We broker used cooking oil between collectors and aggregators on one side and FAME, HVO and SAF producers on the other, across Europe and on import parcels. UCO is a waste-based feedstock listed in Annex IX Part B of the Renewable Energy Directive, which is where its value comes from, and it means the ISCC EU certificate and the traceability behind it are part of the product, not paperwork attached to it. A cargo whose chain of custody does not survive an audit is worth a fraction of one that does.
Specification: what a producer screens on
UCO is priced against a fairly settled set of parameters. The first three carry most of the value, and sulphur has become materially more important as hydrotreatment capacity has grown relative to transesterification.
| FFA (free fatty acid) | Percentage as oleic. The primary quality and price driver. |
|---|---|
| MIU (moisture, impurities, unsaponifiables) | Combined, and normally also reported individually. |
| Moisture | Karl Fischer or oven; settlement weight and processing yield. |
| Total contamination / filterable solids | Food particles and fines. |
| Iodine value (IV) | Degree of unsaturation; drives cold-flow and oxidative stability in the finished fuel. |
| Sulphur | Increasingly the gate for HVO and SAF producers, where it poisons hydrotreating catalyst. |
| Phosphorus | Catalyst impact and pretreatment load. |
| Polyethylene / polymer content | From packaging and fryer handling; a recurring problem in poorly managed collection. |
| Mineral oil content | A fraud and contamination marker as much as a quality one. |
| Titre / melting behaviour | Handling, heated storage and pumpability. |
| Certification | ISCC EU or equivalent, with the correct scope and a valid proof of sustainability. |
Certification and the reason it is scrutinised
UCO qualifies as an Annex IX Part B feedstock, and biofuels made from Part B feedstocks are subject to a cap: 1.7 % of transport energy per member state, with the possibility for a member state to request a higher limit where feedstock availability justifies it. That cap, plus the greenhouse-gas value of waste-based fuel, is what puts UCO at a premium to virgin oil.
That premium is exactly why the category attracts scrutiny. The persistent concern across the market is virgin or palm-derived oil being presented as used, and it has had concrete consequences: following an anti-dumping investigation, the EU imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on biodiesel from China ranging from roughly 10 % to 35.6 % by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/261, published on 11 February 2025.
The practical effect for anyone trading UCO today is that buyers audit harder than they did five years ago. Collection-point-level records, consistent volumes that match the claimed collection base, and analysis that looks like used oil rather than fresh oil are what get a supplier through due diligence.
Double counting is a separate question from the cap, and it is now member state specific. Several member states, including the Netherlands and Germany, have moved away from multipliers in their RED III implementation. Do not assume a multiplier applies in the destination market, check the national scheme.
Where UCO goes
For what the finished fuel then has to meet, see FAME biodiesel and HVO, bionaphtha and SAF.
- FAME / UCOME producers: transesterification into biodiesel; the traditional and still the largest outlet.
- HVO and renewable diesel producers: hydrotreatment; more sensitive to sulphur, phosphorus and metals, and generally paying for pretreated or low-contaminant material.
- SAF producers: the HEFA route; the tightest specification of the three and the most demanding on documentation.
- Oleochemical outlets: for material that does not qualify or does not fit the energy chain.
Where the volume actually comes from and goes
Useful orientation if you are new to this flow, because the trade routes are more concentrated than people expect.
- Roughly 80 % of the world UCO market ends up in biofuels. The rest goes to oleochemical and industrial outlets.
- Asia is by far the largest supplier, with most of that volume exported. Malaysia and Indonesia are the largest single origins, alongside significant volumes out of Russia and Saudi Arabia.
- The Netherlands, Spain and Belgium together account for the overwhelming majority of EU imports, on the order of 97 %. Which is why sitting near the ARA range is not a detail for a broker in this product.
- UCO is the primary feedstock for HEFA-SAF, HVO and UCOME worldwide, so these three demand streams compete for the same tonne.
Non ISCC UCO, and why that market is growing
Not every tonne of used cooking oil is certified, and there is a real and expanding market for the material that is not. It is worth understanding rather than dismissing.
Certification costs money and takes time, and a great deal of genuine, well collected UCO sits with collectors who have not yet gone through the process, or whose certificate does not cover a particular activity or origin. That material cannot go into an EU renewable fuel claim, but it is not worthless: it has established outlets in oleochemicals, in industrial and technical applications, in energy recovery, and in markets outside the EU mandate framework.
The practical point for a seller is that uncertified UCO trades in a different market against different buyers, and pretending otherwise wastes everybody's time. We will tell you plainly which market you are in. The practical point for a buyer is that non certified material can be a sensible route where the end use does not depend on counting the volume, and it frequently prices accordingly.
One thing we will not do is move uncertified material into a chain where a certified claim is being made. That is precisely the behaviour that produced the fraud problem the whole sector is now paying for.
Food waste oil and related streams
Alongside classic fryer oil there is a wider family of oily waste streams coming out of food production and food service, and they are handled less consistently than UCO because they arrive in smaller, messier lots.
- Food waste oil, recovered oil and fat from food manufacturing, processing and food service waste streams.
- Grease trap and interceptor material, and the recovered oil fraction from it. Genuinely different from fryer oil in quality and in the pretreatment it needs.
- Fat, oil and grease (FOG) from wastewater treatment.
- Expired and off specification food oils, where the food outlet has closed but the material is intact.
- Bakery and snack production residues carrying recoverable oil.
How we broker UCO
We act for collectors and aggregators who want a reliable home for regular volume rather than a marginally better price on a one-off load, and for producers who need predictable, certified, auditable supply.
What we ask for up front is the certificate with its scope, a recent analysis, honest volumes per month and the logistics reality, road tanker, flexitank, ISO tank or parcel. What we will not do is present a cargo as certified when the certificate does not cover it. That protects the collector as much as the buyer: in this market a supplier's reputation for clean documentation is worth more than any single cargo.
Frequently asked questions
What specification does UCO need to meet?
There is no single universal trading spec, but the standard analysis is FFA, MIU (moisture, impurities and unsaponifiables), moisture separately, iodine value, sulphur, phosphorus and total contamination. FFA and MIU carry most of the price. Sulphur has become materially more important because HVO and SAF producers hydrotreat and sulphur poisons their catalyst. Each producer sets its own acceptance limits.
Is UCO an Annex IX Part A or Part B feedstock?
Part B. Biofuels from Part B feedstocks, used cooking oil, and category 1 and 2 animal fats, are capped at 1.7 % of transport energy per member state, though a member state may request a higher cap where feedstock availability justifies it. Part A covers advanced feedstocks such as lignocellulosic material, manure, sewage sludge and algae, and is a separate target.
Does UCO still count double in the EU?
That now depends on the member state. Multipliers were a feature of earlier implementations, and under RED III several member states, including the Netherlands and Germany, have moved away from them. Because it is set nationally, check the scheme in the destination market rather than assuming a multiplier applies.
Why is UCO from China subject to anti-dumping duties?
The duties apply to biodiesel, not to the raw feedstock. Following an anti-dumping investigation into imports of HVO and FAME from China, the Commission imposed definitive duties of roughly 10 % to 35.6 % by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/261, published on 11 February 2025. The investigation sat against a background of concern that palm-derived biodiesel was being presented as UCO-derived.
What certification do you need to sell UCO into the EU biofuel chain?
ISCC EU is the most widely used voluntary scheme, with REDcert and others also recognised. What matters is that the certificate scope actually covers the material and the activity, and that a valid proof of sustainability accompanies each delivery. Buyers increasingly audit the collection base behind the certificate, not just the certificate itself.
Do you work with small collectors?
Yes. Aggregating regular volume from smaller collectors into parcels that a producer can contract is one of the more useful things a broker does in this market. The requirement is certification and consistent, honest volumes, a collector who overstates monthly availability creates a problem that surfaces at the worst possible moment.
What is the Union Database for Biofuels (UDB)?
The EU database that tracks sustainable fuel consignments through the supply chain, which went live in November 2024. It exists to make traceability verifiable rather than declared, and it was introduced substantially in response to concerns about mislabelled waste-based feedstock. If you are placing UCO into the EU chain, expect your data to be in it and expect buyers to check.
How much UCO fraud is there really?
Estimates of mislabelling in global UCO trade have been put in the range of 20 to 30 %, which is why buyers audit as hard as they do and why the UDB was introduced. We are not in a position to verify any single market-wide number, but the practical consequence is not in dispute: a supplier who can evidence the collection base behind the certificate is in a materially stronger position than one who cannot.
Is Asian-origin UCO harder to place in Europe?
It faces more scrutiny. Buyers generally require full chain-of-custody documentation proving waste origin, and some member states and some buyers apply additional checks for the most sensitive mandate applications. It moves, and a good deal of it does, but the documentation has to be genuinely solid rather than merely present.
What GHG saving does UCO-based fuel achieve?
Waste-based feedstocks including UCO are commonly cited at up to around 88 % greenhouse gas saving against fossil diesel, though the figure that matters commercially is the actual number on the proof of sustainability accompanying your consignment, not a default or a headline. Where a buyer's claim depends on the saving, contract against the actual figure.
Do you trade non ISCC certified UCO?
Yes, and that market is growing. Uncertified material cannot go into an EU renewable fuel claim, but it has real outlets in oleochemicals, industrial and technical applications, energy recovery and markets outside the EU mandate framework. It trades against different buyers at different levels, and we will tell you plainly which market you are in. What we will not do is move uncertified material into a chain where a certified claim is being made.
Do you handle food waste oil and grease trap material?
Yes. Food waste oil from manufacturing and food service, grease trap and interceptor material, fat oil and grease from wastewater treatment, and expired or off specification food oils. These arrive in smaller and messier lots than fryer oil and need more pretreatment, so the buyer list is narrower, but there is a genuine market and a lot of this material is currently disposed of rather than sold.
Do you publish UCO prices?
No. We do not publish price assessments, and we do not republish other people's. Market levels are discussed directly with counterparties. If you want a published assessment there are established price reporting agencies for that; what we offer is a read on where business is actually clearing.
Who to ask about Used cooking oil (UCO)
Ask us. Collector volume to place, or a producer looking for certified, traceable supply? Let's talk. We answer the same working day, in English or Dutch, and there is no charge and no obligation for a market read or a second opinion on a specification.
You get Bart van den Brug directly, not a call centre and not a form that goes nowhere. We are an independent broker: we never take title, we do not trade our own book, and we are paid a commission only on business that actually concludes. That is why we will also tell you when the answer is no.
+31 6 115 83 448
[email protected]
Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V., Lemmer, the Netherlands
Last reviewed 09 August 2026 by Bart van den Brug, Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V. (KvK 99665042), Lemmer, the Netherlands. Regulatory references are given for orientation and are not legal advice; verify against the current Official Journal text before contracting.