Have you ever completed a plumbing renovation or industrial workshop clear out? You may have accumulated a fair bit of discarded yellow metal. Brass is the main alloy in a range of residential hardware and commercial manufacturing products. Because it is made from copper and zinc, brass has an attractive secondary market value.
Rather than letting your old brass fittings, valves and off cuts rust away in a skip or take up space in your garage, bring your Scrap Brass to a local yard to cash in while benefiting the environment by reducing waste and aiding the recycling process.
Why is this alloy valuable to recyclers?
Brass is a non-ferrous metal that is corrosion resistant, has a good heat conductivity and is easy to machine. Compared to producing copper or zinc from their raw ores, the refining of brass from recovered materials uses a great deal less energy. Recycled brass stock is in high demand by local mills and foundries.
How much you receive per kilo is dependent on a few factors including purity:
Pure Brass: Plumbing pipework, sheet offcuts or structural rod ends that are free of foreign materials command the best prices.
Less Pure Brass: Brass fittings that contain foreign materials such as iron, plastic and rubber, command lower prices.
Hard Brass and Bronze Compositions: Generally speaking, heavier machinery bushings, marine propellers, and pump impellers often carry a higher copper ratio, yielding strong payouts per kilo.
Light Mixed Scrap and Turnings: Finer metal turnings, or swarf, often contain copper and are valuable, depending on their cleanliness.
How the Process Works
Understanding the journey your offcuts take from your trailer to the foundry floor, shows the importance of sorting your scrap metal properly.
Initial grading and sorting: When you drop off your load at a scrap metal yard, a material handler takes a close look at your consignment to see if there is any contamination, iron tramps, or mixed metals.
Calibrated weighing: Each load is weighed using a digital, legally certified, weight scale, or a weighbridge to give an exact weight.
Contamination removal: Magnetic separators are used to pull tramps (i.e. iron washers or screws) from the load, and other metal attachments are sheared off.
Melting and re-alloying: Cleaned metal is baled or melted in high-heat induction furnaces to adjust its composition to produce new, commercial quality ingots, extrusions, and plumbing stock.
Financial Benefits
Sorting your scrap metal increases your financial return, and improves your bottom line:
Financial Benefits for Tradespeople
Plumbers and Electricians collect high-grade brass scrap over time, and can realize an immediate boost to their business cash flow by selling old mixing valves, taps, couplings, and electrical pins.
Increased Profits from Lower Waste Disposal
Metal is heavy. Throwing bulk valves and metal piping in general construction skips increases the weight of general waste and drives up tipping fees. Separating non-ferrous metals decreases the cost of general waste while increasing revenue.
Easy Scrap Bin Pickup Services
Manufacturing workshops, engineering facilities and large commercial demolition sites can utilize yard operators to pick up scrap metal bins. Yard operators weigh the metal on-site and credit your business for the scrap.
“Union Metal Recycling” offers a one-stop shop for scrap metal pickup, offering competitive market rates, on-site weighbridge services and prompt pick-up from their Melbourne service area.
Tips to Get More for Your Scrap
To get top rates for scrap metal, consider a few tips:
Separate Ferrous and Non-Ferrous metals: Use a hand magnet to test your metals. If the magnet sticks to the metal, then its steel or iron and should be removed from your non-ferrous metals.
Strip Non-Metallic Accessories: Remove plastic handles and rubber hoses, take out glass fittings and heavy solder joints, using basic hand tools. A few minutes of work now will mean a smoother running operation and a greater return when you sell.
Keep Metal Categories Segregated: Separate pure brass from copper pipe and from aluminum extrusions and lead batteries. That way you can get the highest price for each individual metal.
Track Live Market Cycles: Prices of non-ferrous metals vary daily, based on global commodities markets. That means you can time the sale to get the most money when the copper and zinc markets are high.
Conclusion
Getting out of the workshop and clearing the clutter of un-needed industrial metal is a sound business decision. Taking the time to strip attachments and clean grades will lead to increased profits when sold to a trusted recycling yard. That profits to the economy can be multiplied and quickly recycled to add value to society, making it a conscious and sound business decision.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, environmental, or professional recycling advice. Scrap metal prices vary daily with global commodity markets and depend on purity, grade, contamination, weight, and the buyer’s terms, and may change without notice. Grading decisions, weighing procedures, and final payouts are determined by the recycling yard. Recycling regulations, licensing requirements, and environmental obligations vary by jurisdiction. Details about Union Metal Recycling—including its stated competitive rates, on-site weighbridge services, and Melbourne pickup area—are based on the company’s own statements and have not been independently verified; their mention does not imply endorsement. Safety precautions should be taken when handling scrap metal, including gloves and eye protection, and when removing attachments with hand tools. Readers should verify current rates, grading standards, and service terms directly with their chosen recycler before selling. The author and publisher disclaim any liability for decisions made based on this content.
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