Whether you are hauling trash from a construction site or conducting your spring cleanup, many folks end up at a recycling facility with some sort of red or yellow metal. They then proceed to tell the scale operator they are delivering copper when, in reality, it is something else. Sorting your metals properly before you arrive not only guarantees you are paid the best price, but also establishes you as a trustworthy seller. Read on to learn how taking a few extra minutes to identify what you’re hauling can make you money.
Parking an unassembled pile of junk on a busy scale pad is asking the processing staff to weigh your metals by the purity of the lowest-valued material they contain. Copper prices are typically higher than brass prices, which are higher than bronze prices. Being able to separate these items yourself before you leave your house allows you to build rapport with your scrap yard and keep more cash in your pocket.
How Sorting Your Metals Separately Benefits You
Sorting your brass, bronze, and copper separately ensures scrap yards pay you top dollar for pure copper and don’t grade your entire haul down to the lowest-value material.
You should separate your metals because scrapyards are in the business of buying and selling thousands of pounds of metal every single day. If you bring mixed materials, they have to pay you based on the lowest-grade commodity contained within your load. Copper is pure elemental copper metal. Brass and bronze, on the other hand, are copper alloys, meaning they have been mixed with other metals.
Copper contains more copper than a brass or bronze object. As such, it has a higher resale value than scrap yards are willing to pay. By accidentally commingling your brass doorknobs with your copper piping, you risk losing money at the scale.
Sorting at home allows you to be exact with what you bring to the yard. You also look more professional by coming in with already separated bins of materials. The workers can quickly run each category of metal through the scale separately, and you can get on with your day knowing you got paid what you should.
Why Mishandling Your Metals at Home Costs You Money
* Tossing copper tubes in the same load as brass plumbing fixtures charges you less for copper.
* Wiping grease off a brass flashlight but not scratching that “copper” colored pipe could cost you big bucks.
Identifying What You’re Really Bringing to the Scale
If it’s shiny and orange, you are dropping off brass. If it’s shiny and red, you are dropping off copper. If it looks like your bronze wedding band, you’re dropping off bronze.
Copper shines a vibrant reddish-orange color. It is soft and easy to scratch. Copper wirING, tubing, refrigeration lines, and roofing flashing are often all copper. Copper pipes are notorious for having brass fittings attached to them. Use your knife to scrape the surface of the metal. If the whole way through is that same reddish color, you’ve found copper.
Brass is basically copper with some zinc mixed in. This makes the resulting alloy harder and more yellowish in color. Brass fixtures are very common. Think bathroom faucets, cartridge springs, shell casings, gears, door knobs, or anything yellow that isn’t pure gold. It should also resist your knife’s scratch attempt.
- Copper is reddish-pink or copper penny brown, while Brass has a yellowish gold color or muted yellow tone.
- Copper is used to make wires, piping, and tubes, while Brass is used to make fixtures like faucets and lamp fixtures.
- Copper sounds like a low thunk when dropped, while Brass gives off a ping! sound when dropped.
Separating Bronze from Brass and Copper
Clean, brown-orange metal that rings like a bell when struck is most likely bronze. Don’t forget to scratch it first to ensure the base metal is copper and not nickel or steel!
Bronze contains copper that has been mixed with tin. It also tends to contain other metals and create a heavier and harder metal. Bronze looks like a brown gold. It will often have more of an orange tint to it than brass does. Many old sculptures are made of bronze. Use the file to scrape a groove in an unexposed section of the metal. Pure bronze will also leave a rainbow-colored patina of rust (technical term) when left outside for years.
Correctly identifying bronze can be tricky since it is similar in appearance to brass. But while brass contains zinc, bronze contains tin. Steel and nickel do not contain copper. If your file slides over the surface without leaving a mark, scrape someplace else.
Once you have determined your mystery metal is copper-based, hold it by the end you have been scratching. Now, lightly bang it against the ground or your leg. Listen to the tone it makes when it hits the solid surface.
Visual Sorting Hint
Examine old valves. Are they bright orange-yellow like a trumpet? They go in the brass bucket. Dark grayish orange like a penny? Probably bronze.
Setting Up Your Sorting Station at Home
Grab a powerful magnet, an abrasive file, and two plastic bins. Larger hardware items go on the floor, small stuff fits in bins.
Before you dump your junk in piles around your driveway, grab the three tools you’ll need to quickly identify copper, bronze, and brass. You do not need any high-tech gizmos to sort metal like the professionals. Start with a magnet. Not one of those tiny highlighter tip ones, but a powerful bar magnet. Grab a metal file too. Lastly, find two separate containers to place your sorted metals in.
Steel and iron are magnetic. Copper, brass, and bronze are not. If your mystery pipe or pipe fitting sticks to the magnet, hurl it into the steel pile. It’s time to move on to the next item.
Use the metal file to scrape away any patina (another technical term) or coating on the metal surface. Do this until you see the true color of the underlying metal. You can also use a knife if you do not have a file handy. Once you’ve exposed some shiny metal, refer back to the charts above.
Three Easy Steps to Sorting Metals Like a Pro
- Magnet Test: Does your mystery metal object stick to the magnet? If yes, scrap it. If not, keep testing.
- File Test: Scratch an exposed section of the material with your knife.
- Color Test: Under bright light, what color is the scratched area? Copper = reddish, Brass = yellow.
Increasing the Value of Your Non-Ferrous Material
Snip connectors, strip wire insulation, and separate plastic pieces from metal. Bring clean materials to the scrap yard and they won’t charge you for processing.
The best way to guarantee your scrap metals are paid at the highest possible price is to remove all other substances attached to them. Brass plumbing will often come with copper or steel valves connected to it. Even rubber hoses or plastic tubes attached to copper plumbing should be cut away and thrown out.
Speaking of copper pipe, this goes double for any wire you might be throwing away. While a spool of colored electrical wire will fetch you a reasonable price, removing all the plastic and providing the scal only bare copper will earn you more money. Stay tuned for our article on maximizing your electrical scrap profits.
Contact Action Metals | We Buy All Metals for Cash
If you’re looking for an honest company that weighs your metals correctly and treats you like a professional, look no further. Action Metals is a locally owned, family-run business with your best interests in mind. When you bring your separated loads to us, we pay you what you should get and work quickly to get you on your way. Give us a call today to find out about our competitive pricing!
FAQ
Q. Does brass sell for more than copper?
- Brass does not sell for more than copper. Copper has a higher resale value than brass. Copper is 100% copper. Brass is an alloy that contains both copper and zinc.
Q. How do I tell if my hardware is solid brass or just plated with brass?
- Grab a magnet. If your magnet does not attract the metal hardware at all, it is solid brass. If your magnet sticks like glue to the hardware, it is mostly made of steel/iron with a very thin layer of brass plating on it.
Q. Should I clean green spots off copper pipe before selling it?
- No, the yard will simply take that into consideration when grading your copper as number two copper. If you try to clean or polish the oxidation off yourself, it will not increase the value enough to be worth your time.
