Do you know the difference between virgin and recycled aluminum?

（1）In terms of appearance：

Color & Gloss：

Primary Aluminum: White color with metallic luster and high surface finish. Because primary aluminum is extracted from aluminum ore, it has high purity and few impurities, so the original color of the metal can be fully displayed.

Recycled Aluminum: It is usually darker in color, mostly grey, dark grey or off-white, with low gloss, showing a matte finish. This is due to the fact that recycled aluminum is made by recycling and melting of scrap aluminum products, which contains various impurities that affect the glossiness of its surface.

Cross-section：

Primary Aluminum: very bright cross section, good gloss.

Recycled Aluminum: The cross-section has little gloss, with a matte finish and color.

（2）Physical Properties：

Strength and toughness：

Primary Aluminum: Has a higher purity and uniform organizational structure, and therefore has better strength and toughness, and is suitable for areas with high material requirements, such as aerospace, automotive manufacturing, and so on.

Recycled Aluminum: Its purity and organization are poor, so its strength and toughness are relatively low, and it is suitable for some low-demanding fields, such as packaging materials and construction materials.

Sound and feel：

Primary aluminum: the knocking sound of the aluminum made is dull; the surface of the extruded profile is smooth and comfortable to the touch.

Recycled aluminum: profiles have a tinkling sound when knocked because of many impurities; extruded profiles have spots or raised particles on the surface and feel rough.

Ingredient wise：

Purity Primary Aluminum: Higher purity, generally can reach more than 99%, with very little impurity content.

Recycled aluminum: relatively low purity, usually between 90%-95%, contains more impurities, such as iron, copper, zinc and other metal elements, as well as some oxides and non-metallic inclusions.

Types of impurities primary aluminum: the main impurities are trace amounts of iron, silicon and other elements, these impurities are mixed in the refining process of aluminum ore, but the content is extremely low, the performance of the aluminum has a small impact.

Recycled Aluminum: The types of impurities are complex and varied, depending on the type and source of the recycled scrap aluminum product. It may contain a variety of metallic impurities, organics, coatings, oils, etc., which can have a major impact on its performance.

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We would recommend the use of virgin aluminum for processing. Recycled aluminum has a low procurement cost, but the quality aspect is still much worse.