01
Firm number in writing
Photos and weights get you a firm per-pound price inside the published $18–$27 range, written into a one-page purchase agreement with the contamination schedule spelled out.
BIG-LOAD CARBIDE BUYER — NATIONWIDE
Big-Load Carbide Buyer — 500 lb and Up
Big loads get big-load terms: a firm written price, freight arranged and paid by Ironcrest, 50% wired when the carrier scans the pickup, the balance within 24 hours of verified weight, and escrow available on first loads of 1,000 lb and up.
WHY BIG LOADS STALL
Portals, Net-30 terms, and monthly caps.
A 500 to 2,000 lb load of carbide is a serious check — at the published price, roughly $9,000 to $54,000. The big recycling programs answer that kind of money with a registration portal, shipping you pay for, terms that stretch to Net-30 and beyond, and online caps that can reject a full month of production.
Ironcrest answers with a phone call, a written purchase agreement, freight I arrange and pay, half the money wired when the truck is loaded, and the balance inside 24 hours of verified weight.
THE PAYMENT LADDER
How a big load gets paid.
02
Freight arranged and paid
At 500 lb and up, Ironcrest books and pays the LTL freight. Drums can be supplied ahead of the pickup. Smaller lots ship on a prepaid label instead.
03
50% wired at pickup
When the carrier pickup scan lands and your sealed-drum photos come in, 50% of the agreed value is wired. Your money moves before the truck does.
04
Balance in 24 hours
The load is weighed on a digital scale with XRF spot checks on arrival. The balance is paid within 24 hours of verified weight, with a settlement sheet and scale photos sent to you.
05
Escrow on first loads
First loads of 1,000 lb and up can run through escrow. Funds sit with a neutral third party until the agreed terms land — trust, verified.
06
Any size, funding in place
One drum or a warehouse cleanout. Capacity is not capped at a monthly portal limit — if the carbide is real, the deal gets done.
REAL PROOF
Bought in October 2026: about 1,400 lb of carbide rings.
In October 2026, Ironcrest bought a carbide ring lot of roughly 1,400 lb from a single seller — one lot, one agreement, weighed and settled like every big load here. Rings, dies, drills, and inserts from that deal were sorted by type and grade, the way your load will be.
Big-load sellers get the same treatment at every size: a written number before freight moves, half the money at pickup scan, and a settlement sheet with the scale photos after.
WHO HOLDS BIG LOADS
Built for the way carbide actually piles up.
Production CNC shops
Recurring drums of inserts and end mills on a pickup schedule, settled load by load.
Grinding & tool shops
Solids plus sludge drums sold on contained tungsten, with an assay on every load.
Plant closings & estates
Tool cribs, die racks, and storerooms cleared in one agreement, one pickup, one settlement.
Dealers & aggregators
Sell tungsten scrap by the ton to a buyer who publishes the price and pays on a 24-hour clock.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions, answered straight.
Who buys scrap carbide drums?
Ironcrest does. Drums of solids, wear parts, and sludge are picked up or freighted in, weighed on a digital scale, and settled with an itemized settlement sheet. Drums can be supplied ahead of a pickup if your shop fills them on a schedule.
Can I sell carbide scrap in bulk, even by the ton?
Yes. Sell carbide scrap bulk by the drum, the pallet, or sell tungsten scrap by the ton. Bulk loads run on a one-page purchase agreement with the firm price and the contamination schedule in writing before freight moves.
How does the 50% payment at pickup work?
When the carrier scans the pickup and you send photos of the sealed drums, I wire 50% of the agreed value. The balance lands within 24 hours of verified weight at my scale. Your money is moving before the truck is.
How does escrow work on a first big load?
On first loads of 1,000 lb and up, the deal can run through a licensed escrow service: funds are deposited before pickup and released on the agreed weight and grade terms. A first deal never has to run on blind trust, in either direction.
What if the load grades lower than the photos showed?
You get a settlement sheet with scale photos and the grading laid out line by line. If we cannot agree on the settlement, I return the load at my cost. The deduction schedule is in the purchase agreement before the load ever leaves your dock.
What does the purchase agreement cover?
The firm per-pound price, what counts as clean versus contaminated, the deduction schedule, who pays freight (Ironcrest, at 500 lb and up), and the payment ladder. One page, plain language, signed before freight moves.
GET YOUR NUMBER
Have 500 lb or more? Start with photos.
Text photos of the drums, the tool crib, or the cleanout and I will put a firm written number on the whole lot — freight, ladder, and agreement included.
RELATED
Keep going.
Carbide buyers
The buyer pillar: price, payment, and freight in one place.
Meet your buyer →Sell carbide sludge
Drums priced on contained tungsten with an assay.
Sludge page →Scrap yard clearing
Drums and gaylords cleared from yards.
Clear a yard →Scrap carbide prices
The published $18–$27/lb board.
See prices →