How to Identify High-Quality Magnesium Scrap

A comprehensive professional guide covering the identification standards, sorting methods, and quality benchmarks used in the magnesium scrap industry — helping procurement teams and recyclers make informed sourcing decisions.

In the metal recycling and reuse supply chain, the quality of Magnesium (Mg) Scrap is the core factor determining production costs. High-quality scrap significantly improves the melt yield rate and reduces energy consumption during the recycling process.

Three Key Factors Determining Magnesium Scrap Price

Before classification, professional recyclers typically perform a preliminary assessment based on these three criteria:

1. Chemical Composition and Alloy Purity: Is it a single-grade alloy (e.g., AZ91D)? Are impurities such as Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), and Nickel (Ni) within permissible limits?

   
   

2. Physical Form: The size, thickness, and surface-area-to-volume ratio of the scrap. These factors directly impact oxidation loss during melting.

   
   

3. Contamination Control: Is the scrap free of inserts (such as steel bolts or plastic parts), oil, and moisture?

Core Classification of Magnesium Scrap

Based on industry standards and processing sources, Magnesium scrap is categorized into the following four primary classes:

1. Class 1: Premium Industrial Scrap

This is the most stable and highest-value category in the market.

• Source: Remnants from production floors and manufacturing workshops.

• Characteristics: Clean, solid-form finished scrap. Examples include unpainted die-cast parts, runners, and sprues.

• Advantages: Free of oil and contamination with clearly defined alloy grades (Commonly AZ91D, AM50, or AM60). This class offers the highest yield rate.

2. Zorba: Post-Consumer Recycled Scrap

An optimized solution for handling fine scrap materiel

This category originates from shredded end-of-life vehicles (ELV) or electronic waste.

• Characteristics: Mixed non-ferrous metals that have undergone mechanical shredding and sorting, often containing a small percentage of attachments.

• Quality Assessment: Pricing and quality are usually determined by the percentage (%) of attachments. High-quality Zorba features high magnesium content with extremely low foreign material ratios.

3. Magnesium Briquettes / Pucks: High-Density Processed Material

An optimized solution for handling fine scrap materials.

• Process: Fine magnesium turnings or chips are compressed into solid forms using high-pressure equipment.

• Appearance: Cylindrical or block-shaped solids.

• Advantages: Enhances transport convenience and safety. The increased density ensures the material sinks below the melt surface, significantly improving the yield rate compared to loose chips.

4. Magnesium Dross: Melting Byproduct

A natural byproduct generated during the metal melting and refining process.

• Composition: Contains magnesium oxides, flux residues, and small amounts of entrapped metallic magnesium.

• Value: Although a byproduct, high-quality dross can still be processed through specialized secondary recovery techniques to extract residual metallic magnesium.