SIP Markets Secondary Raw Materials & Recyclables Contact desk

Used Cooking Oil

UCOSecondary Raw Materials & Recyclables1 listed market

Used cooking oil is vegetable and animal frying oil collected from restaurants, food manufacturers, hotels and household collection points after it has been used for cooking. Frying degrades the oil: water and food solids enter it, the fatty acids break free of the glyceride backbone and polymers form, so the collected material is filtered, dewatered and settled before sale. It is the principal waste feedstock for biodiesel and for hydrotreated renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, and it also goes into oleochemicals and into animal feed fats where the destination permits that use.

Listed used cooking oil markets

Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.

SymbolGradeDelivery pointState
UCO.POME.MY-12UCO / used cooking oilMalaysiaTwo-way, quoted on request

Grades

Used cooking oil is bought against a laboratory specification of free fatty acid, moisture, impurities, unsaponifiable matter and sulfur, measured by named standard methods on a sample drawn at loading. Alongside the analysis the trade settles on the sustainability certification and the feedstock declaration, since the value of the material in a renewable fuel pool depends on its accepted waste status as much as on its chemistry.

Material composition and identification

7 grades

Determined on a representative sample drawn under the sampling procedure named in the contract, by the analytical and sorting methods stated against each parameterWhat the material actually is. In secondary raw materials the composition is the product, because the same trade name covers very different streams depending on where it was collected and how it was processed.

GradeDefinition
Collection sourceDeclared, as commercial kitchen, food manufacturing, hotel and catering, or household collectionThe source predicts the free fatty acid, the animal fat content and the contamination profile, and it is the starting point for the sustainability audit trail.
Base oil typeDeclared, as the predominant oils in the streamPalm, soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, corn or blended, with animal fat where the kitchens used it. The mix drives the melting behaviour and the cold handling requirement.
Animal fat contentPercentage by mass, by the named analytical method or by declarationDeclared because it changes the melting point and because some destinations and some end uses treat animal derived material differently.
Processing appliedDeclared, as filtered, settled, dewatered, or refinedField collected oil and processed oil are different products. The processing step is stated because it is what moves the moisture and impurity numbers.
Fatty acid profilePercentage of each fatty acid, by the named chromatographic methodReported where the buyer needs it for yield modelling and for cold flow prediction in the finished fuel.
Waste statusDeclared, as used cooking oil in the sense of the applicable renewable fuel regulationStated explicitly, because the whole feedstock premium rests on the material qualifying as a used oil rather than as virgin oil.
TraceabilityDeclared, as the collection points and the audit trail back to themThe certification schemes require the chain to be traceable to the collecting site, and buyers audit that chain rather than accepting the description.

Quality specification

12 grades

Tested by an accredited laboratory under the named standard method, on a sample drawn and split in the presence of both parties or their appointed inspectorThe numbers the contract settles on. Each parameter names the method it is measured by, because a figure without a method is not a specification.

GradeDefinition
Free fatty acidPercentage by mass expressed as oleic acid, by titration to the named standard methodThe headline quality parameter. It rises with the amount of frying the oil has seen and it decides which conversion process can take the material.
Moisture, impurities and unsaponifiablesPercentage by mass, each measured by its named standard method and reported both separately and as the combined figureThe combined figure is the standard trade deduction basis, and every parcel is settled against it.
MoisturePercentage by mass, by the Karl Fischer method or by loss on drying at the named temperatureWater drives hydrolysis in storage and consumes reagent in processing.
Insoluble impuritiesPercentage by mass, by filtration through the named solvent and filter combinationFood solids, breading and carbon, which foul filters and catalyst beds.
Unsaponifiable matterPercentage by mass, by the named extraction methodMaterial that will not convert, including mineral oil carryover, so it is measured rather than assumed to be nil.
SulfurParts per million, by x ray fluorescence or by the named combustion methodA catalyst poison in hydrotreating, and the parameter that most often disqualifies an otherwise good parcel.
PhosphorusParts per million, by the named instrumental methodFrom residual phospholipids, which must be removed before hydrotreating and which drive the degumming cost.
MetalsParts per million, by the named instrumental methodCalcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron and silicon, each against a stated limit, since each affects the pretreatment or the catalyst.
Iodine valueGrams of iodine per hundred grams, by the named titration methodMeasures unsaturation and predicts oxidative stability and cold flow behaviour in the finished fuel.
Saponification valueMilligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram, by the named titration methodUsed with the iodine value to confirm the identity of the fat and detect adulteration.
Polymer contentPercentage by mass, by the named chromatographic methodFormed by prolonged frying, and reported where the buyer processes to a tight specification.
Titre and melting behaviourDegrees Celsius, by the named methodGoverns whether the cargo needs heating in transit and at discharge, which is a real cost in a cold destination.

Contamination and prohibited material

7 grades

Assessed by visual inspection, manual sorting of a weighed sub sample and laboratory analysis, against the tolerance stated in the contractWhat must not be in the load, and how much of anything else is allowed. This is the clause most disputes turn on, so it is written as measured tolerances rather than as a general expectation of cleanliness.

GradeDefinition
Mineral oilParts per million or percentage by mass, by the named chromatographic methodDetects adulteration with lubricating or motor oil, which is both a processing problem and a fraud indicator.
Virgin oil adulterationAssessed by the free fatty acid, polymer and oxidation profile taken together, against the declared collection historyBlending virgin oil into a used oil parcel defeats the regulatory purpose of the feedstock, and the analysis is read against the volume the declared collection points could plausibly have produced.
Water bottomsPercentage by volume, measured after the agreed settling periodFree water is excluded from the settlement quantity, with the measurement method and the settling time named.
Chlorine and halogensParts per million, by the named instrumental methodCorrosive in processing and capped by every hydrotreater.
Solvents and foreign chemicalsDeclared, as an absolute exclusion, verified by the named screening methodCleaning chemicals, solvents and any non food oil are excluded, and detection is grounds for rejection of the parcel.
Pesticide and contaminant residuesParts per million, by the named method where the destination is a feed or oleochemical useApplied where the material re enters a feed or consumer chain rather than a fuel pool.
Tank and vehicle historyDeclared, as the previous cargo in the tanks and the tanker usedNamed in the contract, since most contamination in this trade arrives from the transport rather than from the kitchen.

Physical form and packing

6 grades

Measured and inspected at the point of loading, and recorded on the packing list and the inspection reportHow the material presents and travels. Form governs the freight cost, the handling equipment at both ends and what the buyer plant can accept without reprocessing.

GradeDefinition
PresentationDeclared, as bulk parcel, isotank, flexitank, road tanker, intermediate bulk container or drumsAgreed before booking, because it decides the heating capability, the parcel size and the discharge arrangement.
Parcel sizeTonnes, declared, with the operating toleranceStated with the tolerance and with the party who declares the quantity, since the invoice follows the loaded weight.
Heating requirementDeclared, as the temperature to be maintained in transit and at dischargeSet against the melting behaviour, because a solidified parcel cannot be pumped out.
Filtration at loadingDeclared, as the mesh or micron rating of the filter the cargo passes throughSpecified so the impurity figure at discharge is achievable rather than aspirational.
SamplingDeclared, as the sampling points, the method and the number of sealed retained samplesComposite and running samples drawn at loading and sealed, with retained samples held by both parties for the umpire.
Ullage and heelDeclared, as the ullage at loading and the heel in the receiving tankRecorded so the discharged quantity reconciles and any heel contamination is accounted for.

Regulatory classification and transboundary movement

7 grades

Classified against the Basel Convention entries, the OECD Decision and the importing and exporting national law, with the codes stated on the movement documentWhether the cargo can legally move from where it is to where the buyer wants it. This is settled in writing before any commitment, because the classification decides the consent procedure, the timeline and in some corridors whether the trade is possible at all.

GradeDefinition
Waste statusDeclared, as used cooking oil under the applicable renewable fuel regulationThe classification that carries the value. It is documented from the collection point forward and audited by the buyer scheme.
Sustainability certificationDeclared, as the scheme, the certificate number and the scopeCertification under the recognised waste and residue schemes is a condition of sale into most renewable fuel pools, and the certificate scope must cover the actual collection geography.
Feedstock declarationProvided, naming the material, its origin country and its collection chainTravels with every parcel and is the document the downstream fuel producer relies on for their own compliance.
Basel and waste shipment statusDeclared, as the applicable entry and the procedure that follows from itConfirmed before the cargo commits, since some corridors treat the material as a controlled waste shipment.
Import and use restrictionDeclared, as the destination position on the material and on its intended useFeed use in particular is restricted or prohibited in several jurisdictions, and the permitted use is confirmed in writing before shipment.
Animal by product controlsDeclared, where the stream contains animal derived fatThe category and the associated health certification are named, because animal by product rules govern the movement independently of the waste rules.
Fraud controlsDeclared, as the verification steps applied to the collection chainMass balance against declared collection capacity, site audits and analytical screening, stated in the contract because the certification schemes and the buyers both require them.

Inspection, documentation and settlement

9 grades

Governed by the contract, the Incoterms rule named in it and the movement documentation required by the exporting, transit and importing jurisdictionsThe commercial machinery around the material. In secondary raw materials the paperwork is as much of the product as the tonnage, because a cargo that cannot clear customs is worth nothing at the quay.

GradeDefinition
SamplingUnder the sampling procedure named in the contract, with sealed retained samples held by both partiesIndependent, at load or at discharge as agreed. The retained samples are the evidence if the analysis is disputed.
InspectionBy an independent inspection company named in the contractWeight, condition, contamination check and loading supervision, with a report and photographs issued to both parties.
Weight basisDeclared, as loaded weight or landed weightWhether the invoice follows the certificate at load or the weight ascertained at discharge, and which weighbridge or draft survey governs.
Umpire analysisNamed in the contract, with the tolerance that triggers itA third laboratory, agreed in advance, whose result is final and binding within the stated splitting limit.
Movement documentationNotification and movement documents, transfer note, bill of lading and packing listThe consent and tracking paperwork required by the exporting, transit and importing jurisdictions.
Certification and auditDeclared, as the certifications held by the processing siteThe management system, chain of custody and responsible recycling certifications the buyer requires, with the certificate numbers stated.
Rejection and downgradeStated in the contract, with the remedy for eachWhat happens if the load is off specification: rejection, a price allowance, reprocessing at seller cost, or return, and who bears the freight in each case.
Payment termsDocumentary credit, cash against documents or open account, as agreedStated with the provisional and final invoice mechanism where the price depends on an analysis result.
Insurance and carriageDeclared, with the Incoterm and the insured valueThe Incoterms rule named with the version year, and the party carrying the risk over each leg.

Grades outside this list trade on request. Send us the contract specification you work to and we will price against it.

Locations

CountryRegionWe trade it as
ChinaAsiaOrigin and destination
MalaysiaAsiaOrigin and destination
IndonesiaAsiaOrigin and destination
United StatesNorth AmericaOrigin and destination
United KingdomEuropeOrigin and destination
NetherlandsEuropeOrigin, destination and trading hub
BelgiumEuropeOrigin, destination and trading hub
GermanyEuropeOrigin and destination
FranceEuropeOrigin and destination
SpainEuropeOrigin and destination
PortugalEuropeOrigin and destination
ItalyEuropeOrigin and destination
AustriaEuropeOrigin and destination
SwitzerlandEuropeOrigin and destination
DenmarkEuropeOrigin and destination
SwedenEuropeOrigin and destination
NorwayEuropeOrigin and destination
FinlandEuropeOrigin and destination
IrelandEuropeOrigin and destination
PolandEuropeOrigin and destination
CzechiaEuropeOrigin and destination
SlovakiaEuropeOrigin and destination
HungaryEuropeOrigin and destination
RomaniaEuropeOrigin and destination
BulgariaEuropeOrigin and destination
GreeceEuropeOrigin and destination
TurkeyEurope and Middle EastOrigin and destination
UkraineEuropeOrigin and destination
RussiaEurope and AsiaOrigin and destination
KazakhstanCentral AsiaOrigin and destination
United Arab EmiratesMiddle EastOrigin, destination and trading hub
Saudi ArabiaMiddle EastOrigin and destination
QatarMiddle EastOrigin and destination
OmanMiddle EastOrigin and destination
IsraelMiddle EastOrigin and destination
EgyptAfricaOrigin and destination
MoroccoAfricaOrigin and destination
TunisiaAfricaOrigin and destination
NigeriaAfricaOrigin and destination
GhanaAfricaOrigin and destination
KenyaAfricaOrigin and destination
TanzaniaAfricaOrigin and destination
South AfricaAfricaOrigin and destination
BrazilSouth AmericaOrigin and destination
ArgentinaSouth AmericaOrigin and destination
ChileSouth AmericaOrigin and destination
ColombiaSouth AmericaOrigin and destination
PeruSouth AmericaOrigin and destination
MexicoNorth AmericaOrigin and destination
CanadaNorth AmericaOrigin and destination
Hong KongAsiaTrading hub
TaiwanAsiaOrigin and destination
JapanAsiaOrigin and destination
South KoreaAsiaOrigin and destination
IndiaAsiaOrigin and destination
PakistanAsiaOrigin and destination
BangladeshAsiaOrigin and destination
Sri LankaAsiaOrigin and destination
VietnamAsiaOrigin and destination
ThailandAsiaOrigin and destination
PhilippinesAsiaOrigin and destination
SingaporeAsiaTrading, finance and destination
CambodiaAsiaOrigin and destination
AustraliaOceaniaOrigin and destination
New ZealandOceaniaOrigin and destination

Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.

Timing

Generation is when the material is collected and processed at origin, which follows the consumption and collection cycle of that market rather than a crop season. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a processing market. The gap between them is sorting, baling or refining, the export consent procedure and the voyage.

HarvestArrival

OriginJFMAMJJASONDWindow
ChinaHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecThe largest single origin, collected from a vast catering base, with export flows to European and North American renewable fuel producers.
MalaysiaHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecLarge collection and aggregation base with established export terminals and certification coverage.
IndonesiaHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecVery large catering and household collection base, with growing organised collection and export capacity.
United StatesHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecMature collection industry serving a large domestic renewable diesel base, so much of the material never leaves the country.
United KingdomHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecOrganised commercial collection with strong certification coverage and a domestic biodiesel industry competing for the tonnage.
NetherlandsHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecCollection origin, and the principal European storage, blending and trading position for the product.
SpainHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecLarge catering base with organised collection and a domestic biodiesel industry.
GermanyHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecSteady commercial collection with certification coverage and domestic conversion capacity.
BrazilHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecGrowing organised collection out of a very large catering base, feeding domestic biodiesel demand.
IndiaHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecRapidly expanding organised collection under a domestic programme, with both domestic conversion and export.
United Arab EmiratesHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecRegional aggregation and re export, with storage and certification capability.
JapanHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecEstablished collection from a large catering base, with export into the aviation fuel feedstock pool.
AustraliaHarvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecOrganised commercial collection with export flows to Asia, Europe and North America.

Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including term offtake, forward positions and tonnage already sitting in a destination warehouse or bonded terminal.

Customs, packing and contract terms

Indicative terms for used cooking oil. Tariff classification is the importer’s responsibility and limits change, so confirm both against the destination customs authority and the current regulation before you fix a contract.

  • HS heading1518.00 Inedible mixtures or preparations of animal or vegetable fats and oils, including used cooking oil
  • PackingBulk in container for flake and scrap, mill size bales for textile and paper, flexitanks or ISO tanks for used cooking oil and pyrolysis oil. Contamination tolerance is the clause that decides the claim.
  • Container loading20ft: 20 t to 26 t depending on density. Used cooking oil at 22 t to 24 t in a flexitank.
  • Contract and arbitrationBIR model contracts with BIR arbitration, ISRI specifications for metal and paper grades, and for used cooking oil an ISCC EU or ISCC PLUS chain of custody certificate, which carries most of the value in the trade.
  • Destination limitsISCC EU or ISCC PLUS certification with a full chain of custody is what makes the cargo saleable, since RED III places waste based feedstock outside the crop cap and the certificate carries the value. Fraud enforcement on declared waste origin has tightened, so mass balance records must reconcile. Basel and the EU Waste Shipment Regulation 2024/1157 apply where the material is classified as waste, and US EPA RFS pathway registration applies for United States delivery.

Common questions

What grades of used cooking oil does SIP Global trade?

We quote 48 published grades of used cooking oil, including Collection source - Declared, as commercial kitchen, food manufacturing, hotel and catering, or household collection, Base oil type - Declared, as the predominant oils in the stream, Animal fat content - Percentage by mass, by the named analytical method or by declaration, Processing applied - Declared, as filtered, settled, dewatered, or refined, Fatty acid profile - Percentage of each fatty acid, by the named chromatographic method and Waste status - Declared, as used cooking oil in the sense of the applicable renewable fuel regulation. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.

How is used cooking oil graded?

Used cooking oil is bought against a laboratory specification of free fatty acid, moisture, impurities, unsaponifiable matter and sulfur, measured by named standard methods on a sample drawn at loading. Alongside the analysis the trade settles on the sustainability certification and the feedstock declaration, since the value of the material in a renewable fuel pool depends on its accepted waste status as much as on its chemistry. Grading runs on 6 systems: Material composition and identification, Quality specification, Contamination and prohibited material, Physical form and packing, Regulatory classification and transboundary movement and Inspection, documentation and settlement.

Where does SIP Global trade used cooking oil?

We trade used cooking oil in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany and 57 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.

When is used cooking oil harvested and when does it arrive?

Typical windows are China: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Malaysia: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Indonesia: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; United States: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; United Kingdom: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.

What is the HS code for used cooking oil?

Used cooking oil is normally classified under HS 1518.00 (inedible mixtures or preparations of animal or vegetable fats and oils, including used cooking oil). The heading follows the form the goods are in at the border, and national tariffs extend it beyond six digits, so confirm the full line with the destination customs authority before you fix a contract.

How do I get a price for used cooking oil?

Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 1 listed used cooking oil market is published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, prompt to long dated.

Standards and data sources

The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.

  • UN ComtradeOfficial international trade statistics by HS code
  • ITC Trade MapBilateral trade flows and tariff data
  • FAOSTATFAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities

Price this with our desk

Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.

Nothing here matches what you are holding? Send it anyway. The sheets cover the markets we publish, not the limit of what the desk will look at.

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