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What to Avoid When Scrapping Metal

5/16/2017

24 Comments

 
Claw Separating Scrap Metal
What to Avoid When Scrapping Metal
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Scrap prices are one of the few things that have a relatively unpredictable course. Making sure you receive the most out of every time you scrap metal in the Boston area is important. Sometimes, it’s possible to make a few mistakes when scrapping iron and steel. Below are a few precautions you can take to ensure you are getting the best deal possible.   

Separate Your Materials Before You Head to The Scrap Yard
 
A lot of scrap yards do not allow people to separate at the door. This will make the yard lose a little bit of money and possibly tie up the labor of the workers. Make sure your materials are separated before you go to the scrap yard to ensure you get the most out of your trip. By not separating your scrap, it’s possible that all of your metal scrap will be classified as the least possible valuable denomination. For example if you have a bunch of bright wire and then just a small amount of copper wire or tubing it’s possible you’ll just be paid out for the copper!
 
Properly Prepare Your Scrap Materials
 
By doing things such as stripping your copper wire prior to bringing it in, you can make a little bit more money than if it was not stripped. Usually yards will not pay as much for copper that is already not stripped because stripping the copper adds another level of labor to the equation. By buying a simple wire stripper, it will pay for itself most likely after the first load you turn in as you can get paid double or even triple the price!
 
Avoid Scrap Yards with A Bad Reputation
 
Much like choosing what’s good to scrap, there can be bad scrap yards out there as well. Make sure to do some research on-line by reading customer reviews and visiting their website to see if anyone has had negative experiences in the past. You may find some scrap yards that will take you for a ride and not care about bringing you back as a repeat customer. If you scrap quite a bit, it’s important to form a solid relationship with a scrap yards that is transparent with pricing and openly communicates with you regarding their practices.   
 
Know What You Are Going to Be Paid
 
Right before bringing your iron, steel, or copper to a reputable scrap yard, call ahead or do some research online to check prices. Call around and compare different yards to see who offers the best price for whatever you plan to scrap. Also, remember sometimes price shouldn’t be the only deciding factor! A scrap yard with great customer service, and great environmental practices may help build a lasting relationship to help you get the best bang for your buck when scrapping metals in the Boston area! 



24 Comments
Tiffany Locke link
1/30/2018 10:03:49 pm

Your advice to separate the materials before heading to the scrap yard in order to make sure it's correctly classified for the value it's worth is a good idea. In order to do this, you'd probably want to make sure you research the different types of metal and properly classify the kind you have. If you are having difficulty with identifying any of the materials, it would probably be a good idea to visit the yard so that you can talk to them about the piece of scrap metal you have and ensure you know what it is.

Reply
Hannah Neilson link
11/14/2018 06:30:14 pm

Thanks for explaining how you want to properly prepare scrap metal before choosing who to go to. It would make sense to have all of your materials ready in order to know it will be right for you. My husband and I are looking for a metal recycler after a recent home remodel, so we'll have to prepare our metal right.

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Camille Devaux link
5/10/2019 04:36:21 pm

I was thinking about getting a scrap metal pick up service. It might be useful to know that avoiding services with bad reputations is important. My sister might like knowing this as she looks for a place that will want her back as a repeat customer.

Reply
Johnny McCarron link
6/27/2019 11:03:21 pm

Good to know to make sure my materials are separated before I go to the scrap yard. I've got a bit of spare copper wire that I don't have any use for. I think I'll look for a scrap yard to recycle it.

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Ron Booker link
10/2/2019 05:27:42 pm

I like that you said that stripping your copper can help you make more money out of it. I have a friend that has a garage full of scrap metal. I'm going to suggest to him taking it to scrap metal to get some cash out of it.

Reply
Vivian Black link
10/2/2019 09:01:04 pm

It's awesome that this article talked about making sure you separate the metals before you actually go to the scrapyard since most do not allow people to separate at the door. I have a lot of scrap metal left over after my son's Eagle Scout project and we were looking to get rid of it. These tips will help me better prepare for when I take my scrap metal to a professional.

Reply
Randy Chorvack link
11/6/2019 10:47:49 am

I didn't even think about how there could be bad scrap yards that you don't want to get your metal from! I think it's best to do a lot of research before you choose where you want to sell your metal. Then you won't have to worry about prices.

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Jesse Ford link
2/11/2020 03:19:19 pm

Thanks for mentioning to ensure that you separate the metals before going to the scrapyard to get the most out of your trip. I'm considering finding a location that does copper recycling next month because my son is contemplating going around to different houses to see if they have any scrap metal to collect so that he can make some extra money. I think it's a good investment for us to separate the metals before we go to the scrapyard if my son decides to want to make some extra money by recycling copper.

Reply
Structural Steel Fabricators Auckland link
5/8/2020 02:57:51 pm

Buying Pieces That Are Badly Rusted can be a great drawback, also stay away rrelying on Pieces That Are Non-Standard Sizes and also overlooking Transportation Costs. Thanks for your tips! One must check this otahuhuengineering.co.nz it gives us more info on this topic.

Reply
Franklin White link
7/2/2020 01:44:21 pm

Thanks for the tip to strip copper wire before you sell it as scrap metal. That way you can make more money from it. I have a lot of leftover metal things my garage eos I'll go through them and prepare them to be sold.

Reply
Jenny link
7/7/2020 06:33:04 am

Hello,
I appreciate your effort in writing such a detailed content. Your post covers each and every aspect or essential topics require for it. Love to read it. There are many ways to get rid of old cars. Your content is amazing. Please share more stuff regarding scrap car removal with us.
Thanks for the share

Reply
Bob link
12/10/2020 09:07:09 pm

I like what you said about stripping copper. Is the same process used for steel? I need steel beams for the house.

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Shaylee Packer link
12/11/2020 09:21:03 am

I never thought about how it would be a good idea to separate the scrap metals before you get to the salvage yard. My father is tearing down a barn in the backyard and will have a lot of scrap metal from the project. I will have to let him know that most of that metal could be recycled for cash.

Reply
Braden Bills link
3/11/2021 10:59:16 am

I have some spare copper pipes that I don't know what to do with. It makes sense that having them recycled would be beneficial! I'll be sure to find a scrap yard that has a good reputation so that I can ensure that the metal is used properly.

Reply
Fabrication link
5/9/2021 06:56:04 am

When it comes to recycling your household metals, understanding what to avoid and what not to do can help you reduce your metal recycling waste by almost eighty percent! One of the most important things to know is how to mix different metals in the right ratio in order to recycle them effectively. This is especially important for recycling scrap copper. You should always keep in mind current market values of different metals and focus your efforts on maximizing the quantity of valuable metals such as copper, that you need to scrap. Also, try to mix up the types of metals that you are going to be recycling. For instance, you could utilize the latest innovative technology in recycling scrap metal by mixing up the different types of metals into one go! For instance, you could do your copper scrap metal recycling by mixing alloys together to form copper nuggets. Another great idea is to make use of abrasive substances to break down the metals to smaller chunks. These are also known as "scrapping machines" and are the next best thing to machines used in recycling plants!

Reply
Electronics Recycling link
7/11/2021 10:00:25 pm

Good to know to make sure my materials are separated before I go to the scrap yard. I've got a bit of spare copper wire that I don't have any use for. I think I'll look for a scrap yard to recycle it.

Reply
Fabrication link
7/24/2021 09:11:13 am

There is a huge scrap yard. happy to know to make sure my materials are separated before I go to the scrap yard

Reply
Chance Cook link
8/9/2021 11:56:03 am

It's good to know that I can make a bit more money by stripping the copper wire before I bring it in. I thought about just selling the copper wire and being done with it. But I could use the extra bit of money right now so I'll strip them.

Reply
Braden Bills link
9/13/2021 10:51:10 am

I want to get my car scrapped, but I want to make sure that I do it right. It makes sense that I would want to work with a professional to ensure that I handle things properly. They would know how to separate materials before scrapping.

Reply
John Carston link
10/20/2021 09:16:27 pm

I like how you mentioned that stripping your copper wire can make a little bit more money than if it was not stripped. My uncle mentioned to me last night that he is planning to sell his scrap coppers asked if I have any idea what is the best thing to do. Thanks to this informative article and I'll be sure to tell him that he can sell it to a well-known scrap metal buyer in town and they can answer all his inquiries and will provide a fair amount for the copper.

Reply
Olivia Smart link
5/31/2022 10:42:26 am

Thank you for explaining how to properly prepare the scrap materials. I've found a bunch of metal in our new house that I was thinking about recycling. I'll be sure to remember your advice while I look for a place to take them.

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Eli Richardson link
8/9/2022 04:56:25 pm

It's great to know about taking our scrap metal to a recycling facility and the importance of separating it first. My dad decided to clean his garage last weekend and found out a lot of metal he was saving for a long-forgotten project, so I think it'd be a good idea if he reads your scrap metal tips now. Thanks for the information on getting the most out of your scrap metal.

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Afton Jackson link
9/5/2022 07:21:41 pm

Properly preparing your scrap material beforehand really feels like a good and courteous thing to do. This way, the plant can immediately get to work on it and they won't have any kind of difficulty processing it into something more useful than what it used to be. I'll make sure that I turn this into a habit when I find a metal recycling facility in the area that I can become a regular provider at.

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Afton Jackson link
12/4/2022 07:50:04 pm

Preparing the materials to be scrapped beforehand really does feel like the responsible thing to do. Something like that could really be an easy way to prepare those kinds of things for for processing, making it more manageable for the people who are willing to help with the environment. I'll do this for sure when I find a metal recycling service we can regular patronize.

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