Scrap metal recycling can be a bit confusing for people just starting out. There are all sorts of different scrap metal classifications, grades, and types of metals. While it all seems irrelevant, it’s important to know what type of metal you’re dealing with.
Whether you’re building a structure from recycled scrap metal or just trying to recycle some scrap metal for extra cash, knowing scrap metal classification will set you up for success.
Although scrap metal is often considered waste, it is still a valuable product and a popular commodity. Now before you start recycling you need to understand the different classifications.
Scrap Metal Classifications: Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metal
Every metal falls under one of two classifications: ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Ferrous Metals
Ferrous metals are the most common type of recycled metals. As a matter of fact, the U.S. processes enough ferrous metal daily, by weight, to build 25 Eiffel Towers every single day of the year. Now that’s a lot of metal!
The simplest way of differentiating it from non-ferrous metals is that all ferrous metal is magnetic. This is because ferrous metal is iron or steel or at least contains it.
Common items made of ferrous metal include refrigerators, ovens, cars, cast iron skillets, and more.
Ferrous metals also have a high carbon content, which generally makes them prone to rust or corrosion, making them obsolete.
Non-Ferrous
Non-ferrous metals don’t contain iron so they aren’t magnetic and they’re typically more corrosion and rust resistant than ferrous metals. These metals are commonly used in construction and building applications such as gutters, roofing, pipes, and electrical.
Non-ferrous metals include brass, gold, nickel, tin, lead, and zinc, among others. Common properties of non-ferrous metals are that they’re malleable and lightweight. These properties make them especially ideal for the construction of aircraft
