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Scrap Metal Industry Information

The scrap metal industry recycles billions of dollars worth of materials yearly. The industry is the No. 1 one way of reusing materials that are non-biodegradable. Scrap metal must be recycled in order to be used again.

  1. Types of Scrap Metal

    • Scrap metal comes in two types. One is termed "industrial" and is scrap leftover. When an item is cut out or bits of metal are left over from casting, that scrap metal is called industrial. The other kind of scrap metal is called "obsolete." This includes the metal from used automobiles, wires, appliances, railroad metals and other materials that are obsolete because they cannot be used in their present form.

    Collection of Scrap Metal

    • Industrial scrap metal is collected from manufacturers. It is often collected in separate containers and set aside for the purpose of grading because scrap metal comes in at least 80 separate grades. As far as obsolete scrap metal goes, it mostly finds its way to a junkyard, where it is normally processed on site. The purpose of grading is to be able to select the purest metals for recycled creations, such as new steel.

    Recycling of Industrial Scrap Metal

    • Industrial scrap can be light or heavy. It is normally either melted down, fabricated into something new or shredded and made into scrap briquettes for future use. When industrial scrap metal is melted down, it normally resurfaces as something new. The scrap metal from cars, for example, can become new steel beams.

    Recycling of Obsolete Scrap Metal

    • Obsolete scrap metal goes through a similar process, only it is normally larger and therefore takes a bit longer to sort out. The difference between ferrous and nonferrous materials is whether they are made of iron. About 65 percent of an automobile is completely recyclable and can be melted to form new steel. By contrast, other obsolete scraps, such as the kind that come from demolished buildings, take more time to break down.

    Scrap Metal: Good for the Environment

    • Whether scrap metal is ferrous or nonferrous, it is all reusable and therefore highly valuable. New steel and other metal objects can be fashioned from the scrap that is no longer needed around a plant or junkyard. Steel can be recycled many times over. Steel is the No. 1 recycled product over aluminum, glass, and paper. More than 80 million tons is recycled annually in the United States alone.

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