Scrap Yard Near Me
When you start to clean up your house and garage, you will likely have some metal you aren’t sure what to do with. Before you head out to the latest scrap yard or google “Scrap Yard Near Me,” make sure you are prepared for your scrap yard trip. Here is everything you need to know about selling scrap metal to a scrap yard near you.
How to Find a Scrap Yard Near Me?
Here is a map of scrap yards near you
Where Do I Find A Scrap Metal Yard Near Me?
Because of their size, scrap yards are often found around the city limits and in manufacturing centers if your town has them.
What is a Scrap Metal Yard?
A scrap yard is a business that takes in old types of metal scrap and pays for them based on a certain price and weight. They are frequently used by tradespeople and construction companies to dispose of their leftover metal. But they are also used by homeowners who have metal leftover either from a renovation or general house cleaning.
How Does a Scrap Yard Work?
If you have ever been curious about how a scrap yard works, it’s pretty straightforward. You bring in various types of metal, and they pay you for the weight of a particular kind of metal (ferrous, non-ferrous, or electronics).
All metals carry different values, and your metal will be weighed and given a price based on what type of metal it is. Think of it like this; you wouldn’t pay the same amount for a pound of gold as you would a pound of copper.
What are Local Scrap Prices?
If you know what kind of metal you have and you want to save yourself a trip. You can call around and ask what the local scrap yards are paying for a certain amount of the metal you have. Each metal has its own price, so make sure you know what type of metal you are selling before going down to the recycling center.
Click here to see the current prices of scrap metals.
What Happens to the Metal I Sell to a Scrap Recycling Yard?
When you sell your metal to the local scrap yard, they will shred it down and resell it to businesses as recycled metal. Essentially the business is performing arbitrage. They are buying your metal for one price and turning around and reselling it at a higher price while assuming the risk that the price in that particular metal won’t drop.
What Metal Can I Sell For Scrap?
Here are two types of metal you can sell, ferrous and non-ferrous metal, as well as electronics, which can contain precious metals (many have small amounts of precious metals in them).
What is ferrous metal?
Ferrous metals usually mean that they contain iron. They have an iron base.
What is non-ferrous metal?
Non-ferrous metals do not contain iron.
What kinds of metals are ferrous metals?
Metals like steel, cast iron, carbon steel, wrought iron, and stainless steel are all ferrous metals. They have a denser strength and durability and are used in things from building structures to some cookware products and even higher-end knives.
What kinds of metal are non-ferrous?
Some of the non-ferrous metals are copper (and copper wire), aluminum, lead, zinc, tin, gold, and silver. These metals are non-magnetic and don’t rust as easily as ferrous metals.
What is the difference between a scrap yard and a salvage yard?
There are a few differences between a salvage yard and a scrapyard. The main one being that a scrap yard takes in metal and electronics for scrap metal recycling. A salvage yard will take in other things such as junk cars because they resell the car parts and other non-metal items.
Given the option of the two for getting rid of your car, you are likely to get a better price at the salvage yard because they can profit more from selling the individual parts.
If you have a vehicle and would like to sell it, you can search for a salvage yard near you.
How to Find Current Scrap Metal Prices
There are several places online you can check for scrap metal prices. The first is Iscrapp, an app that gives you scrap metal value based on your zip code, the next is Scrapregister, and the third is Scrap Monster.
It’s important to remember that these are metals and that the value of some metals, like all commodities, changes every minute. While some scrap yards may not change that quickly, they can change daily and possibly throughout the day.
What affects the price I get for my scrap metal?
Supply and demand will naturally affect the price of scrap metal. This is the basis of economic theory; the more of a demand for a particular metal, the higher the price. When it comes to a given metal (ferrous or non-ferrous), the price of the commodity will have an impact as well as local demand factors.
Another thing that will affect the price of your scrap is the quality of the metal. Pound for pound copper will get you more than aluminum.
How much can you make scrapping metal?
Depending on the area and the price of metals. You can make anywhere from $10 to $200 a day finding scrap metal. That’s a broad range, but to get to the higher amounts, you will need to have in excess of 1,000 lbs of metal.
Best Tips to Get More Cash for Scrap Metal
Which scrap metal is worth the most money?
The 5 most valuable metals to scrap are:
- Copper
- Brass
- Silver
- Aluminum
- Stainless steel
What Scrap Metal Can I Sell to the Scrap Yards Near Me?
There are a bunch of things you can sell for scrap metal. Here is a list of items you can sell at a scrap yard:
- Appliances
- Aluminum siding (and other aluminum products)
- Bikes
- Barbecues
- Bathtubs
- Copper tubing
- Old Christmas Lights (there’s copper in those lights!)
- Computers
- Laptops
- Cars and motorcycles (though it may be better to sell those to a junkyard near you)
- Pans
- Electronics
- Metal shelving
- Filing cabinets
- Canoe (aluminum ones)
3 Tips To Getting The Most From The Scrap Yard Near You
If you want to make sure you get the most money from your local metals scrap yard, then make sure to do these 3 things.
- Know your metals: make sure you know what is the most valuable metals and the least valuable
- Separate your metals: The last thing you want is your copper to be lumped in with the steel.
- Make sure you bring everything at once: They go by weight and yes it will still weigh the same, but you aren’t likely to make a second trip for that old cast iron pan you no longer want.
Scrap Yard Near Me Summary
Scrap yards are typically on the outskirts of larger cities or areas designated for commercial space. Before you go make sure you call ahead and get all of the information you need to sell your scrap metal and know your prices so you can get the most money possible for your scrap.