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How Much Can I Make Off Scrap Metal?

Scrap Metal

Have you ever wondered what people do with all that scrap metal you see in salvage yards? What human being could possibly find any value in a bunch of broken stuff?

A scrapyard is a place where sorts of metals and broken appliances, cars, go to die. The scrapyard will pay low prices for junk and sell it to those that would want it. Junkyards usually operate on a local level dealing with the scrap from the surrounding area.

Where To Sell It

Most junkyards will have a website where you can see what they have and there are other sites that can notify you when a specific item has been brought to a scrapyard near you. Then you could call the junkyard and leave a deposit for the item you wish.

When it comes to cars, scrapyards will usually take apart all the still functioning components of a car to be able to sell them easier. Although there are self-service junkyards that will leave dismantling to the customer, the customer will get to pay less, and this is popular for those wishing to sell high-value parts like catalytic converters and get the most value out of them as possible. If you own a damaged car and are wondering how to get rid of it you can always scrap it.

What Types Of Scrap Metal Are There?

If you are trying to sell scrap metal, it is important to know what you’re dealing with. Generally scrap metal is divided into two categories. 

Ferrous metals are any metals that have iron in them. This can include steels and make up the majority of what is usually turned in at a scrapyard. Ferrous metals are not worth very much because they are always manufactured and are always readily available pretty much everywhere.

Non-ferrous metals are metals that don’t have iron in them. So, we’re looking at copper, tin, aluminum, zinc, nickel, titanium, and brass. This can even include gold and silver but good luck finding them in a scrap yard. Non-ferrous metals will bring much more at a scrap yard then ferrous because they are nowhere near as manufactured as steel. Another great thing about non-ferrous metal is it doesn’t rust like iron or steel.

Having ferrous or non-ferrous metal will pretty much decide how much money you are going to make from your scrap. Taking in a bunch of steel will only bring you about will only make you ten cents a pound so that’s not where there’s most of the money being made.

How To Make Money

Most of the money made from scrapping metal comes from non-ferrous metal. Where you would get ten cents for in steel you could make up to $2.32 in bright copper wire a pound. If you are looking to scrap metal I would look for brass, copper, and aluminum because those metals will be your primary source of income.

Are you able to make a living out of selling scrap metal though? The answer is yes. It is not uncommon to see people selling scrap metal making around $100 to $200 a day. If they can do it then so can you. Here is some advice if you want to make selling scrap your living.

Do not just use the back of your truck for transporting scrap metal. Scrap metal can be extraordinarily heavy at times and is also hard to work with. Loading a couple hundred pounds on your truck is an easy way to rough up the back of it, and slowly turn your truck into scrap metal. Get a utility trailer to make the process much easier.

Another thing to keep an eye out for is appliances that can be repaired and sold for way more than their value in scrap. Washing machines can be scared and sold for several times more than what their value in scrap might be so lookout for opportunities to earn more money.

Go around and let people know you would buy their scrap from them. Head out to apartment complexes or businesses and give them your card. They would like someone who can take their junk for them and you get some easy sources of scrap.

Now you can go out there and sell scrap metal to your hearts’ delight. Knowing the current values of metal and how to go about getting them will get you a sizable income in the scrap metal game. There are several sites you can also use to get info on the current value of metals to gauge how much you could make from what you have. Good luck on your scrap metal journey.