carbide.

Ok I went to the yard today with just a load of steel and some appliances. And a few buckets of shred. For my shred buckets I throw in nuts bolts screws small brackets, all the loose stuff I accumulate while breaking stuff down. After getting paid I took a weekly price list and I seen on there carbide 3.25 lb. I know a lot of drill bits are carbide and I also toss them in my shred bucket. I feel I've been making a big mistake. I looked carbide up on my scrapmetalforum on my phone and its going for up to 5.00 lb. How can you tell if something is carbide? I have never delt with this metal before. Anything else you guys know that is carbide? Does anyone scrap carbide seperate?

I am very curiouse about this as well. I have heard carbide sells for up to $10 a pound.

may help never used them Buyers and Recyclers of Scrap Carbide Endmills Inserts Sludge and High Speed Steel | Machine Tool Recyclers

I have made the same mistakes. I would keep any cutting type tools separated and have them check them at yard. Last week when at scale there was a bucket of drill bits and asked if the where cabide and was told they were cobalt at 10.00 a pound.

Tungsten carbide is commonly used in cutting such as dies, inserts and sometimes drill bits and saw bits. Tungsten has the same density as gold, therefore it is VERY heavy. That is one way you can tell. Another way is that tungsten is slightly magnetic. The pull is more than 304 stainless, but significantly less than steel. It is an extremely hard material, yet very brittle. If you were to drop a piece it would shatter.

Pricing on tungsten carbide should be in the $7-$10 a lb. range. If they are only paying you $3 then I would shop it around. Your yard should shoot it with a XRF gun and it should read "W" (the periodic symbol for tungsten). It should read at least 90% to be considered pure tungsten.

A lot of times Carbide Drill bits, End Mills etc are a golden color. Also, watch out for carbide tipped saw blades, you can put them in a vice (errr vise{questionmark}) and snap the carbide tips off. I get a goodly amount of carbide bits and end mills, because I work in a machine shop

Carbide is also very gray and will glow cherry red when hit with a torch but won't melt. I have a few hundred lbs of it to clean.