The Difference Between Ferrous & Non-Ferrous Metals
As you drive around you are likely to see a fair share of scrap metal recycling yards throughout. Recycling scrap metal is not only a great way to make money, but it is also very important for the environment. You will likely almost always see a sign outside of every yard indicating if they take ferrous and non-ferrous metals or just one or the other. Although most yards take both, there are some that only take one. For the scrap yard, the difference between these two categories of metal impacts how they recycle the metal. For consumers, whether your metal is ferrous or non-ferrous will likely impact how much money you make for your metal. 

What Is The Difference Between The Two Types?
Simply put, ferrous metal has iron and non-ferrous metal does not. More specifically, these metals have very different properties compared to one another. Ferrous metals include steel, alloy steel, carbon steel, wrought iron, and cast iron. These is a lot of ferrous metal in circulation. From skyscrapers to bridges, most structures utilize ferrous metals for their structural integrity. Ferrous metals easily rust when introduced to moisture due to their high carbon content. However, both stainless steel and wrought iron are actually rust resistant due to the presence of chromium in the metal. 

Examples of Non-Ferrous Metals
There are many types of Non-ferrous metals. They include tin, copper, lead, zinc, silver, gold, and aluminum. Unlike ferrous metals, these metals do not contain iron which makes them more malleable. For this reason they are not usually used for structural integrity but instead used for piping, electrical wiring, and similar projects. They are also resistant to rust which makes them perfect for gutters, roofing, and outdoor signs. 

The Importance of Organizing Scrap Metal
Whenever you decide to recycle scrap metal it is important to ensure that you identify your metal and organize it by kind. Many yards will charge you for the average of all of your metals if the metals are not organized into separate containers. You can easily tell the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals by using a magnetic (except in the case of stainless steel which is ferrous but non-magnetic). 

Recycle Your Scrap Metal in Everett
If you live in the Greater Boston area and need to recycle scrap metal. You can easily sell it at our yard in Everett. Our team pays competitive prices for all ferrous and non-ferrous metals as well as old vehicles. For more information please contact our team. 

How To Clean & Organize Metal
When you look at the prices provided at a scrap metal yard you will likely notice that they pay different prices for different metals. Additionally they may indicate different variations of the same metal including numbers or with descriptors like "prepared" or "unprepared" or "clean". For someone new to scrap metal recycling, these terms and identifiers might not make sense. And although you might know what type of metal you have you might not know if it is "prepared" or "clean" or what number it is. Here is a quick guide to these terms and how to make more for your scrap metal. 
How To Organize Scrap Metal
The first step in recycling scrap metal is organizing the metal into separate bins or containers. You should keep like metals with each other. If you provide an unorganized bin of metal, the yard could pay you based on an average of all the metals or even pay you based on the cheapest metal in the bin. To get the most for your metal you should separate each metal into separate bins. 
Understanding Numbers in Reference To Scrap Metal
Scrap Yards will usually indicate if they pay different prices for the quality of the metal provided by using numbers. For instance, heavy metal steel is usually categorized into two groups: HMS #1 and HMS #2. HMS #1 is higher quality as it does not contain blackened steel or galvanized steel. The same applies to copper. Although in the case of Copper, metals can be separated into three categories. Each of these types of copper is identified by its quality.  
The Difference Between Clean & Unclean Metal
Some scrap metal yards will organize copper based on how "clean" it is. To someone new to recycling copper, they might misunderstand this as referring to cleanliness. In fact the clean copper refers to the damage and rust. Signs of oxidation and damage can decrease the value of the copper. Copper #2 likely shows signs of oxidation or has solder, paint, coatings, and other tarnishing affecting the value of the copper. Just like separating different types of metal you should separate different grades of copper and heavy metal steel. 
Prepared Vs Unprepared Heavy Metal Steel
Another consideration is if the your metal is prepared or unprepared. Unprepared metal includes components that have multiple metals present. Metal is most valuable if it is purely one metal separated from all foreign materials. This means all attachments that are composed of other metals or materials need to be removed. 
Preparing Your Scrap Metal For Recycling
When you plan to sell scrap metal you can improve your profits by taking a few simple steps. Remove insulation from copper wire, separate metals into their purest forms and keep all of your metals in separate bins. By recycling each metal individually you can get the most for your metals. However, some people recycle scrap metal may not have the tools or the time for these projects. In that case, you can always recycle your metal without organizing and cleaning it, but you will want to go to a yard you can trust to give you a fair price for unorganized metals.