A metal recycling line is a capital purchase with a long operating life and a short commissioning window. Once the equipment is on site, the specifications are fixed, the interfaces are set, and the recovery rates are what they are. For importers, trading companies, and project developers sourcing from overseas suppliers, the procurement process determines whether the line performs at its design point or spends its first year being adjusted.

This framework sets out what to verify before placing an order. It is organised around the sequence in which the verification decisions should be made.

The first verification step is not technical. It is definitional. Without a defined feedstock and a defined output, no quotation is comparable.

Confirm the feedstock composition. End-of-life vehicles, white goods, structural steel, cable scrap, and mixed industrial assemblies impose different requirements on every stage of the line. Confirm not only the material types but their approximate proportions in the feed.

Confirm the feedstock form. Whole vehicles, flattened vehicles, bales, loose scrap, cable bundles, and shredded material arrive in different physical states. The receiving and primary reduction configuration depends on this.

Confirm the maximum piece size. The largest single item the line must accept determines the feed opening of the primary shredder. This is a hard constraint, not a preference.

Confirm the target output specification. Ferrous purity, non-ferrous purity, particle size, moisture content where applicable, and the intended buyer. The output specification is the input to line design.

Confirm the target throughput. Tonnes per hour at the defined feedstock composition, not at a favourable condition.

Liberation is the stage that determines whether separation can work. It is also the stage most frequently underspecified in procurement documents.

Ask for liberation test data. A supplier who has tested on the same feedstock will have particle size distribution data and, ideally, liberation assessment showing the degree to which metals have been freed from non-metallic attachments.

Confirm the shredder configuration for your feedstock. Blade thickness, blade material, screen aperture, shaft speed, and hydraulic pusher specification all affect liberation performance. A machine configured for general scrap may not deliver adequate liberation for vehicles or cable.

Confirm the two-stage question. For complex feedstocks, ask explicitly whether a single reduction stage is sufficient or whether a secondary reduction stage is required to achieve the liberation target. A supplier who answers this with data rather than opinion has understood the application.

Verify blade specification and heat treatment. Blade material grade alone is not sufficient. Ask for hardness test reports and confirm the heat treatment process. In metal service, blade condition affects liberation quality, not just throughput.

The separation stages must be matched to the liberated feed. This is where interface problems appear.

Confirm ferrous removal position. Ferrous separation must precede eddy current separation. If ferrous material remains in the feed, it dampens the eddy current separation field and reduces non-ferrous recovery efficiency.

Confirm eddy current separator specification against your particle size range. Eddy current separators are effective within a defined particle size band. If the shredder output falls outside that band, recovery falls. Ask the supplier to state both ranges and explain the overlap.

Confirm magnetic separation capacity. The magnetic separator must be sized to the shredder output, not to a nominal figure. Under-sized magnetic separation allows ferrous contamination into the non-ferrous stream.

Confirm screening and classification. Screening between reduction and separation improves separation efficiency by narrowing the particle size distribution. Confirm whether screening is included and at what aperture.

Every stage has a rated throughput. The line's capacity is set by the lowest one.

Request a throughput table covering every stage. Primary reduction, secondary reduction, magnetic separation, eddy current separation, screening, and output handling. Identify the bottleneck explicitly.

Confirm the bottleneck is intentional. A line designed with a deliberate bottleneck at the separation stage is different from one with an accidental bottleneck at the output stage. Ask the supplier to explain the design intent.

Confirm start-stop behaviour. If the primary shredder is rated above the downstream capacity, it will run intermittently. Confirm whether the control system supports this mode and what the effect on drives and blades is expected to be.

The recovered fractions must leave the line in a form that can be sold and transported.

Confirm baling or briquetting configuration. Ferrous and non-ferrous concentrates require different handling. Confirm which output form the supplier recommends and why.

Confirm bale or briquette specification. Dimensions, weight, and density must match the requirements of the buyer and the transport method.

Confirm dust and residue handling. Metal shredding generates dust and light residue. Confirm how this fraction is captured and disposed of, and whether the system meets the environmental requirements of the destination market.

For cross-border procurement, supplier capability after the equipment arrives matters as much as the specification.

Reference installations. Ask for references from projects processing the same feedstock type. A supplier with experience in one metal stream may have no experience in another.

Test before shipment. Confirm whether the line, or its individual stages, will be tested and whether test data will be provided.

Documentation. Confirm the language of operation manuals, electrical drawings, and maintenance schedules. Confirm whether any certification is required for the destination market.

Spare parts. Request a recommended spare parts list with the quotation, covering blades, screens, magnetic components, and hydraulic parts. Confirm lead times for each.

Installation and commissioning. Confirm how installation support is provided, the expected commissioning duration, and how warranty claims are handled remotely.

Packing and shipping. A metal recycling line comprises multiple machines and may require multiple containers. Confirm packing method, container count, and shipping dimensions.

Voltage and configuration. Confirm every stage is configured for the destination market's voltage, phase, and frequency.

Utilities. Confirm the power, water, and compressed air requirements of each stage, and confirm whether the site can supply them.

Payment and delivery schedule. Confirm production lead times per stage, the payment schedule, and the inspection arrangement.

Warranty scope. Confirm which components are covered, for how long, and explicitly confirm that consumables are excluded.

Procurement of a metal recycling line is a verification process. Feedstock definition, liberation testing, separation matching, throughput confirmation, output handling, supplier capability, and commercial terms — verify each, and quotations become comparable. Skip any one, and the commissioning cost after the line arrives may exceed the price difference between suppliers.