Are Non-Ferrous Metals Worth More Than Ferrous Metals? 

The key difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals is that ferrous metals contain iron. Additionally, ferrous metals are magnetic, while non-ferrous metals are not. Because of their iron content, ferrous metals can more easily develop rust when compared to non-ferrous metals. When metal products are recycled, the recycling facility transforms them into a new material that can be used for an entirely new product. In this article, we’ll further break down the differences between ferrous and non-ferrous metals and discuss what kind of scrap value each type carries.

Ferrous Metals

Ferrous metals are very common. For instance, iron alloys are everywhere. Metals like carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, cast iron, and wrought iron contain various degrees of iron. Because ferrous metals require a great deal of carbon for their formation, their tendency to rust increases. While wrought iron and stainless steel do not often rust, most metals that rust are ferrous metals. 

Non-Ferrous Metals

​Non-ferrous metals are more malleable compared to their ferrous counterparts. The different types of non-ferrous metals include brass, copper, lead, bronze, nickel, tin, zinc, titanium, and aluminum. Gold and silver can be converted into jewelry because of their malleability. Additionally, non-ferrous metals are lightweight, which is why gold is employed in aerospace, and aluminum is vital to the canning and airline industries. It has been stated earlier that non-ferrous metals do not contain iron, thus making them resistant to corrosion. Metals that are used for pipes, road signs, gutters, and roofing are typically non-ferrous. It should also be stated that the non-magnetic nature of non-ferrous metals makes them suitable for electric wiring and small electronics. 

Pricing Estimates for Ferrous & Non-ferrous Metals 

The amount of money that a particular kind of scrap metal is worth depends on a few factors: supply & demand, market conditions, location, and the price & quality of virgin metals. With that being said, many non-ferrous metals carry more scrap value than ferrous metals. For example, copper is one of the most valuable scrap metals. While prices are constantly fluctuating, bare bright and #1 copper often sell for north of three dollars per pound. If you have any more questions about scrap metal pricing, please contact us or visit our pricing pages!

Contact Second Street Iron & Metal!

If you’re looking to sell scrap metal in the Greater Boston area, Second Street Iron & Metal is here for you! We pride ourselves on providing our clients with the best scrap prices in the region and the very best customer service! Contact us today by giving us a call at (617) 387-1188 or by filling out the contact form on our website!

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What’s The Difference Between Ferrous And Non-Ferrous Metals? 

​Recycling scrap metal holds countless benefits for the environment. According to The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), recycling scrap metal can reduce greenhouse emissions from over 52 billion tons to just 500 million tons - a huge difference. Recycling also preserves the environment’s natural resources by reusing existing metals rather than mining new raw materials. The good news is that almost every kind of metal can be recycled an infinite amount of times, meaning you can recycle both ferrous and non-ferrous metals!

Besides its environmental benefits, recycling metal also poses numerous economic benefits. The metal recycling industry creates more than 500,000 jobs and generates a tax revenue of over $10 billion across the US yearly. By lowering the cost of producing usable metals, recycling reduces the price of consumer goods such as appliances, automobiles, architectural structures, cutlery, etc. If you wish to help your environment and economy while making some cash along the way, Second Street Iron & Metal is always ready to purchase both ferrous and non-ferrous metals from residents and businesses in the Greater Boston area! 

Ferrous Metals 

Metals can be divided into two major groups: ferrous and non-ferrous. Both groups can be recycled, although the recycling methods may vary. The differentiating property between the two types of metals is that ferrous metals contain iron while non-ferrous metals do not. Examples of ferrous metals include stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron, and wrought iron.  

Ferrous metals have a higher tensile strength than their non-ferrous counterparts, making them the preferred choice for architectural purposes. Their magnetic properties also make them functional components of electrical and motor appliances. Other uses of ferrous metals are seen in the production of shipping containers, industrial piping, fencing, cookware, railing, tools, etc.  

The major downside to ferrous metals is that their high carbon content makes them vulnerable to rust. The only exceptions are wrought iron and stainless steel. Wrought iron owes its rust resistance to its pure iron content and fibrous structure, while the chromium in stainless steel reacts with oxygen to form a protective “passive” layer that makes it rust-resistant.

Non-Ferrous Metals  

As stated above, non-ferrous metals do not contain iron and are, thus, not magnetic. Since these metals are lighter and more malleable than their ferrous counterparts, non-ferrous metals are the best option for applications that demand low-weight yet durable metals. Although they lack magnetic properties, non-ferrous metals are excellent conductors of electricity and heat. The absence of iron in non-ferrous metals also makes them corrosion-resistant.  

Examples of these metals are aluminum, lead, nickel, tin, gold, silver, platinum, copper, and copper alloys such as bronze and brass. Aluminum is used in manufacturing aircraft parts, pistons, radiators, and food cans. Due to its low resistivity level, copper is the metal of choice for producing electrical cables and batteries. Silver and gold have extensive uses in jewelry, cutlery, and electrical circuit contacts. Non-ferrous metals are also used for roofing, gutters, fixtures and fittings, kitchen utensils, statues, fuels, paints, computer parts, and much more. 

Contact Second Street Iron & Metal!

Both ferrous and non-ferrous metals are indispensable to most industries. However, continuous mining of these metals increases greenhouse gas emissions, depletes natural resources, and causes land pollution. Scrap metal recycling provides a sustainable approach to the production of usable metals in our society!

At Second Street Iron & Metal, we purchase ferrous metals and non-ferrous metals, as well as junk vehicles, for the best prices in the Greater Boston area! Our recycling services are open to businesses, demolition companies, homeowners, and the general public in the Boston region. Contact us today to get started by giving us a call at (617) 387-1188 or by filling out the contact form on our website!

Where To Find Scrap Metal Around Your Home


A great way to make some room and extra cash in your house it to look around and find appliances, goods, and general household items you no longer need to scrap. In this blog post, we’ll look at some places in your house where you can make some extra coin.

Attic:

New England is famous for attics that have collected generations of household goods. This is a great place to both make some extra room for storage, and make some extra cash.  Common items in attics that get scraped are old bed frames, broken down appliances, chairs & more. Depending on how long you family has owned your home, you could be sitting on a gold mine.

Garage:

Much like attics, garages commonly get turned into storage spaces for families. Many have old appliances, rusty power tools, unusable children’s bikes and other toys. Of course, the big ticket here is broken down cars or fixer uppers you were going to rebuild but never got around to.

Garden or Patio:

Wrought iron is a common material found in gardens or patios that can fetch big bucks at scrap metal yards. Take stock of the materials you have laying around outside and make the decision to clear your yard and put some extra cash in your pocket.

All around you there are opportunities to cash in on recyclable metals in your property. If you are unsure on what scrap yards do or done take, contact Second Street Iron & Metal Co in Everett.

The Differences Between Bronze & Brass    
 
When it comes to scrapping materials, a lot of people that do not have much experience can often mix up brass and bronze. Both of these materials are often found in pipes and plumbing fixtures and almost have a similar appearance to a non-trained eye. Usually scrappers try to separate copper from other less valuable materials, leaving them to lump all of the “yellow” metals together and just call it brass. Sometimes those yellow metals may consist of bronze as well as brass. It’s important to identify the difference as bronze is worth anywhere between ten and 25 cents per pound higher than brass.       
 
Brass vs Bronze
 
Brass
 
Most commonly found in plumbing systems, brass is an abundant non-ferrous (non-magnetic) metal. You will see it used quite a bit in faucets, fixtures, and pipe joints. Being an alloy metal, brass consists of two metals- copper and zinc. Copper is a red colored metal, while zinc is colored silver and both appear on the periodic table of elements. Most brass is made up of around 70% copper and about 30% zinc.  
 
Some Common Brass Materials Are:
 
Brass Shells
Brass Pipe
Clean Brass Turnings
Plumbers Brass
Yellow Brass
 
Bronze
 
Not as common as brass, bronze costs a little bit more to create and purchase. Bronze is much heavier than brass but is also a non-ferrous and alloy metal. Also found commonly in plumbing fixtures, bronze can also be found in things like home décor and statues. Bronze may also be found in water meters. Bronze usually has a reddish appearance due to it makeup, being about 90% copper and 10% zinc.     
 
Some Common Bronze Materials Are:
 
Bronze Turnings
Bronze
Red Brass
Semi-Red Brass
 
 
So, What Are the Differences Between Brass & Bronze?
 
Knowing that both metals are made of the same elements it can be hard to decipher the difference between the two. The main indicating factor of the differences between brass and bronze is that bronze will have a much redder color hue than brass would. Brass will look more yellowish due to its higher zinc content. Brass is worth more money due to it being made up almost entirely of copper, which is worth more than zinc.   
 
How To Spot The Difference
 
With an untrained eye or no proper tools, identifying the difference between brass and bronze can be difficult. It takes a well-seasoned scrapped to be able to figure out the difference between the two in a short amount of time. Plumbers will also have an easier time knowing the difference as they work with these two materials almost exclusively.    
 
Most scrappers will need what’s called an XRF analyzer to figure out the exact breakdown of the materials in metal, without one it can be near impossible to know the exact specifics of the tested metal. One way to easily get a decent idea of what’s what without an XRF is to file down a part of the metal until you just get the surface off. Once that’s done take a look and see if the color is more reddish or yellow. Red, and it’s most likely bronze. Yellow, and there is a good chance that it is brass. Bronze will also be much dense and heavier that a similar sized piece of brass, so do a quick feel of the two materials as well.   
 

The Type of Steel You Can Recycle
The United States Steel industry is very large, making steel one of the most popular type of metals to use in production. This also makes steel one of the most popular type of metal when it comes to scrapping.
There are many different types of steel and each one can be recycled in one way or the another.
Below are 5 of the most common types of steel and how you can recycle them:

1. 17- 4 Stainless Steel - This type of steel is a specific type of alloy that generally does not rust. 17-4 stainless can be used in a lot of different areas including such specialized as medical parts for surgery. It is, however, most commonly used in the food, as well as, the aerospace industry.  In order to be recycled, 17-4 stainless steel must be analyzed and have no attachments of any kind. By scraping this steel you usually can expect a good pay out.
2. 300 Series Stainless Steel - This is the most common form of stainless steel. You can recognize it when it is not attracting to a magnet. Because the colors are similar, it is commonly mixed with clean cast aluminum. but 300 series stainless steel, however, is stronger and have more of a shiny texture compared to aluminum. This steel is often found in appliances and kitchenware as well as some automotive and aerospace technology.
3. 400 Series Stainless Steel – This steel contains no nickel, is magnetic, and is most commonly identified with analysis. The carbon content in the 400 series makes this stainless steel magnetic which means you cannot identify it with a magnet, like most other stainless steels. 400 series stainless steel is most commonly used in exhaust systems because of its tolerance to high temperatures.
4. 304 Stainless Steel- Similar to 17-4 stainless steel, 304 stainless steel is commonly found in kitchenware and must be analyzed, also have no attachments in order to be recycled. There are many things in our daily life that includes 304 stainless steel such as oven, patio grills, kegs, and coffee makers which makes 304 stainless steel easy to access for recycling purposes.  
5. 316 Stainless Steel- Grade 316 stainless steel is commonly used in food preparation equipment, boating fittings, water filtration screens & springs. This stainless steel must be analyzed and have no attachments prior to scrapping process.

There are many different types of metals out there and sometimes it might be confusing to know each one of them. However, being familiar with them, recognizing specific types of metal and being able to pick the most valuable ones can make your scrapping not only easy, but also extremely efficient. At the Second Street we have scientific metal analyzer and highly experienced crew, we want everybody to benefit from it, therefore, please feel free stop by any time for professional advice that you may need.

By
Jill McVey