Basic metals manufacturing is on the government’s list of eligible BICS sectors — there’s no intensity ratio for you to prove. Eligibility attaches to primary metal forms: aluminium (HS 7601), primary ferrous forms (HS 7204-related processing) and copper (HS 7404-related), produced under the basic-metals SIC code. Re-melting scrap into a primary form qualifies; sorting or baling scrap does not.
Metals is often the strongest-fit sector for BICS: the processes are exactly the electricity-intensive industrial transformation the scheme is built to protect, and basic metals sits squarely on the eligible-sector list.
Does metals & foundry work qualify?
Basic metals is a listed eligible sector, so the government has already confirmed it’s in scope — no intensity calculation required. The HS product form is what to confirm:
- Likely to qualify: producing primary metal — aluminium ingot/billet (7601), primary ferrous forms from scrap re-melt (7204-linked processing), copper cathode/primary forms (7404).
- Unlikely on its own: sorting, shearing or baling scrap without re-melting into a primary form — that’s handling, not manufacturing transformation.
An aluminium re-melt turning scrap into primary ingot passes both gates; a metal recycler that only sorts and bales scrap fails the HS gate. The transformation into a primary form is what the scheme rewards. See the AND-rule →
Site mix & capacity
Foundries are usually dominated by the melt load, so they tend to clear the 25% floor and land a high pro-rata band — but casting, finishing and ancillary areas still need clean attribution. Metals sites also carry large capacity (kVA) charges, so BICS relief sits alongside broader non-commodity optimisation.
What it's worth
At an indicative £37/MWh, a 25 GWh foundry is in the region of £925,000 a year before site-mix scaling, plus the backdated April 2026 payment — among the largest absolute benefits of any sector. See the savings table →
We delivered a 28% cost advantage (~£240k) for manufacturer Build Bloc through wholesale access and kVA optimisation — the same approach now applied to BICS eligibility and band.
Foundry or metals manufacturer?
Confirm your primary-form eligibility and band — summary within 24 hours.