Materials we deal · PVC scrap
PVC cable scrap
PVC cable scrap is the insulation and sheathing stripped from wire and cable — flexible PVC loaded with plasticiser so that it stays supple on a cable drum and in a conduit. It is one of the highest-volume plastic waste streams in any industrial economy, and one of the most valuable, because a cable is mostly copper by value and mostly PVC by weight. Al Qaryan Industries buys PVC cable scrap, separates it from the copper and the cross-linked polyethylene that often travels with it, and turns the PVC into compound for our own extrusion lines and for customers across Pakistan.
What PVC cable scrap is
Cable PVC is not the rigid material used for pipes and profiles. It is compounded with plasticiser — typically a phthalate or a non-phthalate alternative — at levels that can reach thirty to forty percent by weight, plus stabiliser, filler and flame retardant. That is what makes a cable flexible, and it is also what makes PVC cable scrap a fundamentally different material from rigid PVC. The plasticiser lowers the softening point, raises flexibility and changes how the material regrinds and re-compounds.
The scrap arrives in three broad forms. Factory scrap is clean, single-colour, never-installed insulation from cable manufacturers. Installation offcuts are clean but mixed colour and mixed size. Post-consumer cable is stripped from decommissioned networks and carries the full contamination profile: soil, moisture, copper fines, steel armour and whatever else was in the duct.
Grades of PVC cable scrap we handle
Cable scrap is graded on colour, plasticiser content and how much non-PVC material is mixed in. Colour matters because black, grey and coloured compounds have different markets, and mixing them confines the output to dark products.
| Cable factory scrap | Clean, uninstalled, single colour. The best grade available. |
|---|---|
| Black sheathing PVC | The most common post-consumer grade; good for dark compounds. |
| Grey and white insulation PVC | Higher value where colour can be preserved. |
| Coloured insulation mix | Red, blue, green, yellow; blended into dark or black compound. |
| Copper-loaded granulate | Cable granulate not yet fully separated; bought on copper content. |
| Sheathed armoured cable waste | Steel wire armour present; requires magnetic separation. |
| Mixed cable with XLPE | Cross-linked polyethylene insulation mixed in; must be separated as it cannot be remelted. |
Where our PVC cable scrap comes from
Cable manufacturers are the cleanest source: their scrap is generated before the cable ever leaves the factory and is well identified. Electricity distribution companies and telecom operators supply decommissioned cable in quantity during network upgrades — a single substation refurbishment can release several tonnes. Demolition contractors bring cable out of buildings being stripped, and the copper recovery industry supplies PVC granulate as a by-product of separating the metal.
We also buy imported cable granulate from the Gulf and Southeast Asia, where cable stripping is a large and well-established industry. Imported granulate is usually already separated from copper and sorted by colour, which makes it a predictable feed for compounding.
Specification we work to
Flexible PVC is specified by plasticiser content, density and hardness rather than by melt flow. Plasticiser content drives everything: it decides flexibility, it limits how the material can be re-compounded, and it is the number a compounder wants first.
| Polymer | Plasticised polyvinyl chloride (PVC) |
|---|---|
| Typical density | Around 1.30 to 1.50 g/cm3 depending on plasticiser and filler content |
| Plasticiser content | Commonly 25 to 40 percent by weight; assessed per lot and reported |
| Hardness | Measured as Shore A on request for compound buyers |
| Form supplied | Granulate, regrind or compounded pellet |
| Colour | Black, grey, white, coloured, mixed |
| Contamination | Copper, steel armour, XLPE, rubber and soil removed; metal detection at outlet |
| Packing | 25 kg bags, jumbo bags or bulk |
| Documents | Batch report; third-party inspection on request |
Rigid and flexible PVC are never blended. A small amount of plasticised material in a rigid compound destroys its dimensional stability, and a small amount of rigid material in a flexible compound makes it stiff and difficult to process.
The four contaminants in cable scrap
Copper is the first, and it is both a contaminant and the reason the cable exists. Fine copper dust and swarf from stripping stay with the PVC and show up as specks and conductivity problems. We granulate, then separate by air classification and density, and finish with a metal detector on the outlet.
Cross-linked polyethylene is the second and the most damaging. Modern medium and high voltage cables are insulated with XLPE rather than PVC, and XLPE cannot be melted because its molecular network is permanently cross-linked. A little XLPE in a PVC compound appears as hard gels that clog filters and mark the finished surface. It has to be sorted out before granulation, and there is no downstream fix.
Steel armour is the third. Wire armour and tape armour are removed magnetically after granulation; larger sections are cut away before. Rubber and elastomer insulation from older cable is the fourth, and it is removed by hand because it does not separate by density or by magnet.
There is also a dirt problem specific to cable that has been in the ground: soil packed into the interstices of a multi-core cable, and moisture that has been inside the sheath for years. Washing and drying handle both, but the load has to be priced for it.
How we collect and buy PVC cable scrap
For utilities and manufacturers we buy on weight after inspection, with the grade and rate agreed in writing before the material moves. For large decommissioned cable lots we will inspect on site, because the mix of PVC and XLPE insulation decides the value more than the total tonnage does.
Copper recovery operations are a natural partner: they strip the metal and we take the plastic. If you run a stripping or granulating line, we will buy your PVC granulate on a repeat basis and provide a consistent outlet so you are not holding stock waiting for a buyer.
How we recycle PVC cable scrap
Cable scrap is granulated, then separated: air classification lifts the light fluff and paper, density separation and shaking tables concentrate the copper, and a magnet removes steel. The PVC granulate is washed, dried to a low moisture level and either sold as granulate or compounded in our own operation with stabiliser and lubricant to a specification.
Our two PVC extrusion lines in Karachi give us a guaranteed internal outlet for a proportion of the compound, which means we can keep buying cable scrap even when the external compound market is quiet. That internal demand is a real advantage to a supplier who needs a disposal route they can rely on.
What is made from recycled PVC cable scrap
Recycled flexible PVC goes into products where flexibility and durability matter and electrical certification is not required.
- Cable sheathing and insulation for low-voltage non-critical cable
- Flexible conduit and corrugated cable protection
- Hose and tube for industrial and garden use
- Flooring underlay, matting and gym tiles
- Shoe soles and general moulded rubber-substitute parts
- Garden hose, irrigation fittings and flexible connectors
- Moulded industrial parts where a soft PVC compound is specified
What moves the price of PVC cable scrap
Cable PVC pricing is driven by the copper market as much as by plastics. When copper is expensive, more old cable gets stripped, which increases the supply of PVC granulate and softens the plastic price. When copper is cheap, less cable is processed and cable PVC becomes scarce. That inverse relationship catches out buyers who only watch polymer prices.
The other driver is plasticiser content and its regulatory direction. Phthalate plasticisers are under increasing restriction in Europe, so material with documented non-phthalate formulation commands a premium and unknown-origin material is discounted. For the Pakistani market, where most recycled flexible PVC goes into hose, conduit, matting and low-voltage sheathing, the practical concern is consistency — a compounder needs to know roughly what plasticiser load they are dealing with before they can set their formulation.
Specifying PVC cable scrap: what to send us
- Cable type and whether it is factory scrap, installation offcut, or stripped from decommissioned networks
- Whether the copper has already been separated, or whether it is still in the cable
- Colour mix — black sheathing, grey and white insulation, or coloured cores
- Whether XLPE-insulated cable is mixed in, since it cannot be melted and must be sorted out first
- Approximate tonnage and whether the supply is continuous or one-off
- Any steel wire armour or lead sheath present, and whether it has been removed
Buying PVC cable scrap from Al Qaryan Industries
Al Qaryan Industries buys PVC cable scrap, cable granulate and mixed cable waste, and supplies recycled flexible PVC granulate and compound from our Karachi facility. Cable PVC is one of the streams we process most consistently because our own extrusion operation consumes it.
Selling to us: tell us the type of cable, whether the copper is already separated, the colour mix and the tonnage. For decommissioned network cable we will inspect on site. WhatsApp +92 333 201 0506 reaches our purchasing team directly.
Buying from us: specify the application, the hardness or flexibility you need, and whether colour matters. We will confirm plasticiser content and send a trial quantity before you commit to a regular supply.
Questions buyers and suppliers ask
Can you separate PVC from XLPE insulation?
Yes, by sorting before granulation, because XLPE cannot be melted and cannot be filtered out of a PVC compound afterwards. Mixed cable is priced lower for exactly this reason.
Is recycled cable PVC as flexible as new compound?
Close to it, and the difference is managed by re-compounding. The plasticiser already in the scrap does much of the work, and we adjust the formulation to reach the hardness a customer needs.
Do you buy cable with the copper still inside?
We buy cable scrap and granulate. Where copper is present we assess it on both metal and plastic content, since both have value and both have to be separated.
What about lead in older cable?
Older PVC compounds may contain lead-based stabilisers. Where documentation allows we keep those lots separate, and we will tell you which stabiliser system a lot carries if your application is sensitive to it.
Related materials
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HDPE cable cover scrap