Materials we deal · HDPE pipe scrap
HDPE 60 scrap
HDPE 60 scrap is the trade name for recovered PE63 pipe — the oldest of the three polyethylene pipe classifications, with a minimum required strength of 6.3 MPa. It is the material of the original rural water schemes, farm irrigation lines and low-pressure distribution networks, and large volumes of it are still being pulled out of the ground across Pakistan. Al Qaryan Industries buys HDPE 60 scrap, grades it honestly for what it is, and recycles it into material for products that do not need pressure performance.
What HDPE 60 scrap is
PE63 sits at the bottom of the ISO 12162 pipe classification with a minimum required strength of 6.3 MPa at 20 degrees Celsius over fifty years. It was the standard polyethylene for low-pressure water lines from the 1970s onwards and is still found in agricultural supply networks, village water schemes and older industrial service lines. When those lines are replaced, the removed pipe is sold as HDPE 60 scrap.
The grade is often called HDPE 60 rather than PE63 in the Pakistani market, and the two names describe the same material. Its melt flow is higher than PE80 and considerably higher than PE100, which makes it the easiest of the three to process — and the least suited to anything that needs stiffness or pressure resistance.
Why HDPE 60 scrap is still worth buying
Buyers sometimes dismiss PE63 as old material and walk away. That is a mistake, because the polymer itself has not degraded in any fundamental way; what has changed is the classification the market applies to new pipe. Recycled HDPE 60 still delivers good impact strength, excellent chemical resistance and reliable weldability, which is exactly what a drainage pipe, a duct or an injection-moulded crate needs.
What it does not deliver is stiffness. PE63 pipe walls were made thicker to compensate for lower strength, so the scrap is heavy per metre and the regrind has a lower modulus than PE100 regrind. Products designed around PE100 regrind may need a wall-thickness adjustment if they switch to a PE63 feed, and we flag that at enquiry stage rather than after delivery.
Where our HDPE 60 scrap comes from
The main source is agricultural replacement work. Irrigation distributors replacing fifty-year-old supply lines generate long runs of PE63 in a single clearance, often in remote locations where transport is the dominant cost. We assess those lots on site and arrange cutting and loading so the material moves in the densest form possible.
The second source is municipal and village water schemes, where old distribution pipe is removed during rehabilitation. The third is mixed HDPE arriving from traders, in which PE63 is present but undocumented; we test those loads and classify them by measured melt flow rather than by what the seller claims.
Specification we work to
Because PE63 varies more between producers than modern PE100 does, we specify on measured properties for each lot. The table below shows what we report and what we agree with the buyer before dispatch.
| Polymer | High-density polyethylene, PE63 classification |
|---|---|
| Minimum required strength | MRS 6.3 MPa at 20 °C, 50 years (ISO 12162) |
| Typical density | Around 0.920 to 0.940 g/cm3 for virgin resin; measured on regrind per lot |
| Melt flow index | Higher than PE80; the defining property of the grade and always reported |
| Colour | Black, blue, natural, or mixed |
| Form supplied | Regrind, shredded, agglomerate or pellets |
| Moisture | Checked and reported before dispatch |
| Packing | 25 kg bags, jumbo bags or bulk |
| Documents | Batch test report; third-party inspection available on request |
Contamination and inspection
Old agricultural pipe is the dirtiest pipe stream we handle. It comes out of soil, it has been exposed to sun for decades, and it frequently has mud packed into the bore. Washing is not optional; it is the whole process. We screen for UV-degraded material by hand, because pipe that has been lying above ground in the sun for years develops a chalky surface layer that produces dust and odour in the melt.
Metal is the other routine contaminant: repair clamps, wire ties and galvanised fittings from junctions. Agricultural pipe can also carry pesticide and fertiliser residue, so we keep it out of any stream destined for products that touch drinking water.
How we buy HDPE 60 scrap
We buy by weight after inspection, with the grade and price agreed in writing before the truck is loaded. For remote agricultural clearances we will travel to inspect when the tonnage justifies it, and we handle cutting and loading so the material arrives in a form we can process immediately.
Because the market for HDPE 60 scrap is thinner than for PE100, sellers often struggle to find a buyer at all. That is where we add value: we take the grade the market avoids, process it properly and find it a home in products that suit it.
How we process and recycle it
PE63 shreds easily, which keeps our cost down and lets us accept material that other recyclers reject as too bulky. The line is shredding, washing, drying and pelletising with filtration; agglomerate is available for buyers whose machines prefer it to pellets. Because melt flow is naturally higher, pelletising runs cool and fast, and the resulting pellet is uniform.
We do not blend PE63 silently into a PE100 consignment. If a lot is a blend, the buyer is told and the specification reflects it. That discipline is what keeps repeat customers coming back.
What is made from recycled HDPE 60 scrap
The output suits products where toughness and chemical resistance matter more than rigidity.
- Agricultural drainage pipe and land drainage coils
- Low-pressure irrigation fittings and connectors
- Corrugated conduit for cables in housing and industrial estates
- Injection-moulded crates, nursery trays and bins
- Rotomoulded tanks for non-potable water and agricultural use
- HDPE sheet for general fabrication and lining
- Blow-moulded containers where pressure resistance is not required
What moves the price of HDPE 60 scrap
HDPE 60 scrap sits at the awkward end of the polyethylene market. Demand for it is thinner than for PE100 or PE80, so the price is set less by virgin resin and more by whether a particular processor happens to be running a product that suits a higher-melt, lower-stiffness feed. When drainage and conduit makers are busy, PE63 moves easily. When they are not, the material sits and sellers who need the yard space accept a lower number.
Transport dominates the economics more than it does for the higher grades, because so much PE63 comes from agricultural schemes in remote districts. A load that is three hours from a main road can lose most of its value to freight before it reaches Karachi. That is why we assess remote lots in person and arrange cutting on site — reducing the volume by shredding where the pipe lies can turn an uneconomic clearance into a workable one.
Specifying HDPE 60 scrap: what to send us
- Confirm whether it is PE63 / HDPE 60, or an undocumented mix of older polyethylene pipe
- Length of the runs involved and whether the pipe is above or below ground
- Approximate tonnage, and whether the material is concentrated at one point or spread along a line
- Level of soil and mud contamination, and whether the pipe has been exposed to sun for years
- Any known agricultural chemical use on the scheme it came from
- Distance from the nearest paved road and access for a truck or a shredder
Buying HDPE 60 scrap from Al Qaryan Industries
Al Qaryan Industries buys HDPE 60 scrap from agricultural contractors, irrigation departments, village water schemes and scrap traders, and sells the recycled output to pipe makers, moulders and rotomoulders across Pakistan. We handle the grade honestly: it is described as PE63 with the measured melt flow, not dressed up as something it is not.
If you are selling, send photographs, the tonnage and the location on WhatsApp at +92 333 201 0506. If the lot is large and remote, we will come and assess it. If you are buying, tell us the product and the melt flow window your machine needs and we will confirm what we can hold on a repeat basis.
We have been trading and recycling polyethylene since 2007 and have the yard space and processing capacity to take whole clearances rather than cherry-pick the easy loads. That is often the difference between a clearance that happens and one that stalls for months.
Questions buyers and suppliers ask
Is HDPE 60 the same as PE63?
Yes. HDPE 60 is the common market name in Pakistan for pipe made from PE63 resin, which has a minimum required strength of 6.3 MPa under ISO 12162.
Can HDPE 60 regrind be mixed with PE100 regrind?
It can be blended, and many processors do blend to adjust melt flow. The important thing is that the blend is declared so the buyer can set a specification that matches reality.
Do you buy sun-damaged agricultural pipe?
Yes, in most cases. Heavily UV-degraded material is priced lower and screened during processing, but it is a legitimate feed for dark-coloured drainage and conduit products.
What is the minimum quantity?
One truckload. Smaller lots can be aggregated by traders and delivered as a combined load.
Related materials
HDPE 100 pipe scrap
High-strength PE100 pipe from water, gas and telecom projects.
HDPE 100 pipe scrap