scrap metal and recycling

[cep62]

Past month shredder scrap has gone down almost by half. From $0.10 a lb to $0.06 a lb.

That's quite a drop but that's still over $130 a gross ton
I've seen it quite a bit lower ,not all that long ago.

[Fathersalt]

In West TX, I'm getting $190 a ton for short iron 3' and shorter and $120 for long iron like pipe, pieces of tractor plows and such. I just bought a 68' flair side with spare tire dented fender, straight 6, 3 on tree, still runs for $500. Makes handling all the scrap iron worth it.

[averagef250]

I used to save scrap and haul it in. I found it's been a better investment to give it to a local scrap hauler. Now I don't have the hassle of storing tons of junk and the scrap guy brings me cool stuff he finds and I can collect on a favor or two from him now and then.

I did clean the shop a short while ago and haul off a small load of #1 prepared iron (engine blocks, big castings, crankshafts, etc. I got nearly $400 for just over a ton and only hauled it 5 miles.

[FLATBEDFORD]

The more effort you put into sorting and cleaning, the more $$$ you get. Early in '08 scrap was getting good money. I scrapped an '86 F350 that somebody gave me. I brought it in 2 or 3 loads of about $200 each. I also got $650 for a rotted '69 F350 after I pulled everything useful from it. Back then it was $200/ton for car bodies. Last month they were only paying $125 per car.

[VonsF100]

here in Northern MN aluminum cans get nearly $0.40/ lb. unclean (aka bulk aluminum) goes for $0.13 to about $0.25 /lb Copper is around $7.00/lb clean or not. Clean steel at about $0.65/lb and unlcean for a nickel less. Complete cars for crush are goin for $125.00 to about $200.00. Only trouble there is you have to find a scrap collector willing to give you that for them. Most around here won't give even $50.00...or they bill you to even pick it up. Reason it runs like that is due to the high risk of auto theft around these parts, and the scrap yards buy autos by the semi-loads. So you bein joe-shmo with your one or 2 cars is kinda a waste of their time....so they say.

[fordman]

our junkyards require titels or the car has to be in several pieces before they will take it. it cant be a body. it has to be cut up to be taken without a title.

[AlleyCat]

Scrap prices go up and down like a yo yo. A month ago whole cars were paying $12.50 per hundred. Yesterday it was $8.50 with tin at $7.50. If there are multiple yards close to each other they will sometimes get into price wars. I've hustled scrap since I was a kid. Mostly what I can find or is left from my projects. Cleaning and sorting it is a bit of a hassle but it's worth it to me.