Frequently Asked Questions

We purchase a wide range of industrial chemicals including surplus inventory, off-specification materials, aged products, expired inventory, production bottoms, co-products, and process residuals. Our expertise covers alcohols, glycols, surfactants, lubricants, acids, amines, ethanolamines, specialty chemicals, refinery products, and more. Whether your material is in specification but aged, slightly off-spec, or has incomplete documentation, we can likely help. We handle materials in drums, totes, bulk trucks, railcars, barges, and ship loads for domestic and international markets.

We prefer that suppliers provide their economic expectations upfront, which allows us to evaluate whether we can make the deal work. If your initial price indication doesn't align with current market conditions or the material's specifications, we'll provide a counter-offer with our reasoning. Our pricing considers current market rates for similar materials, specification compliance (in-spec aged material commands higher prices than off-spec), quantity available (larger volumes receive better per-unit pricing), material quality and testing results, current market demand, and transportation costs to end users. We subscribe to industry pricing services and maintain close market awareness to ensure fair, competitive pricing that creates value for both sellers and buyers.

For straightforward materials with clear specifications and your economic expectations, we typically respond within 24 hours with our evaluation. Once we confirm freight costs, we provide final delivered pricing within 48 hours. More complex situations involving export, multiple buyers, or detailed contract review may take 3-5 business days. We prioritize rapid response times because we understand your storage and timeline constraints.

We handle quantities ranging from individual drums (as small as a few hundred pounds) all the way up to full ship and barge loads for large-volume opportunities. There's no strict minimum—if you have surplus or off-spec material that's taking up valuable space, we'll evaluate it regardless of quantity. That said, truckload quantities (40,000+ pounds) and larger provide better economics for all parties. For international markets, we regularly coordinate container loads, ISO tanks, and vessel charters for bulk shipments. Even for smaller volumes, we'll work to find solutions that make sense.

IRM arranges and pays for all transportation and logistics, whether domestic or international. You simply make the material available at your facility at scheduled times—we handle everything else including carrier dispatch, equipment provision (tankers, heated trailers, hazmat-certified equipment, ISO tanks, containers), appointment scheduling, loading coordination, freight forwarding, export documentation, and delivery to the end user. We work with our logistics partner Innovative Logistics LLC and international freight forwarders to provide seamless, full-service coordination worldwide.

For every material opportunity, we request the following information:

• Ongoing or Spot? - Is this a one-time quantity or recurring supply?
• Volume - Total amount available, and if ongoing, the frequency (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.)
• Packaging type - Drums, totes, or bulk?
• If bulk - Truck, railcar, barge, ship, or container?
• Location - Where is the material currently stored?
• SDS - Safety Data Sheet for regulatory and handling information
• Specs - Certificate of Analysis (COA) and/or Technical Data Sheet (TDS)
• Why it's available - Reason for surplus (reformulation, overproduction, aged inventory, off-spec, discontinued product, etc.)
• Economic expectation - Your target pricing or price indication

We understand that off-spec and surplus materials sometimes lack perfect documentation—we're flexible and can work with whatever you have available. When documentation is limited, we offer sampling and testing to verify material quality.

Sampling is flexible, not mandatory. For standard materials with good documentation from known sources, we can proceed based on your COA. For unusual materials, aged inventory, or situations where specifications need verification, we may request a sample for our lab. We're also happy to provide samples to potential buyers when they want to test before committing to full loads. Our goal is appropriate due diligence without creating unnecessary delays.

We handle all hazmat documentation, classification, permitting, and regulatory compliance as part of our logistics coordination, both domestically and internationally. Our carriers are qualified for hazmat transportation, and we ensure proper labeling, manifests, and emergency response information. For international shipments, we coordinate export compliance, customs documentation, and destination country requirements. For beneficial reuse situations, we work within regulatory frameworks that allow materials to re-enter commerce rather than being classified as waste. Sellers don't need to manage permits—we coordinate everything.

We extend credit terms to customers approved by our third-party credit approval company. New customers complete a simple credit application including W-9, banking information, and trade references. Once credit is approved, favorable payment terms apply to future transactions. For customers who prefer to transact before credit approval, we accept prepayment or COD arrangements. Payment methods include wire transfer, ACH, and checks.

We serve manufacturers, refineries, and chemical companies throughout the United States and internationally. Our logistics network enables pickup from any facility nationwide and delivery anywhere in the domestic transportation network. We regularly coordinate international shipments to destinations worldwide, handling container loading, freight forwarding, vessel booking, export documentation, customs compliance, and destination delivery. Recent transactions span the Gulf Coast to the Northeast, Midwest to West Coast, US territories, and exports to Europe, Asia, Latin America, and other international markets.

Absolutely. Aged materials that remain in specification are a significant part of our business. We regularly purchase products past their "best by" dates that still meet technical specifications. Even materials with recent expiration dates (within the past year) can often find appropriate secondary applications. We evaluate each situation individually based on material type, how far past expiration, and storage conditions. Our extensive buyer network includes customers both domestically and internationally for whom material age doesn't impact their applications.

Off-specification materials are exactly what we specialize in. Whether you have color deviations, moisture content outside spec range, hazy appearance, or other specification misses, we match these materials with buyers whose applications can tolerate the deviations. We're transparent with potential buyers about exactly which parameters are off-spec so they can make informed decisions. Our value proposition is converting material that would otherwise require disposal into revenue for you while providing discounted feedstock to buyers in markets around the world.

The fundamental difference is economic: waste haulers charge you to remove material, while IRM pays you for it. We operate under beneficial reuse principles, treating your surplus as a product with value rather than as waste. This regulatory distinction means you generate revenue instead of incurring disposal costs. Beyond economics, we provide technical expertise to match materials with appropriate end users worldwide, handle all logistics coordination including international freight, accept materials with imperfect documentation, and offer flexible terms. We're transforming what you see as a liability into an asset.

We routinely handle mixed packaging situations—totes and drums in the same lot, various drum sizes, supersacks, IBCs of different capacities, and bulk configurations. Mixed packaging doesn't disqualify materials; we simply coordinate appropriate transportation equipment and loading procedures. Our logistics team has experience with virtually every packaging format in the chemical industry, from small drum quantities to full ship and barge loads.