The complete guide to identifying, pricing, and selling industrial scrap metal. Written by Sean Rupley — 15+ years buying metals nationwide.
📞 Call (754) 310-2984 ⚡ Price CalculatorThe fastest way to identify scrap metal is a magnet test (ferrous vs non-ferrous), followed by color, weight, and spark test. For high-value alloys, XRF analysis gives a definitive grade.
Before you can get an accurate price, you need to know what you have. Most industrial scrap falls into two broad categories: ferrous (iron-based, magnetic) and non-ferrous (everything else). Here's how to identify the most common types:
Hold a strong magnet to your metal. If it sticks firmly, it's ferrous — most likely carbon steel or cast iron. If it sticks weakly, it could be stainless steel 304 or a mildly magnetic nickel alloy. If it doesn't stick at all, you have a non-ferrous metal: copper, aluminum, brass, Inconel, titanium, or another specialty alloy.
Copper is reddish-orange when clean, green when oxidized. Aluminum is silver-gray and very light. Brass is yellow. Titanium is silver with a distinctive dark oxide layer when heated. Inconel looks similar to stainless steel but is heavier and often has a slightly yellowish tint from heat exposure. Tungsten carbide is extremely heavy and has a dark gray color.
Grinding a metal on a bench grinder produces sparks that are characteristic of the metal type. Carbon steel produces long, bright sparks with many branches. Cast iron produces short, reddish sparks with small bursts. Stainless steel produces shorter, less bright sparks. Inconel produces a dull, short orange spark with little branching. Titanium produces very bright white sparks.
For high-value alloys where grade matters — Inconel 625 vs 718, titanium Grade 2 vs Grade 5 — XRF (X-ray fluorescence) analysis gives a definitive elemental breakdown. Many scrap buyers, including us, have portable XRF guns. If you're selling a large quantity of specialty alloy and want to verify the grade before getting a quote, ask about XRF testing.
Scrap metal grades are determined by purity, condition, and alloy content. Clean, sorted, single-grade material always pays more than mixed or contaminated loads.
Every metal has a grading system that determines its value. The cleaner and more sorted your material, the higher the grade and the better the price. Here are the key grading principles:
Bare bright copper wire is the highest grade — clean, uncoated, unalloyed wire only. #1 copper includes clean unalloyed pipe and wire. #2 copper includes slightly oxidized, soldered, or mixed copper. Light copper covers thin sheet and dirty material. Insulated wire is priced separately based on the copper recovery percentage.
Clean 6061 or 2024 aluminum pays the most. Mixed aluminum (unknown alloy) pays less. Cast aluminum pays less than wrought. Aluminum with iron contamination (bolts, inserts) is downgraded. Painted or coated aluminum is typically priced as mixed.
For Inconel, Hastelloy, titanium, and other specialty alloys, grade is everything. Inconel 718 pays significantly more than Inconel 600. Titanium Grade 5 (6Al-4V) pays 2–3x more than Grade 2. If you have mill certs or heat stamps, they're worth money — they eliminate grade uncertainty and typically result in a higher quote.
Specialty alloys (Inconel, titanium, Hastelloy) pay $5–$17/lb. Copper pays $3–$4/lb. Aluminum pays $0.45–$0.75/lb. Steel and cast iron pay $0.08–$0.18/lb.
| Metal | Current Buy Price | Best Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Inconel 718 | $12.50–$17.00/lb | Clean bar or machined parts with certs |
| Inconel 625 | $9.50–$14.00/lb | Clean pipe, fittings, or plate |
| Waspaloy | $14.00–$20.00/lb | Clean turbine parts with heat stamps |
| Hastelloy C-276 | $7.00–$11.00/lb | Clean pipe and fittings |
| Titanium Gr. 5 | $5.80–$8.00/lb | Clean bar, plate, or machined parts |
| Titanium Gr. 2 | $2.20–$3.00/lb | Clean tube, sheet, or fittings |
| Bare Bright Copper | $3.90–$4.20/lb | Clean uncoated wire only |
| #1 Copper | $3.55–$3.95/lb | Clean pipe and wire |
| Tungsten Carbide | $6.00–$12.00/lb | Clean inserts and tooling |
| Aluminum 6061 | $0.55–$0.75/lb | Clean extrusions or plate |
| Stainless 316 | $0.55–$0.80/lb | Clean pipe and fittings |
| Stainless 304 | $0.45–$0.65/lb | Clean sheet and pipe |
| HMS #1 Steel | $0.12–$0.18/lb | Clean heavy steel |
| Cast Iron | $0.08–$0.12/lb | Clean machinery and pipe |
Sort by metal type, remove non-metal attachments, and have an approximate weight ready. Clean, sorted material always pays more than mixed loads.
Preparation directly affects your payout. Here's what to do before calling for a quote:
The single most important thing you can do is separate your metals. Don't mix copper with brass, or Inconel with stainless steel. Each metal has its own price, and mixed loads are priced at the lowest grade in the mix. An hour of sorting can add hundreds or thousands of dollars to your payout.
Remove plastic fittings, rubber gaskets, wood blocking, and other non-metal materials. These add weight without adding value and can cause a buyer to discount the entire load. For insulated wire, stripping is worth considering for large volumes.
You don't need a certified scale, but a rough estimate helps. A standard 55-gallon drum of copper wire weighs approximately 400–600 lbs. A pallet of Inconel pipe can range from 200 to 2,000 lbs depending on wall thickness. Having a weight estimate lets the buyer give you a more accurate quote over the phone.
If you have mill certs, heat stamps, or material test reports (MTRs) for specialty alloys, gather them. For Inconel, titanium, and other high-value alloys, certs can increase your price by 5–15% because they eliminate grade uncertainty.
Look for a buyer who specializes in your metal type, quotes based on current market rates, and pays promptly. Avoid buyers who won't give a price until they see the material — that's a lowball setup.
Not all scrap buyers are equal. Here's what to look for:
A general scrap yard that buys everything from cars to appliances may not know the difference between Inconel 625 and stainless 310. A specialist buyer who focuses on industrial metals will give you a more accurate quote and a better price for high-value alloys.
Prices should be based on current market rates — LME for nickel alloys, COMEX for copper, spot price for precious metals. If a buyer can't explain how they arrived at their price, that's a red flag. Ask: "What's today's LME nickel price, and how does that affect your Inconel quote?"
A reliable buyer pays promptly — same day or next day for most transactions. Wire transfer is standard for large amounts. If a buyer wants to hold your material for weeks before paying, find someone else.
Specialty alloys are where the real money is in industrial scrap. These metals are used in aerospace, chemical processing, oil and gas, and power generation — and they pay 10–100x more per pound than common steel or aluminum.
The most valuable specialty alloys we buy: Inconel (625, 718, 600, 601), Hastelloy (C-276, C-22, B-2, X), Waspaloy, René alloys, Monel (400, K-500), titanium (all grades), tungsten carbide, tantalum, and molybdenum. If you have any of these, call us directly — these metals deserve a specialist's attention.
Plant shutdowns, facility decommissioning, and large surplus liquidations are our specialty. We can evaluate an entire facility, provide a lump-sum offer, and manage the logistics of removal and transport. We've handled shutdowns from single process units to entire refineries and manufacturing plants.
For plant shutdowns, the process is: initial inventory review (photos or site visit), preliminary offer range, final offer after site inspection, agreement and scheduling, removal and transport, payment. We can typically move from initial contact to payment in 2–4 weeks for most projects.
For most locations in the continental US, we can arrange pickup within 3–7 business days. For urgent situations, we can often move faster. Call us at (754) 310-2984 to discuss your timeline.
Yes, especially for high-value metals. A single pound of Inconel 625 is worth $9–$14. A few pounds of tungsten carbide inserts can be worth $50–$100. For small quantities of common metals (steel, aluminum), a local scrap yard may be more practical. For specialty alloys, call us regardless of quantity.
Wire transfer for large amounts, check for smaller transactions. We pay on the day of pickup or within 24 hours of receiving and verifying the material.
We primarily serve the continental United States. For international inquiries, call us to discuss — we have relationships with international buyers for certain metals and can sometimes facilitate international transactions.
Call us and describe what you have — color, weight, where it came from, any markings. We can often identify the metal from a description and give you a preliminary price range. For large quantities of unknown alloy, we can arrange XRF testing to identify the grade before finalizing a price.
Call Sean directly or use the calculator for an instant estimate. Nationwide pickup available.
📞 Call (754) 310-2984 ⚡ Price Calculator