The code-word specifications published by the Recycled Materials Association — formerly ISRI — are the common language of the global scrap trade.
The code-word specifications published by the Recycled Materials Association — formerly ISRI — are the common language of the global scrap trade.
For decades the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) published the Scrap Specifications Circular — a book of short, precise definitions for every commonly traded grade of ferrous, non-ferrous, paper, and plastic scrap. In 2024 ISRI renamed itself the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA), and the specifications continue under the new name. Traders still say "ISRI grades" in daily conversation.
Each non-ferrous grade carries a memorable code word — copper grades famously run through names like Barley, Berry, Birch, and Candy; aluminium through Taint/Tabor, Tense, and Talon; brass through Honey and its siblings. Ferrous grades are numbered, such as ISRI 200-series codes for HMS.
A contract that simply says "copper scrap" invites a dispute. A contract that names a ReMA code word imports an entire definition — what the material is, what it may and may not contain, and how it should be prepared. When a cargo arrives off-spec, the code word is the yardstick the claim is measured against.
The code words also compress communication: a one-line offer naming a grade, quantity, and price term tells a counterparty everything needed to quote.
Mills publish buying specifications that reference ReMA grades, sometimes with their own additional restrictions — tighter size limits, lower residual tolerances, or radiation certification. Export documentation, letters of credit, and inspection reports all key off the named grade.
The specifications are a living document, updated as the industry changes — new grades have been added over the years for materials like shredded non-ferrous mixes recovered from auto shredders.
The authoritative specifications are published by ReMA and available through its official site at recycledmaterials.org. This page is an editorial overview only — always work from the current official circular in contracts.
This page is a general guide. Requirements may change; check the relevant authority's current information before relying on them.
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