I'm sorry , it is plastic. I kept thinking it was the Record for some reason. The Ultegra has the alloy sleeve.

For some reason, overall reviews of the DA BB's weren't quite as good as the Ultegras. I think in the end, they said it had something to do with the seals. This comes from a few sources, one being www.roadbikereview.com among others. Granted they work fine, but for some reason, they didn't last as long as the Ultegras, and required more frequent adjustments and maintenance.