SEARCH CATEGORY/COMPANY
SEARCH CATEGORY/COMPANY
UAE's non-ferrous metal trade is anchored by Dubai's position as a re-export hub, with Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (JAFZA) handling a large share of the region's aluminium, copper, and brass scrap re-exports to South Asia and East Africa. The UAE imported and re-exported non-ferrous scrap metal valued in the hundreds of millions of dirhams in 2025, driven by aluminium smelting output from EGA (Emirates Global Aluminium) and downstream extrusion demand. Because this category currently has a limited number of directory-listed merchants relative to categories like steel trading, this guide expands on sourcing practices, regulation, and market structure to give buyers a genuinely useful reference even where listings are still growing.
Non-ferrous metal merchants buy, sell, and process metals that do not contain significant iron — primarily aluminium, copper, brass, bronze, zinc, and lead — in forms ranging from raw scrap and cable offcuts to ingots, billets, and semi-finished sheet. In UAE, merchants typically serve foundries, extrusion plants, and export traders shipping baled or granulated scrap through Jebel Ali and Khalifa Port.
Covers extrusion offcuts, UBC (used beverage cans), and remelt ingots — the largest segment by volume given UAE's status as a major global aluminium producer through EGA's Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah smelters.
Trade bare bright copper, cable scrap requiring stripping, and copper pipe/tube offcuts, largely destined for export re-melting given UAE has no primary copper smelting capacity.
Handle brass fittings scrap, bronze castings offcuts, and mixed non-ferrous loads, often sourced from demolition and machine-shop waste streams in Dubai and Sharjah industrial areas.
DCCIInfo currently lists 9 verified non-ferrous metal merchants in UAE, spanning aluminium, copper, and brass trading operations in Dubai and Sharjah. This category is actively growing — merchants and traders not yet listed can request a free verified listing to reach procurement teams searching this directory.
UAE's non-ferrous metal trading sector benefits from strong domestic aluminium production and re-export infrastructure through Jebel Ali, even as the directory-listed merchant base for this specific category remains smaller than adjacent categories like foundries or steel trading. Buyers sourcing aluminium, copper, or brass scrap and ingots should verify FCA export documentation and DED or free zone licensing before committing to bulk orders, particularly for containerized export shipments.
DCCIInfo currently lists 9 verified non-ferrous metal merchants in UAE, based in Dubai and Sharjah.
Non-ferrous metals are metals that contain little to no iron, primarily aluminium, copper, brass, bronze, zinc, and lead.
A commercial trading license from the Department of Economic Development (DED) or a free zone authority such as JAFZA is required to legally trade non-ferrous scrap metal in UAE.
Non-ferrous scrap is priced per kilogram against international benchmark prices (typically LME-linked), adjusted for grade, contamination, and processing form.
Yes — exporting non-ferrous scrap metal from UAE requires Federal Customs Authority (FCA) HS-code classification and an export declaration for each shipment.
UAE's non-ferrous metal trading is concentrated around Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (JAFZA) and Dubai's Deira and Al Quoz industrial areas, close to Jebel Ali Port for export shipments.
Yes — free zone-registered merchants in JAFZA or Hamriyah Free Zone can be 100% foreign owned, and mainland trading companies can also register with full foreign ownership under the UAE Commercial Companies Law (amended 2021) for most trading activities.
A merchant buys, sorts, and trades scrap metal without melting it, while a smelter melts and refines scrap or ore into new ingots or billets.
Request the merchant's current DED or free zone trade license and confirm their export track record before committing to a shipment.
Non-ferrous metal merchants is a smaller, more specialized trading category compared to broader sectors like general trading or steel, and the directory is actively adding newly verified merchants.
© 2026 Digital Commercial Connect
Scroll
