Be Sure To Separate Your Materials Before Your Trip To The Scrap Yard
Many scrap yards will not let people do separating at the door because the yard will make less money. You’ll also tie up their labor and could hold up other customers. Having materials separated before going to a scrap yard is important. If you don’t sort your scrap then the scrap yard owner will classify all of your scrap as the least valuable in the load. Think about it – if you have a ton of #1 Bare Bright Wire with a few strips of #2 Copper Tubing/Wire mixed in then you can easily be paid the price for #2 Copper Tubing for the whole load. That price difference can really add up – just think about it!
Being Mislead By Different Scrap Metal Grades
When you’re new to scrapping, you may think you have a load of the good stuff until you get to the yard and find out what you thought was #1 Bare Bright Wire is only Insulated Copper Cable (many variations) because you didn’t strip it. That’s a big difference in price per pound! Even if you’re a veteran around the scrap yard who usually recycles copper wire, say you land a nice load of Insulated Cable only to find out you really got your hands on Data Wire. You’re going to feel the difference when you get paid! Make sure you find out what material you have and how your yard likes it prepared before you get to the yard.
Another material that is important to have an idea about is stainless steel. A common metal that you will come across it’s important to know there are different kinds and grades of stainless steel. Stainless steel has nickel inside, the different grades are determined by the amount of nickel content inside. Ask your scrap yard about how they identify their stainless steel grades.