What this is
What is a scrap record?
What is a scrap record?
A scrap record authorises product to be written off, capturing quantity, coded reason, value, disposal route and sign-off from quality and finance. It closes the loop opened when a hold, deviation or nonconformance concludes the product cannot be used or shipped.
How is scrap different from a concession or rework?
Scrap is the dead end: material is destroyed or removed from the product stream and does not return. A concession seeks permission to use or ship the material as it is, and rework brings it back into specification. Scrap happens when neither route is available or chosen.
Why does the reason code matter more than the description?
Free text is read once, by whoever raised the record, then never again. A coded reason can be summed across a month, a line or a product, turning individual write-offs into a Pareto of where scrap cost concentrates. The code is the part finance can act on at scale.
Scope
When is a scrap record required?
Scrap is the disposal step at the end of a nonconformance, hold or deviation, not where the decision gets made. Using it to record the investigation buries the reasoning that should live upstream.
Use this template when
- A quality or operations decision has concluded that product cannot be used, shipped or reworked
- Product identified in a hold, deviation or inspection record is being written off rather than released
- Overproduction, a startup loss or a changeover loss is being formally written off rather than left unaccounted for
- A batch has failed and no concession or rework route is available
- Finance requires a coded, valued record of product loss for the period
Do not use it for
- Hold and Release Record, which places suspect product on hold and records the release, rework or scrap decision; scrap should reference the hold, not repeat its investigation.
- Rework Authorization, which returns nonconforming product to specification instead of removing it from the stream.
- Concession Request, which seeks permission to use or ship product that does not fully meet specification, the opposite disposition to scrap.
- Root Cause Analysis, which belongs upstream of the scrap decision when the cause is not already established.
- Routine waste from planned trim, sampling or QC testing, which a site normally treats as normal loss with its own accounting line rather than a nonconformance.
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 9001 cl.8.7 requirements does this satisfy?
ISO 9001 treats destruction as one lawful disposition of a nonconforming output among several, conditioned on documenting what was decided and by whom. The environmental and food-safety duties around how the material is actually disposed of sit in separate instruments.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 cl.8.7.1 | Nonconforming outputs identified and controlled, with disposition options including correction, concession, segregation, return or destruction | What is scrapped |
| ISO 9001 cl.8.7.2 | Documented information retained: the nonconformity, action taken, any concession obtained, and the authority deciding the action | Follow up |
| ISO 9001 cl.7.5.3 | Documented information identifiable, traceable and controlled, linking the record to the batch and site it concerns | Header |
| ISO 9001 cl.10.2 | Nonconformity evaluated for whether corrective action is needed, particularly where it recurs | Follow up |
| Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) 1069/2009 | Animal by-product material categorised and routed to a permitted disposal or recovery method such as rendering, animal feed or approved disposal | Disposal |
| Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC | Waste managed to the hierarchy: prevention, reuse, recycling, other recovery, disposal, in that order | Disposal |
| ISO 9001 cl.9.1.3 | Nonconformity data, including its cost, analysed to evaluate the performance of the quality management system | What is scrapped |
What it does not cover
- The disposition decision itself, which belongs in the Hold and Release Record where the choice between release, rework and scrap is made and reasoned.
- Rework Authorization, the route for product that can be brought back to specification instead of destroyed.
- Root Cause Analysis, where a recurring reason code should actually be investigated rather than re-described on each new scrap record.
- Formal waste duty-of-care documentation, such as a waste transfer note, a separate regulatory record referenced here but not replaced by it.
- Corrective and Preventive Action, which owns the action raised against a repeat scrap cause once the specification review is triggered.
Global
Scrap Record requirements by country
The duty to control a nonconforming output is set by the management system standard wherever it is certified. What differs by jurisdiction is the regulatory weight behind how the discarded material is disposed of.
FDA food safety regulations; EPA and state solid waste rules
No general standard for scrap recording, but food-contact material disposal and animal by-product handling are regulated separately from the quality record.
A scrap record that satisfies quality does not by itself satisfy the disposal permit or manifest regulatory waste handling requires.
Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016; duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990; retained Animal By-Products Regulation
Waste must be handled under a duty of care with a waste transfer note, and animal by-product material categorised and routed to an approved outlet.
Disposal Route and Waste Transfer Record ID on the scrap record link to a separate legal obligation, not decorative fields.
ISO 9001
Certification bodies expect nonconforming output data, including scrap, to feed the organisation's performance evaluation under clause 9.1.3.
An auditor will ask not just whether scrap was recorded but whether the trend behind it was ever reviewed.
How to complete it
How to complete a scrap record, step by step
The template captures a write-off. Whether it tells anyone anything depends on the form's choices.
Reason Detail is free text and will be read once. Scrap Reason Code is what gets summed across a quarter, the part that turns individual losses into a pattern. Closing the record means asking whether the code is honest, not merely available.
The same quantity scrapped as raw material versus packed finished goods carries very different cost, since every stage already invested in the unit is lost with it. Tracking only total value under-reacts to late-stage losses, which are the expensive ones.
Branded packaging leaving site without labels removed or without required denaturing is a food fraud exposure independent of whether the write-off was correct. That is why the form scores Labels Removed Or Destroyed and gates a denaturing method behind the answer.
A scrap record with no linked yield record and no triggered action is a cost event with no accountability. Where the reason recurs, the record should force the question of whether the specification, not the batch, needs fixing.
What auditors find
Most common scrap record findings
Scrap records are rarely missing. The findings concern whether the record explains the loss or merely logs it.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Scrap Reason Code entered as a generic or catch-all option with no supporting detail. | ISO 9001 cl.9.1.3 | Restrict the code list to options a reviewer can act on; query records closed against a generic code. |
| Value and quantity recorded without regard to Stage Of Production, masking late-stage losses. | ISO 9001 cl.8.7.2 | Report scrap cost by stage as well as by total, so late-process and packed losses are visible separately. |
| Branded packaging scrapped without labels removed or destroyed, or without a denaturing method recorded. | Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) 1069/2009 | Gate the disposal sign-off on Labels Removed Or Destroyed and a named witness where denaturing is required. |
| Disposal route chosen without reference to the waste hierarchy, defaulting to landfill or incineration. | Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC | Require higher-hierarchy routes to be considered and ruled out before landfill or incineration is selected. |
| Repeat scrap on the same product and reason with no specification review or CAPA triggered. | ISO 9001 cl.10.2 | Treat scrap history as the trigger for a specification review, not the CAPA record alone. |
| Scrap record not linked to the yield record it should feed. | ISO 9001 cl.7.5.3 | Require a Yield Record ID before the scrap record closes, so cost and yield tie together. |
Case in point
Case in point: the write-off that satisfied quality and created a different problem
A dairy site scrapped a batch of cream cheese rejected for a fill weight below tolerance. Quantity, value and reason code were correctly entered, the record was signed by quality and finance, and Disposal Route was set to landfill as the cheapest collection that day. Labels Removed Or Destroyed was answered No, because the tubs were sealed and nobody thought branding mattered once the product was in a skip.
Three months later a member of the public found intact, branded tubs at the landfill and posted photographs online. The record had been correct in every field about disposition, and silent on the one question that turned a write-off into a brand incident: whether the packaging still carried the company's name. A No answer had been ticked rather than treated as a control with a consequence.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
4 sections
- Reference
- QUA-005
- Archetype
- Record
- Record ID
- SCR-2026-000
- Scoring
- Cost and quantity
- Direction
- High is bad
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- ISO 9001 cl.8.7
- Links
- Links Case
- Tags
- Quality, Cost
- Sections
- 4
- Fields
- 37
- Follow up fields
- 5
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 5
Header
14 fieldsScrap ID*
Auto sequence. Format SCR-2026-0000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Raised By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Line*
Shift*
Line Lead
Batch Number*
Numeric key joining to your ERP batch record.
Links to External system reference
Product*
Production Date*
Hold ID
Links to QUA-003 Hold ID
Case ID
Thread key
What is scrapped
7 fieldsQuantity Scrapped*
Unit Of Measure*
Value*
Scrap Reason Code*
Coded, not free text. Reason codes are the fastest route to finding where money leaks out.
Reason Detail
Stage Of Production*
Scrap late in the process costs far more than scrap at intake.
- Raw material4 pts
- Early process3 pts
- Late process1 pt
- Packed finished goods0 pts
Preventable*
- No2 pts
- Partly1 pt
- Yes0 pts
Disposal
6 fieldsDisposal Route*
Animal feed, anaerobic digestion, rendering, landfill or destruction.
- Prevention or reuse4 pts
- Recycling3 pts
- Anaerobic digestion3 pts
- Animal feed3 pts
- Rendering2 pts
- Energy recovery2 pts
- Incineration1 pt
- Landfill0 pts
Requires Denaturing*
Branded product must be made unrecognisable before it leaves site.
Denaturing Method
Denaturing Witnessed By
Waste Transfer Record ID
Links to ENV-008 Transfer ID
Labels Removed Or Destroyed*
Packaging with your brand on it reaching a landfill is a food fraud exposure.
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Follow up
10 fieldsYield Impact Recorded*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Yield Record ID
Links to QUA-062 Record ID
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Quality*
Signature*
Finance*
Second Signature*
QUA-005 · record IDs look like SCR-2026-000 · Links Case
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The write-off is straightforward. What fails is the trail behind it: the reason code nobody sums, the disposal route nobody checks, the repeat nobody notices.
Holds the scrap record against the hold, deviation or nonconformance it disposes of, and flags a reason code recurring past the threshold that should trigger a review.
Tracks disposal route against the waste hierarchy and animal by-product categorisation, and checks a waste transfer record exists where required.
Rolls scrap cost and reason codes into one view across sites and products, and raises the specification review the record itself only flags.
This template lives in KnowQuality — quality and food safety. HACCP, nonconformance, traceability, laboratory and customer complaints.
Meet KnowQuality→Glossary
Scrap Record definitions and key terms
- Nonconforming output
- Product that does not meet a specified requirement, which under ISO 9001 must be identified and controlled to prevent unintended use or delivery.
- Denaturing
- Rendering branded or recognisable product physically unusable before it leaves site, so it cannot re-enter the market or be mistaken for saleable stock.
- Waste hierarchy
- The ranked preference for handling waste: prevention and reuse first, then recycling, then other recovery, with disposal such as landfill last.
- Yield
- The proportion of input material that becomes saleable output; scrap is the counterpart figure yield reporting reconciles against.
- Category (animal by-products)
- The risk classification assigned to animal-origin material, determining whether it may go to animal feed or rendering, or must be disposed of as higher-risk material.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about scrap record
Should a scrap record reference the hold or deviation that led to it?+
Yes. The scrap record is a disposition, not an investigation, and should point back to the Hold ID or Case ID that established why the product could not be used.
Why does the reason code matter more than the free-text detail?+
Because the code is what gets summed. A month of free text is unusable for trend analysis; a month of honest codes is a Pareto chart of where scrap cost sits. Detail supports one record; the code supports the programme.
Does disposal route matter if the quality decision is already correct?+
Yes. Quality and disposal decisions carry different risks. A correctly scrapped batch reaching landfill with branded, undenatured packaging still creates a food fraud exposure.
When should a scrap record trigger a specification review rather than just a CAPA?+
When the same reason recurs, typically twice or more in twelve months on the same product. A single event is usually process variation; a repeat suggests the specification itself may be unrealistic.
How does stage of production change how scrap should be read?+
It changes the cost, not just the quantity. Raw material scrapped early costs materially less than packed finished goods, since every downstream step already invested is lost with it.
Who should sign a scrap record?+
Quality, because disposition is a quality judgement, and finance, because the record is the source document for a cost that will appear in the accounts.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Nonconformance and Complaints
Root Cause Analysis
Finds out why something happened rather than who was involved
Corrective and Preventive Action
The single action record used everywhere
Product Nonconformance Report
Records product that does not meet specification
Process Deviation Report
Records a process that ran outside its set limits, even where the product still passed
Hold and Release Record
Places suspect product on hold and records the decision to release, rework or scrap it
Rework Authorization
Authorises rework on nonconforming product and sets out exactly what will be done
More in Nonconformance
Product Nonconformance Report
Records product that does not meet specification
Process Deviation Report
Records a process that ran outside its set limits, even where the product still passed
Hold and Release Record
Places suspect product on hold and records the decision to release, rework or scrap it
Rework Authorization
Authorises rework on nonconforming product and sets out exactly what will be done
Concession Request
Requests permission to use or ship product that does not fully meet specification
Material Rejection Report
Rejects incoming material that fails inspection
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- ISO 9001:2015 clauses 8.7.1, 8.7.2, 9.1.3 and 10.2
- Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009
- Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC
- Environmental Protection Act 1990, duty of care (GB)
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.