Thermal Grizzly duped by 40,000 euro copper and aluminium scam

Thermal Grizzly has highlighted an alarming side of the current market for copper and aluminium: industrial-scale material fraud. After examining supplier documentation and samples, the company placed orders with two vendors, one supplying copper and the other supplying aluminium and copper.

When multiple pallets arrived in Germany the firm began routine quality checks. A 1 mm corner sample analysed by X-ray spectroscopy initially read as 100% copper, but the sheets failed a conductivity test and produced sparks when milled—behaviour not seen with copper.

A final check with a magnet showed the material was magnetic: copper-plated steel. The aluminium shipment was also fraudulent. Suppliers left a few genuine aluminium sheets on the top of pallets, but beneath them were steel sheets and large voids; because aluminium weighs roughly one-third as much as steel, the pallets passed simple weight checks despite the deception.

Germany

thermal grizzly, copper, aluminium, copper-plated steel, material fraud, supplier documentation, x-ray spectroscopy, conductivity test, weight checks, germany