What's the price difference between aluminium cans, extrusions, and cast aluminium?
Short answer: Extrusions (window and door frames) usually pay the most because they are a consistent, low-silicon alloy smelters can remelt with little processing. Cans (UBC) sit in the middle — a known alloy, but thin-gauge and coated, so more is lost to oxidation on remelt. Cast aluminium pays the least because it is a higher-silicon, mixed alloy that can't go straight back into high-spec products.
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List Free →Why the gap is so large
Extrusions — window frames, door frames, gutter, box section — are almost always a single well-known alloy that can often go straight back into extrusion billet, which makes them the benchmark grade most yards quote against.
Where cans and cast fit
Used beverage cans are a well-defined, globally traded alloy, so buyers know what they’re getting, but the thin gauge and painted coating mean more is lost to oxidation on remelt than with a thick bare extrusion. Cast aluminium — engine blocks, pot metal — uses higher-silicon alloys designed for pouring, not remelting into high-spec stock, so it’s usually downgraded into lower-value secondary ingot.
What this means when selling
If you have a mixed load, ask whether the buyer prices it as one blended rate or by category. Separating extrusion from cans from cast is usually worth ten minutes, since a blended price tends to default toward the lowest-value component.
How ScrapTrade Makes This Easier
ScrapTrade lets you tag a listing by category — cans, extrusion, or cast — instead of lumping everything into one generic aluminium listing, so buyers see the breakdown before they bid.
Ready to sell or source aluminium scrap without the guesswork? ScrapTrade connects verified buyers and sellers with escrow-protected payments and transparent weighing.
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