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ARTICLE · CARBIDE
How to spot real tungsten carbide before you call a buyer.
If you run a machine shop, sharpen saw blades, or you've just got a box of old tooling sitting around — here is how to tell whether it's worth a phone call. I'm Sonny, I buy tungsten carbide scrap for cash, and this is exactly what I look for when somebody sends me photos.
FIELD GUIDE
TEST 1
Weight is the first tell
Pick it up. Tungsten carbide is heavy — noticeably heavier than steel. An insert the size of a postage stamp has real heft. A box of carbide inserts feels like it is full of rocks compared to the same box of steel tooling. Carbide runs about 15.6 grams per cubic centimeter — roughly twice the density of steel — so your hand can feel the difference before any test. If it feels light for its size, it is probably not carbide.
TEST 2
The spark test
Touch the piece to a grinding wheel. Steel throws long, bright white-yellow sparks that stream off the wheel. Carbide throws only a few very short, dark red-orange spark stubs that die almost immediately — barely any spark at all. Every shop guy knows this one, and it is the fastest way to sort a mixed pile. Wear your eye protection and keep the touch light.
TEST 3
The file test
Run a file across it. If the file bites and cuts, it is steel. Carbide is harder than the file — the file skates across it and leaves nothing. Do not force it, just let the file tell you.
WORTH A CALL
What I buy
I buy all of it: inserts, end mills, drills, boring bars, brazed tips, wear parts, sludge from the grinder, even the dusty stuff under the machine. It does not have to be pretty, and it does not have to be sorted — but a sorted box does get a better number than a mixed one, because I can see what I am looking at. If you have got a pile you have not touched in years, send me a photo.
DON'T GET BURNED
What is not carbide
- Saw blades with carbide tips. Mostly steel by weight — the tips are small. I still buy them, but they are priced on the tips, not the blade.
- Twist drills. The plain twist-drill kind are almost all steel.
- Plow blades, milling teeth, hole saws. Heavy steel with a thin hardfacing. Not carbide.
- Silicon carbide and chrome-carbide hardfacing. Different material entirely, not what I buy.
If you are not sure, that is what the phone call is for. Send me a photo and I will tell you straight.
MARKET NOTE
The export ban changed the game
As of August 2026, tungsten scrap cannot leave the country without a federal license — it all has to sell domestically. That means U.S. buyers are competing harder for your material, and that is good for you if you are selling. More buyers fighting over your material means better numbers for the seller.
ONE PHONE CALL
Who should call
Machine shops, saw sharpeners, tool rooms, stamping plants, road crews, contractors — any company with worn-out cutting tooling. If it cuts metal and it is worn out, I probably buy it. I pay cash, I pick up same-day in Chicago, and I will travel for the right load anywhere in the country.
Call or text anytime — the phone is always on. 312-880-8174.
SEND PHOTOS FIRST
Send photos for today's price.
Every carbide lot is different — grade, form, quantity, and sorting all move the offer. Clear photos and an honest description are all it takes to get today's price, quoted against current tungsten markets. No buyback program, no shipping your carbide off and waiting weeks for a check — you deal directly with the buyer: send photos and get a fast, free no-obligation quote. The carbide we buy goes to domestic processors, keeping tungsten in American manufacturing.
Once you know it’s carbide, the next question is what it’s worth: see current scrap carbide prices per pound.
HOW SELLING WORKS
Three steps to an offer.
Material review
We review what the material is, its condition and quantity, and whether it fits a direct purchase.
Receive an offer
For qualifying material, we discuss a direct purchase offer and the next steps.
SEND PHOTOS — FREE QUOTE WITHIN 24 HOURS
Send a photo, get a fast, free no-obligation quote — or call 312-880-8174.