Plain-language reference

Scrap Metal Terms & Abbreviations

CI, MS, SS, HMS, OCC and the rest — the abbreviations and trade terms you will hear when selling scrap, explained without jargon.
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Scrap and recycling has its own shorthand, and it is confusing the first time you hear it. A single letter can be the difference between two materials priced very differently — CI (cast iron) and SS (stainless steel) look nothing alike, but MS (mild steel) and SS can sit right next to each other in a pile.

This page collects the terms our customers ask about most, grouped by where they come up: the metal itself, paper and plastic, and the market benchmarks you see on our rate board. Every term links back to grading detail on the relevant material page.

Ferrous metal (iron & steel)

The abbreviations that decide which grade — and which rate — your load falls into.

CI — Cast Iron

Heavy, brittle castings — pump bodies, engine blocks, pulleys and machine bases. Bought at its own rate, separate from general iron. Rings dull and chips at a fresh break rather than bending.

MS — Mild Steel

The most common structural and fabrication steel — gates, angles, channels, sheet offcuts, rod and bar. Sometimes called black steel. Different from both cast iron (CI) and stainless steel (SS).

SS — Stainless Steel

Corrosion-resistant steel, mainly graded by series. SS 304 has higher nickel content, is non-magnetic and rates higher; SS 202 has less nickel, is often slightly magnetic and rates lower. We test the grade before quoting rather than assume it.

HMS — Heavy Melting Scrap

Industry term for heavy iron and steel sections — thick plate, structural beams, machinery bodies — dense enough to charge straight into a furnace.

HRC — Hot Rolled Coil

Sheet steel rolled at high temperature; the benchmark grade our Global and India rate tiers quote for steel.

Non-ferrous metal

Copper, brass and aluminium grading terms.

Bare bright copper

Clean, uncoated copper wire above about 1.5 mm thick, with no insulation, solder or oxidation — the top copper grade.

No. 1 / No. 2 copper

Trade grading for copper purity. No. 1 is clean heavy copper — tube, busbar, sheet. No. 2 is thinner, oxidised, painted or soldered copper.

Honey brass

Bright golden machining swarf from turning brass rod — a premium brass grade when kept clean, dry and free of steel swarf.

Paper & plastic

The terms behind the two highest-volume, lowest-value-per-kilogram materials.

OCC — Old Corrugated Containers

The trade term for used corrugated cardboard boxes. Flattened, dry, tape-free OCC recycles efficiently and is in steady demand from packaging mills.

PET

Polyethylene terephthalate — the plastic used in most disposable water and soft-drink bottles. Clear PET is the top plastic grade.

HDPE

High-density polyethylene — drums, jerry cans, crates and milk bottles. A higher-value plastic grade than mixed or coloured plastic.

Market & pricing terms

What you are actually looking at on the live rate board.

LME — London Metal Exchange

Sets the international 3-month forward benchmark price for refined copper, aluminium, lead, zinc and nickel — refined metal, not scrap.

MCX — Multi Commodity Exchange

India's commodity exchange, where domestic metal futures trade. MCX licenses its data and has no free feed, so our India tier shows an honestly labelled currency conversion of the global price instead — never a claimed MCX quote.

$/lb, $/tonne, $/oz

The native unit each futures contract quotes in — pounds for copper, tonnes for aluminium and steel, troy ounces for silver, gold, platinum and palladium.

Common questions

What does CI stand for in scrap?
CI stands for Cast Iron — a distinct, heavier grade of iron from castings such as pump bodies, engine blocks and machine bases, priced separately from general (mild steel) iron.
What is MS in scrap?
MS stands for Mild Steel — the everyday structural and fabrication steel grade, distinct from cast iron (CI) and stainless steel (SS).
What is the difference between SS 304 and SS 202?
SS 304 has higher nickel content, is non-magnetic and fetches a higher scrap rate. SS 202 has less nickel, is often slightly magnetic, and rates lower. We test the grade before quoting rather than take your word or ours for it.
What does OCC mean in scrap?
OCC stands for Old Corrugated Containers — the trade term for used cardboard boxes, the same material bought on our cardboard scrap page.
Why is your India price different from the MCX price?
MCX licenses its data and has no free public feed, so we never claim to show an MCX quote. Our India tier is the global benchmark converted to rupees at the live USD/INR rate — an honest conversion, clearly labelled as such.

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