Aluminium, Grade Information
Aluminium Extrusions
Aluminium extruded profiles, from window and door frames to structural sections and heatsinks. A clean, consistent-composition grade from construction, engineering, and electronics.
Periodic Table Position
History & Interesting Facts
Aluminium extrusion, forcing heated aluminium billet through a shaped die to produce continuous profiles, was first patented by Alexander Dick in 1894 and became commercially significant in the early 20th century. The ability to produce complex cross-sectional shapes in a single pass made extrusion the enabling technology for modern aluminium architecture: window frames, curtain wall mullions, and structural glazing systems all depend on extruded profiles for their precise geometry. Britain developed a strong aluminium extrusion industry through the mid-20th century, supplying construction and engineering markets. The heat sink, an extruded aluminium profile with fins that dissipates heat from electronic components, became ubiquitous in electronics manufacturing from the 1960s onward and is now produced in enormous quantities for computer processors, power electronics, LED lighting, and electric vehicle inverters. Aluminium extrusions are designed for specific alloys (typically 6000-series, particularly 6063 and 6082) that provide an optimal combination of extrudability, strength, and corrosion resistance.
Historical Uses
Aluminium extrusions have been central to British architecture since the post-WWII building boom. Curtain wall systems (the glass-and-aluminium building envelope system used on virtually every post-1960 commercial building) rely on extruded aluminium mullions and transoms. Window and door frames in the vast majority of UK commercial buildings are extruded aluminium. The aerospace industry uses extruded aluminium sections for fuselage frames, floor beams, and stringer sections. Rail transport uses extruded aluminium in carriage body structures, the Pendolino and other modern British train fleets use double-skin aluminium extrusion for their lightweight car bodies. Automotive roof rails, running boards, and crash management systems (bumper beams) are extruded aluminium. Industrial machinery uses extruded aluminium structural framing systems (T-slot profiles) for flexible machine guarding and workstation construction.
Current Uses
Aluminium extrusion scrap arises from window and door replacement, commercial building refurbishments, demolition projects stripping curtain walling, electronic equipment disposal (heatsinks), solar panel frame replacement (solar panel frames are almost universally extruded 6063 aluminium), rail vehicle end-of-life processing, and fabrication workshop offcuts. The 6000-series alloy family used in most extrusions (6063, 6060, 6082) is well-suited to re-extrusion after recycling, making aluminium extrusion scrap a high-value circular material. Solar panel installation is creating enormous new volumes of extruded aluminium frame scrap as first-generation panels (installed 2000–2015) reach their 25-year design life through the late 2020s.
Future Possible Uses
The solar energy transition will make extruded aluminium frame recycling one of the largest circular economy flows in UK manufacturing. Global solar panel installations represent several million tonnes of 6063 aluminium frame, much of which will return as scrap through the 2030s and 2040s as panels reach end of life. EV battery pack housings, increasingly designed as extruded aluminium enclosures, will generate a new and substantial scrap stream as the first generation of mass-market EVs reaches end of life from the late 2020s. Data centre construction (driven by AI infrastructure investment) is consuming large quantities of extruded aluminium heatsinks and server rack components. The UK government's net-zero building regulations are driving replacement of old windows and curtain walling with high-performance systems, generating aluminium extrusion scrap while consuming new aluminium (with increasing recycled content).
Where Does This Scrap Come From?
Aluminium extrusion scrap reaches scrap yards from window installation companies (old frame removal), commercial glazing specialists (curtain wall replacement), roofing and solar contractors (solar frame removal), demolition contractors, electronics recyclers (server and computing equipment heatsinks), rail vehicle processors (end-of-life rolling stock dismantling), and aluminium extrusion fabricators generating offcut sections. The material should be free from heavy steel inserts, concrete fill, and excessive plastic trim components to achieve the best price. Solar panel aluminium frames often have small steel mounting clips attached, these should be removed where practical. The consistent 6000-series alloy composition of most extruded profiles makes this grade particularly valuable as a wrought alloy recycling feedstock.
How Is It Remanufactured?
Aluminium extrusions are shredded or cut to manageable lengths, then de-coated if anodised or painted. At a secondary smelter, the material is charged into a melting furnace. Because 6000-series wrought alloys have low iron content, they can be re-alloyed and cast into extrusion billet rather than downgraded to casting alloy. This "closed-loop" recycling of extrusion scrap into new extrusion billet is the highest-value recovery path and is increasingly practised in Europe. The alloy is confirmed by OES, adjusted if necessary, degassed, and cast into round billets. Billets are homogenised (heat-treated to ensure uniform microstructure), then loaded into the extrusion press, where they are heated to about 500°C and forced through a die to produce new extruded profiles. The energy saving versus primary extrusion billet is approximately 95%.
5-Year Price Trend & Forecast
Aluminium extrusion scrap prices are similar to or slightly below clean sheet at UK scrap yards, reflecting the similar alloy family and processing route. Prices over 2021–2026 have ranged from approximately £800 to £1,500/tonne, tracking LME aluminium movements closely. The energy crisis in Europe in 2021–2022 caused primary aluminium prices to spike dramatically, reaching over $3,800/tonne on the LME, before moderating. UK scrap prices for extrusions in 2025–2026 are broadly in the £900–1,300/tonne range. The growing volume of solar panel frame scrap reaching the market from the late 2020s onwards may create some modest downward pressure on pricing from increased supply, though strong demand from the EV and construction sectors should provide offsetting support.
📌 Note: All scrap yard prices paid by QuickStop Metals are updated daily against the prevailing market rate. Check today’s prices →
Ready to sell your Aluminium Extrusions?
Drive straight in to any of our three depots. No appointment needed, same day payment.
Ready to sell or have a question?