Metals You Should Be Saving: How to Make Money Recycling Scrap Metal.

The scrapping community’s verdict is consistent: copper is king. The save-list, ranked:

1. Copper — bare bright first, then #1, then #2, then insulated wire. Every grade is worth saving; just keep the grades separated.
2. Brass — red and yellow: valves, fittings, plumbing trim, musical instruments.
3. Aluminum — clean extrusion, wire, wheels, and even cans in volume.
4. Stainless steel — non-magnetic grades pay real money; keep it away from regular steel.
5. Lead — wheel weights, flashing, batteries (batteries go whole, to the right buyer).

Beyond the raw metals: copper-bearing items — electric motors and transformers — have their own grades and are always worth picking up. And regulated high-value items like catalytic converters and e-scrap carry real money with real paperwork: theft laws and ID requirements apply, so know the rules before you touch them.

The number-one rule from the community’s best educators: time is money — rank by profit per hour, not per pound. A metal can pay well per pound and still lose you money if it eats hours.

• Thin Romex: not worth stripping by hand. The hours kill it.
• Steel: not worth hauling unless you have it in bulk. Save it, pile it, move it once.
• Appliances: run the teardown math item by item. The community’s teardown charts say microwaves are worth breaking down, dishwashers are not worth it whole, and refrigerators only pay with the refrigerant properly recovered.

Every item gets the same test: (value broken down − value as-is) ÷ hours = your labor rate. Beat your number, or sell it whole.

Here is what happens when you sell to a real buyer like Ironcrest: you send photos first — sorted piles, cut ends, nameplates. The material gets graded by metal and condition. You get an offer at today’s price, and pickup or mail-in gets arranged around you. No guessing, no mystery scale.

What legitimate buyers require:

• A government ID. In Illinois, dealers must copy your driver’s license and photograph you on nonferrous sales over $100, and keep the records for three years. Any buyer who does not ask for ID on a real load is a buyer to walk away from.
• Real payment, on paper. Illinois bans dealer cash payments for $100 or more of copper — on real loads, expect a check or electronic payment. Fast talkers with cash and no paperwork are how sellers get burned.
• Sorted loads earn better. Accumulate sorted metal and sell once, instead of dribbling in small mixed loads. Sorting is the closest thing to a raise in this business.
• Photos before promises. Any buyer who prices your metal without seeing it is guessing. Clear photos get you a straight offer.

The community’s hardest lesson, learned the expensive way: you get paid for the least valuable metal in the box. Mix metals and the whole load gets downgraded. One piece of painted or attached copper can drag down an entire load of clean copper.

The tools are simple:

• The magnet test — the handiest tool in scrapping. Steel sticks; copper, brass, and aluminum do not. (Stainless is the tricky one — some grades are non-magnetic.)
• Sort before you go — bare bright, #1, #2, insulated wire, brass, aluminum, motors, steel. Separate piles, separate value.
• Cut ends tell the truth — copper-colored all the way through means copper; silver means aluminum. Check before you commit hours.

This is the part that builds trust, because the shortcuts are expensive:

• Never burn insulation off wire. It is illegal in many places, the fumes are toxic, and burnt wire gets downgraded at the yard — worth less, not more.
• Refrigerant stays in the system. Federal law (EPA Section 608) prohibits knowingly venting refrigerants during disposal. Recovery equipment or a certified tech — no exceptions.
• Catalytic converters have paperwork. Illinois requires seller ID, 1099-MISC reporting for unlicensed sellers, and no cash over $100. Other states are similar or stricter.
• Always have permission for the metal. The community says it plainly: without permission, it is theft, and you can be prosecuted for it.

Finding it and sorting it is the work. Getting paid fairly is the finish:

1. Sort it — by the list on this page, into clean separate piles.
2. Photograph it — sorted piles with something for scale, close-ups of cut ends.
3. Sell to a buyer who pays for what it is. Ironcrest buys copper, brass, aluminum, carbide, motors, transformers, and electrical surplus from sellers of all sizes, in every state. Send photos with your location for today’s price — no load too small to ask about. See how Ironcrest buys copper →

What scrap metal is worth the most money?

The community consensus: copper tops the list (bare bright, then #1, then #2, then insulated wire), followed by brass, aluminum, stainless steel, and lead. Copper-bearing items like electric motors and transformers have their own strong grades. Regulated items like catalytic converters pay well but come with ID and paperwork requirements.

Is scrapping metal actually worth it?

Rank by profit per hour, not per pound. Copper, brass, and aluminum: yes. Thin wire stripped by hand and small steel loads: usually no. Run everything through the formula — (value broken down − value as-is) ÷ hours — and sell whole whatever does not beat your number.

How does selling scrap to Ironcrest work?

Send photos of your sorted material with your location. It gets graded by metal and condition, you get an offer at today’s price, and pickup or mail-in is arranged around you. Bring a government ID — Illinois requires it on nonferrous sales over $100 — and expect a check or electronic payment on real loads, since Illinois bans dealer cash payments for $100 or more of copper.

What do I need to sell scrap metal?

A government ID, first of all — in Illinois dealers must copy your driver’s license and photograph you on nonferrous sales over $100 and keep records for three years. Sort your metals before you sell, photograph the sorted piles with something for scale, and send them with your location. That is the whole process.

What is the difference between bare bright, #1, and #2 copper?

Bare bright is the top grade: clean, uncoated, unalloyed copper wire thicker than 16 gauge with a bright, shiny surface. #1 is clean copper with light surface oxidation. #2 covers copper with coatings, solder, paint, or wire thinner than 16 gauge. Sorting correctly is pure money — mixed piles price at the lowest grade in them.

What if I am not sure what I have?

Send photos. Mixed or mystery material gets identified from clear shots of the metal itself, fresh cut ends, and any markings or nameplates — that is exactly what the photo-first process is for. If it is metal, it is worth asking about.

Who buys scrap metal from small sellers?

Ironcrest Industrial Surplus buys from sellers of all sizes, in every state — copper, brass, aluminum, carbide, motors, transformers, and electrical surplus. Send photos of what you have with your location for today’s price.