Stainless & HiTemp
High Temperature Alloys (Hi-temp)
Description There are various Hi-temp alloys such as Titanium, Inconel, Tungsten/Carbide, and Cupronickel, to name a few. Upgrade potential Most of these Hi-temp alloys look like stainless steel, so it is important to test any stainless like material with an analyzer to determine its type. These types of upgrades will add significant value due to …
Shredded Stainless Steel [Zurik]
Description Zurik is primarily composed of shredded stainless steel. The main variables that dictate the value of this material are metallic content (should be 95%+), the size of each piece (fraction size), and the amount of copper & brass (red metal). It is very important to take regular samples of this material to determine the …
Cupronickel
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 …
Tungsten Carbide
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 …
Inconel
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 …
Titanium
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, …
Dirty [Irony] Stainless Steel
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 …
400 Series
Description The 400 series stainless steel is magnetic, so it can easily be mistaken for steel. Checking for a stamp or using an analyzer is essential to sort this material from another ferrous scrap. 409 stainless steel is used to contain the catalyst in a catalytic converter. Upgrade potential This material is often upgraded from …