Turn Scrap Brass into Cash

Brass FittingDo you know which scrap metal weighs a lot and can easily fill your pocket with a bundle of cash?

Used and recycable brass.

Scrap brass is one of the heavier nonferrous metals and can easily bring 50 cents or more per pound in today's scrap metal market.

Brass and bronze recycable materials are found all around us in the form of everything from musical instruments, hinges, plumbing and electrical connectors to art and other common objects. However, both of these metal alloys are often overlooked by scrap collectors in favor of aluminum or copper.

Brass and bronze of all kinds can quickly increase profits for scrap metal collectors and recyclers. Brass and bronze are closely related metals made by combining copper and zinc or copper and tin.  These scrap metals are easy to find, heavy and worth a lot of money when properly sorted and freed of contaminates such as plastic and other metals.

Identifying Brass

Traditionally, scrap processors separate brass into two main categories, red and yellow.  Both of these copper alloys are a mix of copper and zinc or tin.  The main differrence is that red brass also contains a certain amount of tin to give the metal additional strength. Both are non-magnetic.

Brass appears in a range of dull gold and reddish colors.  Many times ornamental castings, such as door knobs and hinges, are lacquered to protect their high sheen which wears off with time.  Old brass often appears tarnished and may even have a greenish tint due to its copper content.

New brass is highly mallable, attractive and shiny. Brass is prized because of its accoustical properties and often used to make trumpets, trombones, cymbles, french horns and other musical instruments.

Finding Brass

Brass HingesCollecting brass and bronze is easy when you know how these copper alloys are used and where to look.  Here's a short list of some of the products in which brass is commonly used.

• keys
• door knobs
• hinges
• gas and plumbing fittings
• electrical connectors
• musical instruments
• automotive parts
• ornamental and art objects
• cupboard and drawer handles
• locks
• fasteners and latches
• lamps
• jewelry
• amunition shells

Separating Brass

As with other scrap metals, brass is worth more when separated and grouped by category in boxes or other containers.  Before throwing your scrap metal treasures into sorting containers, be sure you have removed all other metals, plastic and other contaminates.  Contaminates, such as iron handles, plastic or copper ends will lower the price scrap metal processors can pay you for your product.

Consider grouping your clean brass into the following categories, which are generally listed from most valuable to least valuable.

• Plated Phos Bronz
• Foundry Red Brass
• Phos Bronze solids
• Red Brass
• Yellow Brass
• Yellow Brass Shells
• Radiators Brass/copper
• Red Brass Borings
• Mixed Brass Borings
• Rod Brass Borings
• Brass Radiators w/contamination
• Contaminated Brass 80%

Some preferred scrap metal collectors have online access to daily metal prices at Stubblefield Salvage and Recycling, LLC.  Access to our online price list is at our sole discretion and access rights to price lists are subject to change at any time and without notice. Access and prices may vary based on customer loyalty, volume and frequency of scrap metal sold to our processing center.

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