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CARBIDE SELLER GUIDE
Brazed vs Solid Carbide: What’s Worth What
Solid carbide tools and brazed-tip tools are different products in the scrap market. Here is how buyers tell them apart — and why it matters to your price.
The difference.
Solid carbide tools — end mills, drills, burrs — are tungsten carbide through and through. Brazed (tipped) carbide tools have carbide tips or inserts brazed onto steel bodies: tipped saw blades, brazed boring bars, router bits, mining buttons. Same tungsten in the cutting edge, very different scrap product — because the buyer has to deal with the steel.
How buyers grade each.
Solid carbide commands the top of the market: it is ready to process as-is. Brazed carbide is discounted for its steel content — the processor must separate or account for the steel body. Some shops un-braze tips (heating to release the braze) to recover clean carbide; machinists report it as viable at volume but slow by hand. Carbide-tipped saw blades are the classic brazed product: valuable, but firmly in the brazed category.
How to sort yours.
Two piles: solid (one-piece tools, inserts) and brazed/tipped (anything with a visible steel body or braze line). Do not mix them — a mixed lot gets graded at the lower category. Saw blades go in the brazed pile. When in doubt, the magnet test helps: strong attraction on the body means steel present.
Sell it the straightforward way.
Photograph what you have — nameplates, labels, and overall condition — and send it to Ironcrest for today’s offer. We buy nationally and coordinate pickup from your site.
Sell your carbide to Ironcrest → | Call or text 312-880-8174 | Send photos →
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions, answered.
What is brazed carbide?
Carbide cutting tips brazed (soldered with high-temp alloy) onto steel tool bodies — tipped saw blades, boring bars, router bits. Valuable, but priced below solid carbide because of the steel content.
Are carbide-tipped saw blades worth selling?
Yes — they are a standard brazed-carbide product with an active market. Keep them whole; do not cut them up.
Should I remove the carbide tips myself?
Usually not worth it by hand unless you have real volume — the labor rarely pays. Sell them as brazed and let the processor handle separation.
What is the steel body worth?
As steel scrap — a small fraction of the carbide value. That is exactly why brazed tools are discounted versus solid.
How can I tell brazed from solid?
Look for the braze line where the tip meets the body, and check the body with a magnet — steel bodies are strongly magnetic, solid carbide is not.
THE DISTINCTION
One piece vs two.
Solid carbide is carbide all the way through. Brazed is carbide tips on a steel body. Buyers price them differently.
New: Explore the Ironcrest Copper Resource Center — grades, markets, identification guides, and interactive tools.
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.