shredded charges fast, packs well in the furnace and melts predictably. Typical density is in the region of 70 pounds per cubic foot and above, with the ReMA specification asking for a magnetically separated product free of loose non-ferrous metal and dirt.
The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Japan run the largest shredder fleets, and shredded is the backbone of their deep-sea scrap exports. Turkey is the world’s largest buyer, taking bulk cargoes into İzmir, İskenderun and the Marmara mills for rebar production. India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam and Egypt are the other big destinations.
Shredded moves mostly in bulk vessels of 20,000 to 50,000 tonnes, loaded with cranes and grabs at deep-water terminals such as Rotterdam, Tilbury, Bremerhaven, Port Newark and Los Angeles. Smaller lots travel in containers to South Asian buyers.
Mills look at density, moisture, the fraction of loose rubber, plastic and glass, and the copper content, which rides along in motor windings and wiring harnesses and cannot be removed in the furnace. A clean, dry shredded with low copper commands a premium over the standard HMS 80:20 blend; a wet, fluff-laden cargo is penalised on weight and price.
Radiation screening and pre-shipment inspection are routine for export cargoes, and the destination country’s import standard may set limits on inert matter and on the share of non-metallic material.
Code: ReMA 210/211 (shredded scrap)
The main importing countries for this grade — each links to the country page with its mills, smelters, price references and named firms.