# Industrial dismantling

Markdown version of https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/industrial-dismantling. Updated on 2026-11-12.

A plant building, a factory or a steel structure that is out of use can be dismantled, and its metal is paid for. The project starts with photos, documents and a site visit, continues with a plan and permits, and ends with every load weighed on a weighbridge and hauled with a Carta Porte.

## What we dismantle

- **Rail infrastructure**: Rail, steel sleepers, wagons and retired rolling stock.
- **Oil and gas**: Pipe, tanks, process structures and platforms.
- **Industrial plants**: Plant buildings, machinery and production lines being retired.
- **Steel structures**: Bridges, towers, warehouses and civil works structures.
- **Marine assets**: Ships, barges, tugs and port equipment, including abandoned or sunken ones. See [ship recycling](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/ship-recycling) and [abandoned and sunken boats](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/abandoned-and-sunken-boats).

We work in every state of Mexico and also assess projects abroad.

## How a project runs

1. **Assessment**: We review photos, drawings and documents, and visit the site to check access, the condition of the structure and what is inside.
2. **Plan and permits**: Cutting plan, schedule, written offer and whatever permits the municipality and the type of work require.
3. **Safe preparation**: Before the first cut, fuels, oils and waste are removed, and anything that needs special handling is identified.
4. **Cutting**: Section by section, in the order of the plan, with the safety measures each work front calls for.
5. **Sorting and recovery**: Steel is sorted by grade, non ferrous metals are kept apart, and reusable equipment is recovered whole.
6. **Removal**: Every load leaves weighed on a certified weighbridge, with a ticket and photo, travels with a CFDI and the Carta Porte 3.1 supplement[^sat-cp], and the operation is invoiced with a CFDI 4.0.

## What the owner provides

- **Proof of ownership** of the property or the structure. In Mexico City, for example, the demolition licence requires it[^desmantelamiento-rcdf].
- **Photos and drawings**, if they exist: structure, equipment, substations and tanks.
- **What was inside**: what was processed or stored, and whether there are oils, transformers, hazardous waste, old insulation or equipment with a radioactive source, such as thickness or level gauges.
- **Access and hours**: entry for trailers and cranes, and which areas are still running.
- **A contact on site** who knows the facility and can authorize shutting off power, gas, water and steam.

## What Mexican law requires

There is no single dismantling permit. What applies depends on the municipality, on what the facility held and on the type of work. These are the rules checked on every project.

| Topic | What it requires | Authority |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Demolition licence | Each municipality has its own building code. In Mexico City, demolishing or dismantling a building or installation requires a special construction licence[^desmantelamiento-rcdf-2024], signed off by a registered site director (Director Responsable de Obra), with a method statement, the destination of the material and protection for neighbouring buildings[^desmantelamiento-rcdf] | Municipality or borough |
| Hazardous waste | Whoever generates it remains liable even when hiring out its handling, and must check the contractor holds a current authorization. When a facility closes, it must be left free of hazardous waste[^lgpgir] | SEMARNAT |
| Transformers and capacitors | If no document states their polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) content, they are tested by an accredited laboratory; at 50 ppm or more they are handled as PCB equipment[^desmantelamiento-nom-133] | SEMARNAT |
| Rubble | Construction and demolition waste is special handling waste[^lgpgir], and when a project generates more than 80 m³ it needs a management plan[^nom-161] | State |
| Work at height | Above 1.80 m: assessment of site conditions, written authorization, a fall protection system and training[^desmantelamiento-nom-009] | STPS (labour ministry) |
| Welding and cutting | Risk analysis, written authorization to cut in risk areas and specific controls for cutting containers[^desmantelamiento-nom-027] | STPS (labour ministry) |
| Site safety | Demolition counts as construction work; depending on the size of the job, the standard requires a potential risk analysis and a site health and safety programme[^desmantelamiento-nom-031] | STPS (labour ministry) |
| Transport | Every load on a federal highway travels with a CFDI and the Carta Porte 3.1 supplement[^sat-cp] | SAT (tax authority) |

> This table is general information, current as of its update date. Municipal codes vary from place to place, so every project plan includes checking the local one. Tax and transport rules are on [regulation](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/regulation).

## What gets checked before cutting

- **Containers and pipework.** Anything that held fuel or flammable substances is not cut as it is: the welding and cutting standard requires specific controls for work on containers[^desmantelamiento-nom-027].
- **Radioactive sources.** Gauges with a radioactive source, such as thickness gauges, can be left behind on a demolition site and end up in the scrap if nobody flags them[^desmantelamiento-epa-rad].
- **Transformers, capacitors and oils.** They are identified and removed as waste before cutting[^desmantelamiento-nom-133].
- **Stability.** The cutting order is planned so nothing is left unsupported. In Mexico City, the demolition licence comes with a programme that sets the order of the stages[^desmantelamiento-rcdf].
- **Old insulation and coatings.** They are identified in advance and removed by whoever is authorized to handle them.

## The metal is paid for

The steel and non ferrous metals that come out of a dismantling job have value, and they are paid for. The price comes from the type of material and its grade, the real net weight on the weighbridge, distance and access, and the weekly market reference, and it is itemized in the offer. See [scrap metal prices](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/scrap-metal-prices) and [steel grades](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/steel).

Every load keeps its weighbridge ticket, its CFDI and its Carta Porte, and steel and stainless lots carry an impact certificate. See [impact](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/impact).

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does it cost to dismantle an industrial building?

There is no price per square metre: it depends on size, access, what is inside and the municipality's permits. The metal that comes out is paid for. The written offer comes after we see photos, documents and the site.

### Do you buy used steel structures?

Yes. Plant buildings, warehouses, bridges, towers and process structures are bought for their metal and dismantled on site. The price comes from the material, the real weighbridge weight, distance and the weekly reference.

### Do I need a permit to demolish my building?

It depends on the municipality, and almost all of them require one. In Mexico City, demolishing or dismantling requires a special construction licence[^desmantelamiento-rcdf-2024]. The project plan includes checking the local code.

### What happens to the plant's hazardous waste?

It is identified and removed before cutting by authorized companies. Liability stays with whoever generated it, and the facility must be left free of it when it closes[^lgpgir].

### Do you dismantle ships and platforms?

Yes, including abandoned and sunken vessels. See [ship recycling](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/ship-recycling) and [abandoned and sunken boats](https://bluegreenmaterials.com/en/abandoned-and-sunken-boats).

### Do you work outside Mexico?

We cover every state of Mexico and also assess projects in other countries.

### What do I need to request an assessment?

Photos, location, approximate size and whatever you know about the facility: what it made, whether it is still running and whether cranes and trailers can get in.

## Sources

[^sat-cp]: Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT), «Complemento Carta Porte» (2026). https://wwwmat.sat.gob.mx/consultas/68823/complemento-carta-porte-
[^desmantelamiento-rcdf]: Procuraduría Ambiental y del Ordenamiento Territorial de la Ciudad de México (PAOT), «Reglamento de Construcciones para el Distrito Federal, arts. 55, 57, 58 y 236 a 243 (texto con reformas al 10 de diciembre de 2021)» (2021). https://paot.org.mx/centro/reglamentos/df/pdf/2021/RGTO_CONSTRUCCIONES_10_12_2021.pdf
[^desmantelamiento-rcdf-2024]: Procuraduría Ambiental y del Ordenamiento Territorial de la Ciudad de México (PAOT), «Decreto que reforma el Reglamento de Construcciones para el Distrito Federal, art. 55 (Gaceta Oficial de la Ciudad de México, 8 de mayo de 2024)» (2024). https://paot.org.mx/centro/reglamentos/df/pdf/2024/08-05-2024.pdf
[^lgpgir]: Cámara de Diputados, leyes federales vigentes, «Ley General para la Prevención y Gestión Integral de los Residuos» (vigente). https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LGPGIR.pdf
[^desmantelamiento-nom-133]: FAOLEX, base de datos legislativa de la FAO, «NOM-133-SEMARNAT-2015, bifenilos policlorados (BPC), especificaciones de manejo (DOF 23 de febrero de 2016)» (2016). https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/mex152970.pdf
[^nom-161]: Diario Oficial de la Federación, «NOM-161-SEMARNAT-2011, residuos de manejo especial sujetos a plan de manejo» (2013). https://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5286505&fecha=01/02/2013
[^desmantelamiento-nom-009]: Diario Oficial de la Federación, «NOM-009-STPS-2011, condiciones de seguridad para realizar trabajos en altura» (2011). https://dof.gob.mx/normasOficiales/4377/stps/stps.htm
[^desmantelamiento-nom-027]: Diario Oficial de la Federación, «NOM-027-STPS-2008, actividades de soldadura y corte, condiciones de seguridad e higiene» (2008). https://dof.gob.mx/normasOficiales/3536/stps1/stps1.htm
[^desmantelamiento-nom-031]: Diario Oficial de la Federación, «NOM-031-STPS-2011, Construcción, condiciones de seguridad y salud en el trabajo» (2011). https://dof.gob.mx/normasOficiales/4376/stps/stps.htm
[^desmantelamiento-epa-rad]: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), «Radiologically Contaminated Scrap Metal (Radiation Protection, sitio archivado)» (s. f.). https://archive.epa.gov/radiation/source-reduction-management/web/html/scrapmetal.html