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A quick search for where to recycle scrap metal in Cincinnati Ohio is going to yield a good amount of results. That being said, there's not a lot of info on HOW to prepare your scrap metal before you bring your material in to your local scrap metal facility. Every scrap yard has a different process, but here at A&A Metal Recycling, we try to keep it simple. If you're planning a visit to our facility here are a few tips on how to identify, prepare, and separate your various types of scrap metal, from steel, to aluminum, brass, and copper.
Let's first break down the easiest trick to scrap metal separation, Ferrous vs Nonferrous
Ferrous metal is what we call steel, the easiest way to identify if something is steel is to use a magnet. All steel is magnetic. If the magnet sticks to it, you know you have steel and can set that material aside as your sort. If the magnet does not stick to it, you have a Nonferrous metal. We will go into detail later on identifying nonferrous metals. First, let's start with steel.
Steel
While ISRI.ORG, identifies around 28+ different ferrous (steel) commodity grades, here at A&A Metal Recycling group most of our steel into three different grades.
Clean Steel- This grade of steel is just steel with no other contaminants on it such as wood or plastic. A few good examples of what clean steel could be are: Empty filing cabinets, a cast iron bathtub, nuts & bolts, bed rails, or steel roofing panels.
Unclean Steel- This grade would be made up of mainly steel components but may have some level of contamination on it such as plastic, wood, or rubber. Here are a few common examples of what unclean steel would look like at our facility: Washer & Dryers, bicycles, ovens, water heaters, and old lawn mowers.
Hubs & Rotors- This is exactly as it sounds. This grade is wheel hubs from semi trucks, or brake drums and rotors from disc brakes. This grade is typically kept separate from the other ferrous grades because on average they have a higher value, thus will pay off if you keep them segregated from other ferrous metals.
If you have questions on separating your scrap steel or need to verify if we accept a certain type of scrap steel or if you need to get updated steel prices from us, please call 513-761-9000 or email info@aametalrecyclers.com
Now to get into the wild side of Nonferrous metals!
Aluminum
One of the best ways to identify your aluminum scrap is the magnet test and a grinder if you have access to one. If you grind a piece of aluminum it typically will not spark. Aluminum is also easy to identify by weight as it is known to be a very light material. Aluminum in it's natural color will be a silver color. Below are a few different grades of aluminum that we purchase here at A&A Metal Recyclers. Please note, these are only a FEW of the MANY aluminum grades that we purchase.
Extruded Aluminum- This grade gets it's name from the way it is manufactured. It is made through a process called extruding. This is where the raw aluminum is extruded into one long piece of aluminum and then cut to size. At our recycling facility we purchase 3 types of Aluminum Extrusion. New Extrusion, which is unpainted or anodized, and non tubular. Clean Extrusion, which is extruded aluminum that is free of any other metals or contaminants, and Unclean Extrusion, which is extruded aluminum that may have some contaminants on it such as steel screws, thermal break, or plastic.
Cast Aluminum- This is another grade named for the process in which it is manufactured. The Aluminum is casted into a mold. Cast aluminum is commonly used in automotive parts, grill lids, and other manufacturing applications. Cast aluminum typically is sturdy and not bendable.
Sheet Aluminum- Identifying Sheet Aluminum is fairly simple because it's just as it sounds. Thin gauge sheets of aluminum. This could be gutter or downspouts, panels, or an old cooking sheet.
Aluminum Breakage- Some aluminum scrap contains higher levels of contaminants such as plastic or steel. In this case we purchase the material as a grade called Aluminum Breakage
Copper & Brass
Copper & Brass grades can be quite tricky. Below are just a few helpful tips to help you identify what you've got. You can also read a more in depth article HERE on copper grades.
Bare Bright Copper- This material is typically stripped insulated wire, either braided or single strand. It's called Bare Bright because.... it's bare and it's bright.
Number 1 Copper- Copper that is free of paint, solder, or other contaminants. This would be copper pipe, thicker plates of copper, or any other copper that is uncoated. Often times, you can upgrade your copper by cutting off any brass ends or solder joints.
Number 2 Copper- This one has a much wider range but on average our number 2 copper is copper pipe that is painted or extremely oxidized. Coated busbar is also considered number 2 copper, copper pipe and elbow joints that have solder on them can also be placed in your number 2 copper pile.
Yellow Brass- Clean Yellow Brass should be free from iron or any other type of metal. You typically will see this material in old figurines, as well as in some plumbing applications such as valves and elbows. A lot of times, yellow brass may have copper tubing attached to it. You can remove this copper tubing and set it aside as it can be sold as Number 1 or Number 2 Copper
Mixed Brass- Made up of mainly brass, Mixed brass can contain some level of contamination. Faucets often contain brass inside but may have a die cast aluminum outside. Some water valves will have steel handles on them. These would all be great examples of Mixed Brass
Insulated Copper Wire- Another commodity that can send you down a rabbit hole is insulated copper wire. As a generalization, wire is based on copper recovery. Wire that contains higher levels of insulation such as extension cords is considered a Number 2 Insulated Wire which is about a 45% recovery wire. Wire that is widely used for residential houses is called romex, this wire is usually somewhat flat, and has three insulated wires jacketed by a thin outer jacket. Romex is a Number 1 Insulated wire and on average has about a 65% copper recovery rate. regular Number 1 Insulated Wire will have copper strands or a single copper wire jacketed by a single layer of insulation. You can normally identify Number 1 Insulated Copper Wire just by looking at it, as you will see more wire than you will insulation. Copper recovery rates on Number 1 Insulated Copper Wire can range anywhere from 70% on up to 90%.
We hope this has been a helpful guide to processing your scrap metal. We look forward to diving into more commodities such as Stainless Steel, Lead, and many other scrap metal grades very soon.
As always. A&A Metal Recycling welcomes our customers 7 days a week. That's right! Our scrap yard is open Saturday and on Sunday as well!
Have questions or need pricing? Call us at 513-761-9000 or shoot us an email at info@aametalrecyclers.com
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