Get the Shop's Yes
Ask your foreman who gets the pipe and brass on the job. Get it in a text. Permission first, bucket second.
FOR PLUMBERS & HELPERS • COPPER PIPE • BRASS FITTINGS • TWO STREAMS
PLUMBER SCRAP: COPPER & BRASS GUIDE
Every repipe leaves a pile of copper behind, and every fixture swap leaves brass. Plumbers sit on two metal streams at once — and most of them mix the brass in with the copper for free. This guide shows what to keep, how to sort it, and how the offcut bucket becomes a second paycheck — with the shop's blessing.
Ask Your ForemanNo MinimumsTwo-Bucket SystemFast Quotes
TWO METALS, TWO PAYCHECKS
The plumber's double stream.
- Copper pipe cutoffs: every cut leaves a piece. The offcut bucket fills fast on repipe work — this is your main stream.
- Pulled-out systems: a full repipe can pull 50 to 400 lbs of old copper pipe out of a single house.
- Brass fittings, valves, and meters: the bonus stream. Brass is its own grade with its own market — separate it.
- Faucets and fixture bodies: brass inside, worth tossing in the brass bucket on every swap.
- Water heaters: copper and brass components inside a steel tank. Worth asking about when you call.
- A helper's week of cutoffs runs 15 to 50 lbs. A journeyman's repipe runs 50 to 400 lbs.
- The brass mistake: mixed into copper, brass drags the lot down. In its own bucket, it pays as brass.
- Old-timer wisdom from the trade forums: a few feet of pipe is not much, but over a year it becomes a Christmas bonus.
CUTOFF BUCKET15–50 lbs
A week of pipe cutoffs from rough-in and service.
REPIPE PULL50–400 lbs
A whole house of old copper, pulled out.
BRASS BONUSEvery job
Fittings and valves, kept separate.
THE TWO-BUCKET SYSTEM
Copper in one, brass in the other.
This is the entire sorting system. Two buckets on every job, and you are done.
- COPPER BUCKET — Pipe cutoffs, pulled pipe, and copper fittings. The heavy stream.
- BRASS BUCKET — Valves, fittings, meters, and faucet bodies. The bonus stream.
- LEAVE OUT — Steel hangers, plastic, and trash. They drag both buckets down.
- ASK ABOUT — Water heaters, old boilers, and mixed fixture piles — call and describe them.
YOUR TYPICAL LOT
From a service week to a full repipe.
Whether you are holding a bucket of cutoffs or a truck bed of pulled pipe, it all counts. No minimums — every bucket counts.
ONE BUCKET15–50 lbs
A week of cutoffs. Welcome any time, no minimum.
ONE REPIPE50–400 lbs
A whole house of old copper pipe.
ONE TRUCKLOAD400+ lbs
A big repipe or a month of service. Call about pickup.
FROM OFFCUTS TO CASH
How the plumber sells.
Run Two Buckets
Copper in one, brass in the other, on every job. The habit takes five seconds and pays every time.
Text Photos to Sonny
Send a photo of your buckets or your pulled pile to 312-880-8174 for a fast quote. No minimums — every bucket counts.
Drop Off and Get Paid
Bring it by, watch it weighed in the open, and get paid by check, wire, or cash.
WHY IRONCREST
Why plumbers sell their offcuts to Ironcrest
- No minimums — every bucket counts. One bucket of cutoffs gets the same welcome as a truckload.
- Fast quotes from a photo: text your buckets, get a real number back.
- Weighed in the open on a digital scale. You see every pound.
- Quick payment by check, wire, or cash once your lot settles.
- One direct contact: Sonny Johns at 312-880-8174 — not a yard window, not a phone tree.
- Your material never leaves the United States.
ONE DIRECT CONTACT
Talk to Sonny, not a department
Every quote runs through one person who answers the phone: Sonny Johns at 312-880-8174. No portals, no ticket queues, no yard line.
- NO MINIMUMS — Every bucket counts. One bucket of cutoffs gets the same welcome as a truckload.
- FAST QUOTES — Send photos of your material and get a real number back fast.
- QUICK PAYMENT — Check, wire, or cash once your lot settles.
- US ONLY — Your material never leaves the United States.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Asked by workers holding this material.
What do plumbers do with old copper pipe?
Smart ones keep it. Pulled pipe and cutoffs go in the copper bucket, brass fittings go in the brass bucket, and the lot gets sold when the buckets fill up. The rest goes in the dumpster — which is exactly the habit this page is trying to break.
Is brass really worth separating?
Yes. Brass is its own grade with its own market, and it is the bonus most plumbers give away for free by mixing it into the copper. A separate brass bucket costs you nothing and pays as brass.
How much is scrap copper pipe worth?
It sells by weight and grade, so the honest answer starts with pounds: a bucket of cutoffs runs 15 to 50 lbs, and a full repipe pull runs 50 to 400 lbs. Text a photo and your estimated weight to 312-880-8174 for a fast quote on your actual material.
Do water heaters have copper in them?
They have copper and brass components inside a steel tank — elements, fittings, and valves. Whole water heaters are worth asking about: call and describe what you have.
Do soldered joints hurt the grade?
Solder joints are normal and expected — every plumber's pipe has them. Clean pipe grades best, and heavily soldered sections still sell. Do not waste time trying to clean joints; it is not worth the effort.
Can my helper keep the cutoffs?
On many crews, yes — the helper's bucket is a trade tradition. But it is the foreman's call, so the helper should ask and get it in writing like everyone else.
TWO BUCKETS, TWO PAYCHECKS
Your offcuts are worth a quote.
Text a photo of your copper and brass buckets to 312-880-8174. You will get a fast quote based on what is actually there — no minimums, no yard lines.