Aluminium wire retaining its plastic/rubber insulation. Sold on a recovery basis; choppers and granulators strip it to recover clean aluminium.

ISRI Grade Name: Twang

ISRI Description and Specification

Twang covers aluminium wire scrap that retains its electrical insulation — plastic, rubber, or other polymer coating. Because the insulation must be removed before or during the recovery process, Twang is sold on a sample or recovery basis rather than at a fixed gross-weight price. The buyer and seller agree on the recovered aluminium content (determined by test burning or chemical stripping of a representative sample), and price the lot accordingly. The insulation type significantly affects processing economics: thermoplastic (PVC) insulation is easier to strip than cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) or EPR insulation, while armoured cable introduces additional steel components that must be separated. Twang arises from electrical installation scrap, power cable end-of-life material, and telecommunications network replacement.

Who Uses Twang Scrap

Wire choppers and granulators, cable recycling processors, and secondary smelters with cable processing capability are the primary buyers of Twang. The recovered bare aluminium wire (Tassel grade, post-stripping) is then sold to aluminium smelters. In India, the rapid expansion of the power distribution grid under government infrastructure programs (Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, RDSS), along with the replacement of old overhead lines with aerial bundled conductors (ABC), generates significant volumes of retired aluminium wire and Twang-type scrap. Telecommunications network upgrades (OFC replacement of old aluminium-conductor telephone cables) are also a supply source. Cable recycling clusters operate in Alang, Surat, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai, processing both copper and aluminium cable grades.