SIST EN 13920-1:2004

Overview

EN 13920-1:2003 - published by CEN - defines general requirements, sampling and tests for aluminium and aluminium-alloy scrap. It sets out how scrap deliveries should be described, inspected and classified to support transparent trade and consistent recycling performance. The standard is the Part 1 foundation for the EN 13920 series; Parts 2–16 contain category‑specific rules (e.g., turnings, skimmings, beverage cans).

Key topics and requirements

• Ordering information: contracts should identify scrap category (reference to the relevant EN 13920 part), condition (moisture, contamination, size), expected metal yield, required chemical composition and required documentation.
• Hazardous contaminants: scrap must not contain asbestos, cadmium, mercury, lithium, selenium, PCBs, explosives, radioactive or medical wastes. Any suspicion of these must be notified to the purchaser.
• Condition and size limits: unless otherwise agreed, scrap is supplied loose; individual pieces should not exceed 600 × 600 × 400 mm or 200 kg.
• Foreign materials: scrap shall be free from foreign material unless otherwise specified for a category.
• Mass tolerances: contractual mass tolerances are specified (e.g., ±5 % for certain single-shipment orders as stated in the standard; multi‑shipment total deviations and per‑shipment verification limits are also defined).
• Sampling principles: samples must represent the inspection lot to determine average chemical composition, foreign‑material percentages and metal yield.
  • Granulated scrap/turnings: take 1–5 % of the lot during/after unloading, quartering and reduce to a 2–5 kg test sample.
  • Skimmings/dross: three alternative procedures - bulk sample (~500 kg) with grinding and sieving, split‑fraction sampling (blocks vs fines) with a block sample ≥100 kg and concentrated metallics sample ≥20 kg, or melting a representative sample/lot.
  • Representative sampling of other scrap categories is prescribed (see Part 1 for minimum sizes).
• Tests:
  • Moisture/volatile removal: oven drying at ~105 °C for water; ~360 °C for oil/emulsion‑containing turnings.
  • Free iron removal: magnetic separation for ferrous iron; manual removal for stainless/non‑magnetic iron; possible shredding or sweating furnace when needed.
  • Metal yield & chemical analysis: melt representative, use covering salts (salt mass ~50 % of scrap mass in crucible tests), cast and sample the metal for composition; grind salt slag to check for metallic inclusions.

Applications and users

• Primary users: scrap traders, recyclers, aluminium smelters, foundries, quality inspectors and procurement professionals.
• Practical uses: defining contract terms, acceptance criteria for incoming scrap, laboratory sampling protocols, determining metal yield for process planning and pricing, and resolving shipment disputes through classification and arbitration procedures.

Related standards

• EN 13920 series (Parts 2–16) - category‑specific requirements.
• prEN 12258-3:2000 - terms and definitions for aluminium scrap.

Keywords: EN 13920-1:2003, aluminium scrap, sampling, tests, metal yield, chemical composition, dross, skimmings, turnings, CEN, recycling, scrap classification.