Short answer: factory offcuts scrap in Abu Dhabi is paid by weight, and the rate depends on three things you control: each metal and alloy in its own bin, turnings dry and free of oil and coolant, and no steel in a non-ferrous drum. A plant that sorts at the machine gets a better rate on every collection.
We collect offcuts and swarf from fabrication shops, machine shops and production lines around Musaffah every week. Most factories treat this metal as a by-product and leave it to sort itself out, which it never does. A drum fills by the lathe, a skip fills by the laser cutter, and by the end of the month it is one mixed pile. This is how we look at a load, and the simple habits that make it worth more.
What counts as offcuts and turnings?
Offcuts
Offcuts are the solid pieces left after cutting: bar ends, plate skeletons after laser or plasma cutting, extrusion ends, pipe and tube cut-offs, punchings and rejected parts. They are easy to identify and easy to grade, because you can see what each piece is.
Turnings and swarf
Turnings, also called swarf or chips, are what comes off a lathe, mill or drill. They are light, bulky and come off the machine wet. Turnings are where most of the value is lost, because they mix easily, hold oil, and look much the same whichever metal they came from.
How are factory offcuts graded in Abu Dhabi?
Every load is weighed, and each metal is rated on its own. Copper pays more than brass, brass more than aluminium, and stainless steel more than mild steel. Inside each metal there are grades too: clean aluminium extrusion is worth more than mixed aluminium, and red brass more than yellow. The table shows how the common streams rank. It is a guide to the order, not a price list.
| Material | Solid offcuts | Turnings | What pulls it down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | Highest | High if dry | Brass or steel mixed in, oil |
| Brass and gunmetal | High | Middle to high | Mixed alloys, steel chips, coolant |
| Stainless steel | Middle to high | Middle | Mild steel in the bin, mixed grades |
| Aluminium | Middle | Lower | Mixed alloys, steel inserts, oil and moisture |
| Mild steel | Lower | Lowest | Rubbish, rust, very wet swarf |
Non-ferrous rates follow the global metal markets, and the London Metal Exchange is the reference most buyers watch. If you machine a lot of copper, our guide to copper grades and the rate they get goes deeper, and the same goes for brass and gunmetal from industrial plants.
Aluminium deserves a word of its own. Extrusion offcuts from window, facade and enclosure shops are among the cleanest scrap a factory can produce, as long as thermal breaks, rubber gaskets and screws are kept out of the bin. Painted and anodised ends are fine, but keep them apart from bare mill finish if you have enough of each. There is more on alloys and sorting in our piece on aluminium from factories and building sites.
Why sorting at the machine pays
When two grades share a drum, the whole drum is valued close to the lower one, because someone would have to separate them by hand before the metal can be used. A labelled bin next to each machine costs almost nothing. It is the cheapest way to raise what you are paid.
- One bin per metal at minimum: steel, stainless, aluminium, brass, copper.
- Where volumes justify it, one bin per alloy you machine regularly.
- Rejected parts with inserts, bushes or fasteners in a separate bin, so they do not spoil a clean one.
- Clear labels in the languages your operators read, and a supervisor who checks them at the end of the shift.
Sorting at the end of the month does not work nearly as well. By then turnings from three machines have been tipped together and nobody remembers which job was brass and which was bronze.
Turnings: oil, coolant and moisture
Draining before collection
Cutting oil and coolant add weight that is not metal, and a buyer has to allow for it. Very wet swarf can also leak in transport, which is a problem for everyone. Letting turnings drain in a perforated bin or a drip tray before they go into the collection drum makes a real difference to the rate. Keep long stringy turnings and short chips apart if you can, and keep rubbish, gloves and wipes out of the drums. The drained coolant and oil are waste, not scrap, and go to a licensed handler under Abu Dhabi's waste rules, with Tadweer as the Abu Dhabi waste authority.
Steel in the wrong drum
The most common deduction we make on a factory load is steel where it should not be. A steel bolt in a brass fitting, steel chips in an aluminium drum, a mild steel offcut thrown in with stainless. Each one is small. Across a full drum it pulls the grade down, and on a sorted load it starts an argument nobody needs. A magnet on a string, used by the operator at the end of a shift, avoids most of it. Most stainless barely reacts to a magnet, so a piece that grabs hard does not belong in the stainless bin.
How does collection work for a factory?
For a steady flow of offcuts, a regular collection usually suits a factory better than calling us when the floor is full. Eight trucks run out of our yard, including two hydraulic skip trucks, so a skip can sit on your site and be swapped when it fills. Two trucks are fitted with hiabs for heavier items such as plate skeletons in stillages or rejected castings. Drums and bulk bags of non-ferrous turnings are collected separately so they stay clean.
Every load is weighed, and you get the weight, the grade and the rate on paper for each collection. That record is what your finance team needs, and it makes the numbers easy to check month to month. The price we quote is the price we pay, with nothing quietly deducted at the weighbridge. If you want the full picture of a factory collection, from the first visit to the weighbridge ticket, see how we collect from factories across Abu Dhabi.
What to send us for a quote
Tell us which metals and alloys you produce, a rough monthly quantity for each, whether turnings are dry or wet, and how much space you have for bins or a skip. A few photos of the drums help, and so does the site location in Musaffah, ICAD or KIZAD. With that we can suggest a collection rhythm and give you a working rate.
Our office is open Monday to Friday, 7 am to 4 pm. Call or WhatsApp +971 55 229 2646, ring the landline on +971 2 622 4258, or use the form on this page.
Common questions
Do you buy small quantities of offcuts?
Yes, but the economics are better when a factory builds up a sensible quantity per metal first. For small, regular volumes a skip or a few drums collected on a schedule usually works best.
Are oily turnings accepted?
Yes. The oil and coolant are allowed for in the rate, so draining turnings before collection gets you a better price. Swarf that is dripping wet needs to be drained before it can be loaded.
Does mixing aluminium alloys matter?
It matters for clean extrusion and other single-alloy material, which pays better when kept separate. If you only produce small amounts of each alloy, keeping aluminium away from other metals is the main thing.
Can you leave a skip at our factory?
Yes. Two of our trucks are hydraulic skip trucks, so a skip can stay on site and be swapped when it is full. Tell us the space you have and the rough monthly quantity.
How do we tell stainless offcuts from mild steel?
Use a magnet. Mild steel grabs hard, while most stainless barely reacts. A quick check at the end of each shift keeps the stainless bin clean and protects its grade.
