Get the Yes
Ask your foreman or boss who gets the scrap. Get it in a text. Employees need permission — independents already own it.
FOR EVERY TRADE • THE GENERATIONAL STORY • NINE GUIDES
THE TRADESMAN'S SECOND PAYCHECK
Your boss's generation threw it away. Yours gets paid for it. For decades, leftover copper went in the dumpster at the end of every job — offcuts, line sets, pipe stubs, all of it. Then copper prices climbed and everything changed. As one electrician put it: "I never bothered to even keep it. Now I do." Today the apprentice's cutoff bucket, the installer's line set, the plumber's offcuts, and the demo crew's pull are a second paycheck — if you know what to keep and who to call. Nine guides below cover every trade and every question.
All TradesNo MinimumsBoss-Blessed OnlyFast Quotes
THE GENERATIONAL SHIFT
They threw it away. You get paid for it.
- The old days: scrap went in the dumpster at the end of every job. Nobody thought twice — copper was cheap and nobody kept the bucket.
- The shift: copper prices woke the whole trade up. Bosses who once threw it away now hand the bucket to the crew, because everyone knows the prices now.
- The norms: apprentices get the wire, crews split the load, foremen decide — and the smart bosses put it in writing so nobody argues.
- The math: a bucket a week is hundreds of pounds a year. Across a career in the trade, the second paycheck is real money.
- The crews that figured it out early: stripping parties where everyone strips and splits evenly, shops that pool it for the crew, foremen who hand the bucket to the apprentice.
- The rule that never changes: permission first. Ask your foreman, get it in writing, and the paycheck stays clean.
- The buyer who gets it: Ironcrest buys from trade workers every week — buckets, boxes, and truck beds, with no minimums.
- Start with the two big questions below, then pick your trade. Nine guides, one paycheck.
9 GUIDESEvery trade
Apprentices to demo crews to independents.
1 RULEPermission first
Ask your foreman. Get it in writing.
0 MINIMUMSEvery bucket
One bucket gets the same welcome as a truckload.
START HERE
New to selling job-site scrap?
Two pages answer ninety percent of the questions. Read them first, then pick your trade below.
- THE MONEY QUESTION — What Is Your Job-Site Scrap Worth? — real lot sizes in pounds, what moves the number, and how to estimate your bucket.
- THE PERMISSION QUESTION — Can You Keep Scrap From Work? — the honest answer nobody gives, how to ask your boss, and how crews split it fairly.
- THE FAST PATH — Sell Scrap Copper for Fast Cash — text a photo, get a fast quote, and get paid quick with no yard line.
- YOUR TRADE — Pick your guide below: apprentice, HVAC installer, plumber, demo crew, journeyman, or independent contractor.
THE SECOND PAYCHECK, BY TRADE
Every trade holds a different stream.
Pick the guide that matches your work. Each one covers what you hold, what it weighs, and how to sell it with your boss's blessing.
ELECTRICALWire
Cutoff buckets, service changes, and big pulls.
HVAC & PLUMBINGCopper & brass
Line sets, coils, pipe, and fittings.
DEMO & INDEPENDENTMixed loads
Gut-job pulls and truck-bed cleanouts.
HOW THE SECOND PAYCHECK WORKS
Four steps, every trade.
Keep What Counts
Copper wire, copper pipe, brass fittings, and carbide tooling. Your trade's guide below shows exactly what to keep.
Text Photos to Sonny
Send a photo of your material 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 trade workers sell to Ironcrest
- Built for workers, not just shops: buckets and truck beds welcome, no minimums — every bucket counts.
- Fast quotes from a photo: text what you have, 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 is the tradesman's second paycheck?
It is the money trade workers make selling the leftover copper, brass, and carbide from their jobs — the cutoff bucket, the pulled line set, the repipe pile. A bucket a week adds up to hundreds of pounds a year, and that is a real second income on top of the day rate.
Which trades generate the most scrap?
Electricians hold the most wire, plumbers hold pipe plus brass, HVAC installers hold line sets and coils from every changeout, and demo crews hold the biggest per-project lots. Every trade in the hub below has its own guide.
Do I need permission to keep scrap from work?
Employees do: the scrap belongs to the company or the customer until the boss says otherwise. Ask your foreman, get it in writing, and you are on clean ground. Independent contractors own their leftovers outright.
How much scrap does a typical worker save in a year?
It depends on the trade and the workload, but a steady bucket-a-week habit runs to hundreds of pounds a year. The guides below break it down by trade — all in pounds, no guesswork.
Where do I start if I have never sold scrap before?
Start with the money question and the permission question — they answer ninety percent of what first-timers ask. Then read your trade's guide, text a photo to 312-880-8174, and get a fast quote on your first bucket.
Is there really no minimum?
Really. One bucket of cutoffs gets the same welcome as a truckload — no minimums, every bucket counts. Plenty of sellers start with a single bucket.
THE GENERATION THAT GETS PAID
Your second paycheck starts with one bucket.
Text a photo of your job-site scrap to 312-880-8174. You will get a fast quote based on what is actually there — no minimums, no yard lines.