Aluminium-copper radiators
ISRI Talk, known throughout the trade as ACR. Aluminium fins on copper tubing, recovered from vehicle air-conditioning — and priced on two metals at once, which is where most of the confusion starts.
CuISRI Aluminium-Copper Radiators (ACR)
- Aluminium fins on copper tubing (ACR)
- Free of brass tubing, iron and foreign material
- AC condensers and heat exchangers
- Priced on combined Cu + Al recovery
Typical outlets:
- Copper-aluminium separation plants
- Secondary smelters
- Copper recovery
- Metal recovery
What ACR is
Aluminium-copper radiators, ACR, carry the ISRI code word Talk. The material is aluminium fins mechanically bonded to copper tubing, recovered from automotive air-conditioning condensers and heat exchangers.
It is not a single metal, and that is the point of the grade. A shipment contains both aluminium and copper in proportions that vary by unit design, and it is priced on the combined recovery of the two rather than on either alone.
Telling ACR apart from the other radiators
Three radiator types come out of a vehicle and they are worth markedly different money. Confusing them is the most common and most expensive mistake on this material.
ACR (Talk) is aluminium fin on copper tube — the air-conditioning condenser. Copper and brass radiators are the older engine-cooling type, copper tube with brass tanks, and are a different and higher-value grade. All-aluminium radiators contain no copper at all and price as aluminium.
A magnet tells you nothing useful here, since none of them are ferrous. The reliable test is the tubing: scrape through the fin material and look at what the tube itself is. Copper tube under aluminium fin is ACR.
What must be removed
Shipments must be clean and free of brass tubing, iron, and other foreign material. In practice the items that cause problems are steel mounting brackets, plastic end tanks, rubber hosing and residual refrigerant oil.
Iron in particular is penalised, because it has to be removed before the copper and aluminium can be separated. Removing brackets before the material is weighed in is straightforward work that pays for itself.
Refrigerant must be recovered by a competent person before an air-conditioning unit is dismantled. That is an environmental requirement, not a commercial preference.
How the value is worked out
ACR is priced on its combined copper and aluminium recovery. The copper carries most of the value, so the copper-to-aluminium ratio of the particular units in a shipment drives the number.
Because that ratio varies by design, ACR is assessed on the material rather than quoted blind from a description. Photographs of a representative shipment are normally enough for a firm indication, and the basis is confirmed in writing before collection.
Every grade we trade in this metal is listed on the النحاس page. If you have material to sell, see how to sell non-ferrous scrap metal.
أسئلة شائعة
Aluminium-copper radiators, explained
What does ISRI Talk mean?
Talk is the ISRI code word for aluminium-copper radiators — aluminium fins on copper tubing, recovered from automotive air-conditioning condensers and heat exchangers. ACR and Talk describe the same material.
How do I tell ACR from a copper and brass radiator?
Look at the tube rather than the fin. ACR has copper tube with aluminium fin and comes from the air-conditioning system. A copper and brass radiator is the older engine-cooling type, with copper tube and brass tanks, and is a separate and higher-value grade.
Are all-aluminium radiators worth the same as ACR?
No. An all-aluminium radiator contains no copper and is priced as aluminium. ACR carries copper tubing, which is where most of its value sits, so the two should be kept apart.
Do steel brackets need to come off before selling?
Yes, wherever practical. Iron has to be removed before the copper and aluminium can be separated, so it is penalised in the price. Stripping brackets is usually worth the time.
What about the refrigerant in air-conditioning units?
Refrigerant must be recovered by a competent person before dismantling. That is a legal requirement under environmental regulation, and units are accepted already de-gassed.
هل تتداول ACR radiators؟
أرسل الصنف والكمية والصور والموقع، وسنقدّم لك عرض سعر نهائياً.
أو راسلنا على info@mohmet.co.uk