new scrapper some questions

hi everybody I'm sorry in advance if these questions are too glaringly obvious, i DID try to find the answers online first but i suspect that maybe the answers are too obvious even to be posted online?

ok, first of all, can any sort of steel be sold? i ask because i have seen videos of scrappers on youtube picking and they say "oh theres aluminum, THAT can be sold", as if the other metal cannot.
so will any sort of ferrous steel sell?

second does all of the steel have to be separated. that is, could i bring something down that has some plastic on it (prob a stupid question, i understand). i have some bikes but the pedals are just rusted on so bad i am not able to separate them with my tools.

lastly, what are the typical prices for separated or non separated steel, if i am able to sell them?

oh one more question, i have about 400-500lbs of mostly steel i think i have get rid of to the scrap yard. some of it is separated, some of it is not. is that too light to go to the scrapyard with? will i be wasted his time? i want to get into scrapping so would like to get off on a good foot with the local yard owner


ok again i am sorry for such stupid n00b questions but like i said i DID search the internet and searched for days my questions were not explicitly answered anywhere, i think theyre too obvious.thanks in advance

oh man, ONE more question, do i have to separate between different types of steel (i know stainless is separate, but i see price listed for bunch of different types)? or is there a bulk rate for all of the ferrous metal i find?

weird, ive been a junker and reseller for long time but was always told the scrap yard would be a waste of my time until i found one in my home town now. i should never EVER listen other people, and i DONT, but every now and then their dumb notions slip in

You dont have to seperate the scrap. Leave the aluminum and stainless in it. Bring it to our yard and we will buy it as shred. 230 a ton

Read more before you sell anymore to anyone. Lots has been written on this forum. Start by reading the sticky threads at the beginning of most of the threads.

Yes separate Al from steel and stainless steel from everything else. Current prices at my yard is on shred(term for mixed materials that contain steel) is $0.10/lb, $0.50/lb for Al, $0.50/lb for Stainless Steel(SS).

So if I don't separate my materials I get paid $0.10/lb which is what get instead of what can be a far better price.

If you leave on so much as a steel screw on Al or SS most yards will pay you "dirty" price for it which is half or less than the "clean" price.

The education you can get here by reading the old threads will pay big.

Notice at the bottom of each thread are suggested related threads. Mike

thank u for the replies

Use a magnet to separate the "ferrous" from the "nonferrous".Nonferrous is nonmagnetic. Most normal average steel/tin sells as shred at about .08-.11 a lb. All yards will be a little different on what they may call things, or how they classify things so you will have to get used to the yard you use. Price around cause the prices really vary from yard to yard. Some price by the gross ton and some by the net ton. I have taken as little as 60 lb of tin/steel at one time but the scale might not be accurate on that light of a load. Most yards overlook a little plastic/wood attached to your scrap. (we call it fluff) I think 20% is about an average.

Hey new scrapper,
Don't worry, the first time I went to the yard I had taken off any plastic or rubber on the steel. Was I in for a surprise when folks were putting complete bikes and plastic dishwashers in the pile! Talk about time wasted.
Most of what you have is going to be what we call shred, or light iron. As you get more experience you might start getting enough material for the thicker grades of steel, 1/8in or thicker. Ask your yard about their grades and rules on what can go in the pile. Some yards don't take plastic dishwashers etc.
400lbs is plenty to take in. I took in 220 just so I'd have an empty truck bed! Like had been said, smaller amounts might not register right on a scale that can take thousands of pounds. Good luck, keep learning!
UMR

What's up new guy...

I, too, am relatively new to this whole thing but I am learning a lot and really fast.

My adventure started when I saw a cast iron sink on the curb on my way home from work and decided to bring it to a scrap yard I heard about on the radio. I had no clue how this stuff worked but I figured what the hell. With $22 in my pocket after the dropoff, I realized that there could be some decent money in this! The wheels started turning and I realized how much metal junk I would see on trash night in the "student ghetto" of a college town. It was go time.

I live in an apartment with my girlfriend and her daughter. I have no garage and the downstairs neighbors totally bogart the shed (even though it's supposed to be shared) so I don't have space to break stuff down and separate "good" steel from the other stuff. I pick up appliances, car wheels, random metallic junk, etc. either by appointment or whatever I find on garbage night and it's much more efficient for me to just take it all in as shred (the yard I go to calls it "tin load") but I get 0.12 a pound ($241 a gross ton) for it so it's really not bad. When I eventually buy a house, it **** well is going to have a garage where I can break stuff down and sort it. I have a small box by our stoop that I throw in what's obviously brass or copper but I'm not too stingy about it. I also cut the power cords off of the appliances I take in. When I have a big enough pile of copper wire, I'll bring that.

TL;DR, No need to break stuff down if you don't have the time or desire to do it. Weigh in, drop load in shred (tin) pile, weigh out, get paid. Easy enough!

on the ferrous, the thicker metal can be sold as short steel or long steel for 20-30 more per ton. ask your local yard what qualifies for this.

tin/shred/light iron can have some stuff on it. It varies by yard. Bikes are generally accepted whole, some yards may complain about the tires on it. Plastic dishwashers are generally not accepted, but some yards will. Some yards have a seperate category for "white goods" aka appliances.

By me, light iron is about 8.5 cents lb right now, aluminum 58, and stainless 60

When I first started I would go for the copper and aluminium and leave the steel. But as I was breking down items I got some steel left. Now I take all metal as it all adds up. Funny when I look back I make more on steel as you can find it easier then all other metals...