Short answer: An induction furnace making ingots and billets can take sorted mixed MS scrap, as long as it is not galvanised, is reasonably dry and clean, and fits the crucible. A casting foundry pouring to a chemistry specification usually wants cleaner, denser scrap, such as heavy plate offcuts with no paint, because its castings must meet limits on residual elements. For either buyer, the checks are the same: no zinc coating, no non-MS metals, no sealed containers, little rust and dirt, a piece size that fits the furnace, and a weighbridge slip and tax invoice with every truck.
This guide is for induction-furnace units and MS casting foundries in Gujarat that buy MS melting scrap by the truckload. It explains the difference between the two kinds of scrap that come out of ship-recycling plate, and what to check before you buy either one.
What is melting scrap?
Melting scrap (in Hindi, मेल्टिंग स्क्रैप) is steel scrap that goes to a furnace to be melted down, not cut or rolled into a product. MS (mild steel) melting scrap is bought by induction furnaces making ingots and billets and by casting foundries. From ship-recycling plate, two kinds come to market:
- Profile melting (the trade also calls it profile cutting scrap) is the plate skeleton left after circles and profiles are gas-cut from MS plate: heavy plate-thickness offcuts with no paint. MS casting foundries buy it. See MS profile melting scrap.
- Attachment scrap is the sorted MS melting scrap left from a ship-recycling lot after the plates and profile-cutting material are taken out, such as cut angles, channels, beams and flats. It may carry paint. Induction-furnace units melt it for ingots and billets. See MS attachment scrap.
Two buyers, two needs
Induction furnaces making ingots and billets. In the Bhavnagar region, mostly around Sihor, there are about 60 induction furnaces and 80 re-rolling mills. Steel scrap is first melted into ingots and billets in the induction furnace, and the re-rolling mills then roll the ingots and billets into bars and other steel products (iNDEXTb, Vehicle Scrappage Park profile). The billet maker needs volume, a steady yield and a charge that melts fast.
Casting foundries. A foundry pours steel into moulds to make finished shapes. Carbon steel castings in India are made to IS 1030, which sets maximum limits on residual elements: for example 0.40% nickel, 0.35% chromium, 0.40% copper and 0.15% molybdenum. The standard also says "all reasonable precautions shall be taken to prevent contamination from scrap" (IS 1030:1998, Table 1 and clause 8.4.1). So the foundry cares more about what is in the scrap than about the price per tonne alone.
Neither can refine much. An induction furnace melts the charge but has little refining capacity, so charge materials "must be free of oxides" and what goes in largely stays in (Wikipedia: Induction furnace). Clean scrap in means clean steel out.
Plate offcuts vs sorted mixed MS
| Dense plate offcuts (profile melting) | Sorted mixed MS scrap (attachment scrap) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The plate skeleton left after circles and profiles are gas-cut from heavy MS plate | MS pieces sorted out of a ship-recycling lot after the plate is taken out |
| Section | Plate thickness; heavy and flat | Mixed shapes and thicknesses |
| Surface | Cut plate, no paint | May carry paint |
| Charging | Dense; packs well in the crucible | Less dense; may need cutting to fit |
| Typical buyer | MS casting foundries | Induction furnaces making ingots and billets |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
Grade names for context. The Indian ferrous scrap standard, IS 2549:2023, groups scrap as "prompt" (from processing and manufacturing), "obsolete" (after end of life) and "home" scrap (IS 2549:2023, clause 1.1). Plate offcuts from cutting are prompt scrap. Scrap from a dismantled ship is obsolete scrap. The standard's heavy melting grades are HMS-1 (uncoated, at least 6 mm thick) and HMS-2 (coated and uncoated, at least 3 mm), both cut to lie flat in the charging box and at most 1500 × 600 mm (clauses 10.1.1 and 10.1.2). The same grades are used in world trade under the ReMA (ISRI) specifications (ReMA ISRI Specifications).
Why ship scrap is often sold under its own name. A ship-recycling lot contains many steel shapes, thicknesses and coatings. Unless it has been cut and graded to HMS-1 or HMS-2, a seller may sell it under a trade name instead. If you need an HMS grade, write the grade and the IS 2549 clause into the order. Otherwise buy on photos of the exact heap.
Contamination checks
IS 2549:2023 sets rules that apply to every grade. Use them as your checklist.
Zinc (galvanised steel). Zinc boils at about 907 °C, far below the melting point of steel, so it leaves the melt as fume. HMS-1 must be uncoated (clause 10.1.1). Look for a crystal-like "spangle" on the surface or white rust.
Paint. Paint burns off in the furnace as smoke. Ships can carry "environmentally hazardous substances such as asbestos, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, ozone depleting substances", which is why the Hong Kong Convention requires a ship-specific inventory of hazardous materials before recycling (IMO: Hong Kong Convention). Ask the seller how much of the load is painted, and check the photos.
Non-MS metals. IS 2549 says every grade must be free of visible copper (motors, wire, cable, radiator cores), free of tin and lead in any form, and that chromium, nickel and molybdenum-bearing parts such as gears, axles, tools and dies are restricted (clauses 6.1–6.4). For a foundry working to IS 1030 residual limits, alloy-steel parts and bronze bearings in the charge are a real problem. A magnet helps: stainless steel of the austenitic type is "usually non-magnetic" (Wikipedia: Stainless steel), and so are copper and brass.
Dirt, rust and non-metallics. All grades must be free of dirt, excessive rust, slag and mill scale, and of rubber, plastic, wood and oil "as far as possible" (clauses 5.1 and 5.2).
Sealed containers and water. No gas bottles, closed tanks or undrained hydraulic cylinders, and no standing water. Water trapped in hot metal can cause a steam explosion. Our truck checklist, How to check a truck of MS melting scrap, covers these gate checks in detail.
Yield and density
Yield. Every tonne of rust, paint and dirt you buy is a tonne that does not become steel. One industry guide gives indicative induction-furnace yields of 90–93% for HMS-1 and 88–91% for HMS-2 (SteelMath). Treat these as rough figures and measure the yield of each supplier on your own heats.
Density. Dense scrap charges faster and fills the crucible with more metal per charge. IS 2549 says low-density scrap should be compacted before it is charged (clause 9.1). Plate offcuts are dense by nature. Mixed scrap may need cutting to lie flat.
Piece size. Tell the seller the largest piece your crucible or charging bucket takes. IS 2549 allows other sizes "as agreed between the buyer and the supplier" (clause 10.1.1).
No mixing. "No delivery shall contain a mixture of grades, unless mutually agreed between the supplier and the purchaser" (IS 2549, clause 6.7). If you are buying plate offcuts, the load should not be topped up with mixed scrap.
Documents
Every truck should come with a tax invoice (an e-invoice where the seller's turnover requires one), an e-way bill where the value requires one, and a weighbridge slip showing gross, tare and net weight. Our guide Documents in a steel scrap sale in India explains each one, including GST TDS and TCS on scrap.
Which one to ask for
- Casting foundry, chemistry-sensitive work: ask for dense plate offcuts with no paint, and ask the seller to confirm that the load is MS and not galvanised.
- Induction furnace making ingots or billets: sorted MS scrap is usually the better-value charge, provided it is not galvanised and fits the crucible.
- Either: send the seller photos of the scrap you use now, and compare them with photos of the exact heap before loading.
At J.S. STEEL we sell both from our Bhavnagar yard: MS profile melting scrap, the dense plate skeletons left after we gas-cut circles, with no paint; and MS attachment scrap, sorted MS scrap from Alang ship-recycling lots that may carry paint. Both are MS and not galvanised. We do not give a chemistry guarantee for scrap lots. We send photos of the exact material before every load, and every truck load goes with a GST tax invoice (an e-invoice for GST-registered buyers), an e-way bill when the consignment requires one, and a weighbridge slip.
Sources
- IS 2549:2023, Processed Ferrous Scrap — Code for Classification (BIS), full text via Public.Resource.Org
- IS 1030:1998, Carbon steel castings for general engineering purposes (BIS), full text via Public.Resource.Org
- ReMA's ISRI Specifications Circular, July 2026 (PDF)
- iNDEXTb (Government of Gujarat): Vehicle Scrappage Park, Bhavnagar — project profile (PDF)
- IMO: The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships
- SteelMath: Steel scrap grades classification guide
- Wikipedia: Induction furnace
- Wikipedia: Zinc
- Wikipedia: Stainless steel