Like Tough but low in copper — excludes 2xxx and 7xxx alloys. Valued by re-rollers, foil makers and 6063 extrusion billet producers who need tight copper control.

ISRI Grade Name: Taboo

ISRI Description and Specification

Taboo is closely related to Tough, but with a specific chemistry restriction: it must be low in copper and must exclude 2000-series (copper-aluminium) and 7000-series (zinc-aluminium-copper) alloys. This low-copper specification makes Taboo particularly valuable to recyclers producing 3xxx, 5xxx, or 6xxx secondary alloys where copper is a limiting contaminant. Like Tough, Taboo must be new, clean, uncoated aluminium clippings or solids of minimum 0.015″ thickness, free of wire, dirt, and non-metallics. The low-copper requirement is the defining commercial differentiator — buyers who need to maintain tight copper control in their melt will pay a premium for Taboo over general mixed grades.

Who Uses Taboo Scrap

Aluminium re-rollers producing thin-gauge sheet, foil manufacturers, and can-sheet producers requiring low copper levels in their secondary mix are the primary buyers of Taboo. Extrusion billet producers making 6063 (architectural extrusion alloy) and similar low-copper grades also value Taboo as a clean, alloy-compatible scrap input. The low-copper constraint also aligns Taboo with the requirements of certain HVAC fin-stock and heat exchanger tube producers, who work with 3xxx and 1xxx alloys that must have very low copper levels to ensure brazability and corrosion resistance. In India, aluminium extrusion companies and flat-rolled products manufacturers serving the construction, electrical, and packaging sectors are likely end-consumers of secondary alloys produced from Taboo feedstock.