Hensel Recycling

Name

Hensel Recycling

Legal name

Hensel Recycling GmbH

Website

https://hensel-recycling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hensel Recycling is a German precious-metal recycler recovering platinum-group metals, gold, and silver from automotive catalytic converters, e-scrap, industrial catalysts, and fuel cells for automotive dismantlers, electronics recyclers, industrial customers, and hydrogen-tech firms across 10+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precious Metal Recycling Services

NAICS

Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying of Nonferrous Metal (except Copper and Aluminum) (331492)

SIC

Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330), Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)

akta.pro primary industry

Catalytic Converter Recycling & Precious Metals Recovery (PGM) (EUAIAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Catalyst & Precious Metal Scrap Recycling (Auto Catalysts, Refinery/Petrochemical Catalysts) (IMAKAMAI), Precious & Specialty Metal Recovery (Smelting, Refining, Hydrometallurgy) (EUAIAIAD), E-Waste & Electronics Metal Recovery (ITAD, Circuit Boards, Precious Metal Recovery) (IMAKAMAG), Catalyst Recovery, Regeneration & Reclamation Services (IMAEAIAM)

Keywords

• Precious metal recycling
• Catalytic converter recycling
• Electronic scrap recycling
• Industrial catalyst recycling
• Fuel cell recycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Aschaffenburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Purchase and Refining of Precious Metal-Bearing Materials: Hensel Recycling purchases used catalytic converters, electronic scrap, industrial catalysts, fuel cells, and other materials containing precious metals (platinum, palladium, gold, silver, rhodium). The company refines these materials and retains value through the difference between purchase cost and recovered precious metal value. Services include toll refining ( Umarbeitung) where customers retain ownership of the refined metals, and direct purchase where Hensel acquires the material outright.
2. Precious Metal Management Services: Advisory and operational services helping customers manage their precious metal recovery and trading activities, including market price information (real-time and historical platinum, palladium, gold, silver prices), settlement processing, and logistics coordination.
3. Fast Settlement (Schnellabrechnung): Expedited payment processing for customers who need rapid liquidity, providing faster settlement times for catalytic converter and other material sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hensel Recycling purchases and refines precious metal-bearing materials — primarily automotive catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters, electronic scrap, truck and industrial catalysts, fuel cells/electrolysers, and spark plugs — to recover platinum, palladium, rhodium, gold, and silver. Service models include direct purchase, toll refining (Umarbeitung) where customers retain ownership of recovered metals, fast settlement (Schnellabrechnung) for rapid liquidity, and end-to-end precious metal management (Edelmetallmanagement).

Product overview

Hensel Recycling is a precious metal recycling company operating for 25 years, specializing in the recovery of precious metals (platinum, palladium, gold, silver) from end-of-life materials. The company operates a platform of recycling services centered around automotive catalytic converters (its core competency), supplemented by electronic scrap, truck catalytic converters, industrial catalytic converters, fuel cells/electrolysers, and spark plugs. Supporting services include laboratory analytics (via IDO-Lab GmbH), precious metal price tracking, and a customer portal. The offering is a portfolio of specialized recycling services rather than a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Auto Catalytic Converters Recycling (Autokatalysatoren) Recovery of precious metals (platinum, palladium, rhodium) from end-of-life automotive catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters. Offered as purchase, toll refining, fast settlement, and precious metal management. Targets automotive recyclers and dismantlers.
• Electronic Scrap Recycling (Elektronikschrott) Recycling of electronic components and e-waste to recover precious metals in an economically viable and resource-conserving manner, including purchase and toll refining. Targets electronics recyclers and e-waste processors.
• Truck Catalytic Converters Recycling (LKW-Katalysatoren) Precious metal recovery from truck and commercial vehicle catalytic converters, with purchase, toll refining, and fast settlement options. Targets commercial vehicle recyclers and dismantlers.
• Industrial Catalytic Converters Recycling (Industriekatalysatoren) Recovery of precious metals from industrial catalytic converters used in chemical, petrochemical, and manufacturing processes, with purchase and toll refining options. Targets industrial manufacturers and processors.
• Fuel Cell & Electrolyser Recycling (Brennstoffzellen) Recycling solutions for hydrogen technology, focusing on critical raw material recovery (platinum group metals) from fuel cells and electrolysers. Targets hydrogen technology manufacturers and operators.
• Spark Plug Recycling (Zündkerzen) Recycling of spark plugs to recover valuable precious metals while contributing to environmental protection.
• Precious Metal Analytics (Edelmetall-Analytik) In-house laboratory analysis services for accurate quantification and verification of precious metal content in recyclable materials, operated through subsidiary IDO-Lab GmbH. Provides precision analytics for internal and external use.
• Precious Metal Price Information (Edelmetallpreise) Real-time and historical price data for platinum, palladium, gold, and silver, publicly available on the website to support market transparency for customers and suppliers.
• Kabi Mobile Customer Portal Online customer portal (web and iOS/Android mobile app) enabling registered customers to submit material data, track transactions, and manage settlements and account information.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MastermeltminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 October 2026Hensel Recycling co-exhibits with Mastermelt at the Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe 2026 in Hamburg (October 20-22, 2026, Booth 6E59). The joint exhibition focuses on presenting recycling solutions for hydrogen technologies, emphasizing sustainability and resource efficiency in the H2 value chain. This partnership enables both companies to present a unified front in the emerging hydrogen technology recycling market.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Johnson Matthey: UK-based precious metals and catalyst specialist with significant autocatalyst refining and recycling operations. Overlaps Hensel's core catalytic converter and industrial catalyst recycling, though Johnson Matthey is much larger and more diversified into catalyst manufacturing.
• Umicore: Belgian materials technology group with a major precious metals recycling business covering automotive catalysts, industrial catalysts, and e-scrap. Competes with Hensel for the same PGM-bearing feedstock but also sells fabricated catalyst products, giving it an integrated offering.
• Heraeus Precious Metals: Global precious metals group offering refining, trading, and fabricated PGM products. Directly overlaps Hensel's autocatalyst refining and recycling activities but at vastly larger scale, with vertically integrated downstream capabilities Hensel does not have.
• BASF Catalysts: Major chemical company with a precious metal and catalyst recycling business serving automotive and industrial customers. Competes with Hensel for spent industrial catalyst feedstock and has substantially greater refining capacity and global reach.

Emerging players

• Aurubis: European multi-metal recycler primarily focused on copper but increasingly active in precious metal recovery from complex feedstocks including e-scrap. An emerging player in the same materials recovery ecosystem Hensel serves, though with different primary metals focus.

Direct peers

• Metalor Technologies: Swiss precious metals refiner offering PGM and gold/silver recovery services from industrial and e-scrap streams. Directly comparable to Hensel's e-scrap and industrial catalyst recycling lines, particularly for European electronics recyclers.
• Duesmann: Joint-venture partner visible in Hensel's North America LinkedIn entity ('Duesmann & Hensel Recycling North America Inc.'), indicating Duesmann operates as a closely allied recycling firm in the autocatalyst and precious metals space alongside Hensel.
• Mastermelt: UK-based precious metal refiner specializing in autocatalyst and PGM recycling. Hensel co-exhibits with Mastermelt at Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe 2026, indicating overlapping customer bases, similar toll refining services, and direct competition for European catalytic converter feedstock.

Regional players

• Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo: Japanese precious metals refiner and fabricator with autocatalyst recycling capabilities. Comparable in refining technology to Hensel but focused primarily on the Japanese and broader Asian market rather than Europe.
• SAFINA: Czech-based precious metals refiner recovering PGMs, silver, and gold from autocatalysts, industrial catalysts, and e-scrap. Comparable to Hensel in service offering and customer segments, but primarily serving Central and Eastern European markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTQjubCnVGQcmGMHgO3L2xw
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/duesmann-&-hensel-recycling-north-america-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/hensel_recycling

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hensel Recycling