Steel, Grade Information
Mixed Loads
Mixed ferrous scrap of various gauges and types, the catch-all grade for unsorted steel loads. Lower price per tonne than sorted grades, but accepted without sorting requirements.
Periodic Table Position
History & Interesting Facts
Mixed scrap loads have been a feature of the scrap metal trade since its earliest days. Before the sophisticated sorting and grading systems developed in the 20th century, virtually all scrap was presented as mixed material and graded by the buyer after delivery. The term "obsolete scrap" in the US and "HMS" (heavy melting scrap) in the international trade are the broad categories that most closely correspond to what UK yards call mixed loads. The development of detailed scrap specifications, by organisations including ISRI in the US and BSRA in the UK, progressively formalised scrap grading through the 20th century, improving transparency and pricing accuracy. Mixed loads remain a commercial reality because not every seller has the time, space, or knowledge to sort material, and scrap yards provide the sorting function at a price, reflected in the lower rate paid for mixed versus sorted grades.
Historical Uses
Mixed scrap loads have been the feedstock for steelmaking and ironmaking since the industry's origins. Bessemer and open hearth furnaces of the 19th and early 20th centuries were largely indifferent to the precise form of their scrap input, they were designed to accommodate a wide range of feed materials. The two World Wars drove massive collection of mixed scrap from households, institutions, and industry, much of it processed as mixed material at the furnaces of the time. The wartime "salvage drives" that collected old pots and pans, railings, and miscellaneous steel items produced genuinely mixed loads that were melted as received. As steel quality requirements have increased through the 20th century and residual element contamination has become a more significant quality issue, the value of sorted versus mixed scrap has diverged, incentivising more careful pre-sorting.
Current Uses
Mixed ferrous loads arise from skip hire clearances of general commercial premises, household garage and outbuilding clearances, farm clearances, small commercial demolition projects where sorting is impractical, and general waste management operations where steel is recovered from mixed streams without the ability to segregate by grade. The buyer (scrap yard) accepts the material at the mixed load price and performs the sorting function, segregating heavy steel, light iron, cast iron, and other grades for onward sale or processing at the appropriate grade price. The margin between the mixed load buying price and the component grade selling prices covers the yard's sorting cost and provides margin. QuickStop Metals can accept mixed loads without pre-sorting, sellers pay a price below the equivalent sorted grades' rates in exchange for the convenience.
Future Possible Uses
Mixed loads will remain a feature of the scrap market for the foreseeable future, reflecting the practical reality that not all sellers can sort their material. However, technological advances in rapid automated sorting, AI-powered visual inspection, magnetic and eddy-current separation, and portable XRF, are progressively being brought to bear at scrap yard receiving points, potentially allowing faster and more accurate in-yard sorting of mixed loads. This could narrow the price differential between mixed and sorted grades over time. Environmental and extended producer responsibility regulations may also increasingly require generators of scrap to present more accurately sorted material, reducing the volume of genuinely mixed loads.
Where Does This Scrap Come From?
Mixed loads come from household and commercial skip clearances, farm clearances (old machinery, fencing, and miscellaneous steel), small builders and tradespeople clearing old material from properties, house clearances with miscellaneous steel items, and general commercial waste management operations. The key requirement is that the load is predominantly ferrous, non-ferrous contamination (copper wiring, aluminium items) should be declared and may be separately priced. A magnet test at delivery distinguishes ferrous from non-ferrous content. Mixed loads with significant non-ferrous contamination may be priced as mixed metal rather than mixed ferrous, at a different rate reflecting the combined metal values.
How Is It Remanufactured?
Mixed loads are sorted by scrap yard staff or automated equipment into their component grades (heavy steel, light iron, cast iron, and any non-ferrous items). This sorting may be done at receipt or as part of regular yard operations. Sorted ferrous material is then baled, sheared, or prepared in grade-specific units for sale to steel mills or ferrous metal merchants. Non-ferrous items recovered during sorting are sold into appropriate non-ferrous markets. The scrap yard essentially performs a value-adding sorting function on behalf of the supply chain, taking in mixed material and outputting sorted grades that can be priced and used efficiently by steel mills. The margin between buying and selling prices reflects the sorting cost and the yard's commercial return.
5-Year Price Trend & Forecast
Mixed load prices are the lowest ferrous grade paid at UK scrap yards, typically £20–50/tonne below light iron and £30–70/tonne below heavy steel, reflecting the sorting cost and uncertainty about composition. Over 2021–2026, UK scrap yard prices for mixed ferrous loads have ranged from approximately £60 to £280/tonne, tracking the steel market with the typical grade discount applied. The 2022 spike saw even mixed loads command exceptional prices due to very strong steel mill demand. Through 2023–2025, mixed load prices settled in the £70–160/tonne range. Sellers who take the time to do basic sorting, separating heavy from light material and removing obvious non-ferrous items, invariably achieve a meaningfully better return than presenting everything as mixed.
📌 Note: All scrap yard prices paid by QuickStop Metals are updated daily against the prevailing market rate. Check today’s prices →
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