Photo and specification checklist
What buyers need to see and read before they quote. A lot described this way gets a serious answer the first time.
Photos
Photos you send us stay private: we never show them on a card or publish them. A buyer sees them only after an introduction is released.
- A wide shot of the whole lot, so the quantity can be judged.
- A close-up of typical pieces, in daylight, without filters or editing.
- Something for scale in the close-up, such as a tape measure or a glove.
- Any stamp, cut face or label that shows the alloy or polymer.
- Anything that is not the main material: paint, oil, rubber, steel inserts, labels, moisture.
- How it is packed: bales, gaylords, bins, skids or loose.
- Where a truck loads: the dock, the forklift, the yard access.
- Take the photos in the same week you describe the lot.
- One lot per set of photos. If the lot is mixed, show each part.
- At least two clear photos; more helps.
Specification
Use grade code names only (for example 6063, HMS 1 or PP homopolymer). The full specification text belongs to the buyer or the industry body that publishes it; we never copy it.
- Material family and grade
- Non-ferrous, ferrous or plastics, plus a grade code name or a clear description in plain words.
- Form and size
- Turnings, offcuts, solids, extrusions, bales, regrind or purgings, and the usual piece size.
- Contamination
- A percentage or a range, and what it is: attachments, coatings, oil, moisture, other materials.
- What the lot does not contain
- For example no oil, no free liquids, no batteries, no insulated wire. Say “none known” if that is the case.
- Quantity and frequency
- Tonnes in this lot, and whether it is one-off or recurring (and how often).
- Packaging and loading
- How it is packed, and how a truck is loaded on site.
- Location and availability
- The province or state, and the earliest pickup date.
- Source
- How the material is generated, and that your business owns or controls it, with your role.
- Optional: Incoterms® rule and price
- Agreed between the parties. They earn no points in our completeness score.
What buyers usually ask
Non-ferrous metal
- Which alloy or grade code name, and is it one alloy or a mix?
- Are there attachments such as steel, plastic, rubber or paint?
- For turnings: are they dry or drained, and is there any oil or coolant left?
- Is any of it coated, anodised or painted?
Ferrous metal
- What thickness or piece size, and how large is the biggest piece?
- Is any alloy steel, cast iron or coated steel mixed in?
- Is it already cut to size, or will it need preparing?
- For turnings: what chip size, and how dry are they?
Plastics
- Which polymer and grade, and is it one polymer or a blend?
- Is it natural or coloured, and is it filled or reinforced?
- Is it regrind, purgings, offcuts or bales, and what size?
- Are there labels, metal, paper or moisture in it?
- Do you know the melt flow index, or have a datasheet?
- Is the material available now, and until when?
- Can you share two or three clear photos? They stay private.
- How is it packed, and can you load a truck on site?
- Is this a one-off lot or a regular stream, and how often?
- Does your business own or control the material, and what is your role?
Check how complete your description is with the lot-brief builder →