VALUABLE SCRAP METALS

If you have recently renovated your home or own a business which manufactures goods containing metal parts, chances are you have some scrap metal lying around which could be turned into some serious cash. It is handy to know which metals are the most valuable when it comes to recycling your scrap. Non-ferrous metals such as aluminium, copper and brass are typically worth more at the scrap yard than ferrous metals (those which contain iron). Read on to learn about 7 of the most profitable scrap metals.

COPPER

Copper is one of the most common metals you can find around your home and one of the most highly sought after at the scrap yard. If you have any old electrical appliances lying around or any old pipes left from a plumbing upgrade, it is likely you have some copper on your hand which you could turn into scrap.

BRASS

You may not realise that you have quite a lot of old objects lying around which contain brass components. If it you have an item whic looks gold when clean but you know it’s not made of gold, there is a good probability it’s made of brass. You’ll find brass in all sorts old ornamental objects such as candlesticks, plates, trophies as well as brass fittings, door handles/knockers and bed frames.

SILVER

Scrap metal buyers can sometimes offer higher scrap metal prices for silver than what you would be offered at a jewellery store or pawn shop. If you have old jewellery, silverware, medals, or antique vases, you could make some easy money buy converting your silver scrap into cash.

ALUMINIUM

When people think about sources of aluminium scrap the first thing that comes to mind tends to be softdrink cans. While aluminium cans and other kinds of packaging can actually provide a good return when recycled at the scrap metal yard, there are plenty of other items from which aluminium can be harvested. Old electronic devices such as computers and gaming consoles, car parts and even bike frames can all contain significant amounts of aluminium.

STAINLESS STEEL

Stainless steel is one of the most commonly found metals in Australia today. Stainless steel is often seen as less valuable, mainly because there seems to be so much of it around. However stainless steel’s value is often driven up by the fact that it contains other metals such as chromimum or chrome (10% or more), nickel molybdenum and iron. Different grades of stainless steel scrap will have different value and the grade will depend on the amount of nickel that the alloy contains.
Stainless steel can often be found in appliances, whitegoods and other kitchen equipment as well as some automotive parts and machinery found in factories and warehouses. It’s important to remember that you will most likely get a lower price at your scrap yard if there is oil or grease on the metal compared to that which you will be offered for clean stainless steel.

GOLD

Like silver, gold is a precious metal which is worth more than most other kinds of scrap however it tends to be considerably harder to come by. The gold objects which usually come to mind include jewellery, old coins an antique items. However, outdated electronics often contain parts with a high enough level of gold to make harvesting the metal worthwhile. Some effort and research (on the harvesting process) will be required to remove the gold from computer parts and other electronics, however the return you will get from turning the scrap into cash is likely to be much higher than from most other types of scrap metal.

LEAD

Lead scrap can prove to be extremely profitable when recycled however, it can be very hard to get our hands on a pure source of the non-ferrous metal. If you do in pure lead scrap it is vital that you take the necessary precautions so as not to contaminate your surroundings with it as it is highly toxic. Lead can also be very difficult to transport as lead items tend to be very heavy. Nonetheless, scrap lead is usually in high demand and therefore worth the effort it takes to locate and transport.

If you have scrap lead or any other kind of ferrous or non-ferrous scrap metal you can arrange to have it picked up from your home or business via our convenient 24 hour scrap metal pickup service. We supply the bins, deliver them to your property and come back to collect them at your convenience