New coated, printed or laminated aluminium foil (pharma blister, flexible packaging). Traded on net metal-content basis; needs thermal de-coating before recovery.

ISRI Grade Name: Tetra

ISRI Description and Specification

Tetra covers new aluminium foil that has been coated, printed, or laminated — with ink, lacquer, wax, paper backing, or plastic laminate — as an integral part of its functional design. Because the coating changes the metal recovery economics significantly (the organic content must be burned off or otherwise removed before melting, generating processing costs and dross), Tetra is typically traded on a metal-content or chemical-sample basis rather than at a flat per-tonne price. Buyers and sellers agree on the net aluminium content as determined by assay or burning-off tests, and price accordingly.

Who Uses Tetra Scrap

Specialised processors with thermal de-coating or pyrolysis capability purchase Tetra for organic removal followed by aluminium recovery. Pharmaceutical packaging converters (blister packs, sachet laminates) and flexible packaging manufacturers are the primary generators of Tetra scrap. In India, the pharmaceutical industry in clusters such as Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Baddi (HP) generates significant volumes of Tetra-type scrap from pharma blister foil and sachet laminates.