Non-ferrous material found in a metal scrap yard.
Description Cupronickel is most often found as a heat exchanger. The main elements in cupronickel are nickel and copper. There are three common types: 90/10, 80/20, and 70/30. Each number represents the split of Copper and Nickel, with Copper being the higher percentage. Upgrade potential This material looks like stainless steel, so it is important […]
Description Tungsten Carbide (WC) is found in machining operations in the form of drill bits, inserts, and tips. Small chunks are also added to large pieces of steel for drilling/tunneling. Upgrade potential Tunnelling equipment that contains Tungsten Carbide will often be purchased as steel however this material is worth exponentially more due to the Tungsten
Description Inconel is a nickel alloy, with the most common types being 617, 625, and 718. Nickel’s percentage ranges from 40-60%, so this material is one of the most expensive alloys. Upgrade potential Since this material looks similar to stainless, it can be found and sorted with an analyzer. The value difference is significant, so
Description Titanium is a hard silver-gray metal used in strong, light, corrosion-resistant alloys. It is as strong as steel but much less dense, essentially 30% stronger but 45% lighter than steel. Therefore, it is important as an alloying agent with many metals, including aluminum, molybdenum, vanadium, tin, and iron. There are two types of titanium,
Description Similar to Dirty/irony Aluminum, Dirty/irony Stainless Steel is stainless that has ferrous or other contaminants still attached to it. Grading Irony Stainless Steel properly is easier than grading Irony aluminum. Stainless Steel has a similar density to iron and hence is similar in weight, making it easier to assess the percentage of iron or
Description Harness wire is found within the electrical system of vehicles. It is easily identifiable as it is mostly wrapped with a black plastic conduit. Harness wire will range in copper recovery between 40-50% depending on the number of attachments. Upgrade potential Removing plastic attachments and conduit can bring this material into a #2 ICW,
Description Believe it or not, Xmas lights are a common scrap commodity. Typically Xmas lights have a copper recovery of around 22%, so they are considered #3 ICW. While they can be mixed with other ICW, it is better to keep them separate since they’re easily identifiable. Upgrade potential Different types of ICW can be
Description #3 Insulated Copper Wire is a low-grade wire with the percentage of copper recovery typically under 40%. This wire will be at the high side of 16 gauge and is bought and sold on a recovery basis. Upgrade potential There might be some higher recovery Insulated Copper Wire mixed in with #3 ICW, so
Description Sealed units are round, black pumps that have a copper winding inside similar to an electric motor. They come from refrigerators and need to be completely drained of freon before shipping. Some scrap yards don’t accept refrigerators for this reason. Upgrade potential The value in Sealed Units is the copper winding. If the case
Description Ballasts are black, rectangular boxes from the inside of fluorescent light fixtures. There are two types of ballasts, copper-bearing and electronic. It is very important to sort the two types as the electronic ballasts are significantly lower value. ISRI definition Darth Ballasts (Fluorescent) Shall consist of whole and complete fluorescent light ballasts containing copper
