Knowing what you have…and saying what you have are two different things. It is not easy to always know what type of material you have, and without knowing the proper terminology it will be difficult to sell it for the right price at your local scrap yard.
What Is The Lingo?
If you go to sell material and say that you have copper to sell, what does that mean? Copper Wire? Stripped Bare Bright? Insulated Data Wire? With so many different things it is tough to know what you have without have a lot of experience or by being able to establish a relationship with a scrap yard that is lasting.
Not only can it be hard to know what a metal is called on your own, but knowing what your yard calls it can be completely different. On the iScrap App we have dozens of metals and materials listed on our list that some seem to be similar. That is because they are. In different regions of the United States and Canada, there are several different metals that are referred to by different names or terminology.
Suggested: Take A Look At Our List & Comment Below With Edits
Are You Sure That’s Brass…?
A perfect example would be to go to a scrap yard and say that you have brass for sale…well what if you have scrap bronze and you don’t know it? Some scrap yards would rather make the extra money for themselves instead of paying you for your hard work, but if you know what you have then you will be the one that is profiting from the material that you have for sale. Bronze has a higher grade of copper inside, therefore will general pay at least a few cents more per pound compared to Brass which has less copper and more zinc.
Suggested Reading: One Thing Scrap Yards Won’t Tell You
Scrap metal is so tricky sometimes that it takes a lot time to really get used to what you have and how to really classify it. That’s where the online world of the iScrap App will be able to help you learn what you have, how to label it, and how to make more money every time that you scrap. When you aren’t sure about what materials or metals you have you can always join the conversation on the iScrap Metal Forum and ask our scrappers about what you have too.
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