Post-Industrial Scrap (PIR)
Also called: PIR, pre-consumer scrap, factory scrap, production waste, process waste
Post-industrial scrap is plastic waste generated during manufacturing, such as trims, rejects and runners, that never reached a consumer.
Post-industrial scrap, also called pre-consumer or post-industrial recycled (PIR) material, is plastic waste generated during manufacturing that never reached a consumer. Examples include film trims, moulding rejects, runners and sprues, start-up purgings, sheet edges, and off-specification production.
Why it matters when buying recycled plastic
- It is usually clean, single-polymer and single-grade, so properties are close to the original material.
- The source factory and product often tell you the grade, which reduces testing effort.
- Volumes depend on the generating factory, so supply can be irregular. Agree on lot sizes and frequency.
- Purgings and lumps may contain mixed polymers or degraded material; ask whether they are included.
Common forms traded
Post-industrial scrap is sold as is, as regrind, as film agglomerate, or pelletised into granules. Typical streams include PP and HDPE moulding rejects, LDPE and LLDPE film trims, ABS and PC parts rejects, and PET sheet trims. Compare it with post-consumer recycled material, and see our scrap vs regrind vs granules guide to choose the right form.