Different Types of Scrap Electric Motors

electric motor

So you are thinking about scrapping electric motors, and you wonder what’s inside of them? Well…metal, of course! Electric motors are used to power many types of devices, from the simple spinning glass inside of a microwave all the way up to the engines on planes.

There are windings Inside electric motors, and that is where the electricity is pushed through to power the motor and move whatever it is attached to.

In most circumstances, the motors are copper wound and could be worth more if you wanted to take them apart, but sometimes they are wound with aluminum.

In the case of aluminum wound motors, we never suggest taking them apart but only scrapping them. Other than the copper and the aluminum, the rest of the motor will be made of steel and can be thrown in with your heavy steel.

If you have electric motors that seem like they have copper winding wire inside, be sure to use your file to check. The outside of the wire may have an orange or reddish color, but it could be a coating on the outside of the aluminum wire. To check, use your file to file past the color on the outside and see what the color of the metal is on the inside.

If it is a reddish color, you have a copper-bearing motor. Depending on how many you have, it can be worth taking it apart for the copper wire on the inside. If it is silver in color, you have an aluminum bearing motor, and it probably isn’t worth the time to take it apart.

Scrap ya later!

-Tom