Sell Your Carbide Scrap in Valparaiso, Indiana

Tungsten carbide inserts

Worn, chipped, or spent indexable inserts from CNC lathes and mills. Sorted by grade, bought at top-of-market.

End mills and drills

Solid carbide end mills, drills, reamers, and micro tooling from precision CNC work — even broken or sharpened to nothing.

Brazed tooling

Brazed tips, carbide-tipped tooling, and bits from shop and contractor work.

Grinding sludge and swarf

Carbide grinding sludge, dust, and turnings — bag it or drum it, we’ll take it off your hands.

Tungsten heavy alloy

High-density tungsten alloy parts — counterweights, boring bars, dampeners — priced on tungsten content.

Valparaiso’s tool-and-die and industrial-park shops run precision CNC work that burns carbide at a serious clip: inserts swapped every shift, end mills dulled on tough materials, drills and reamers turning over constantly. That spent tooling is dense, high-grade tungsten carbide — material that deserves grading and a proper number, not a scrap bin.

This is where the specialist difference matters most. A general yard pays a blended rate for whatever crosses the scale — precision-grade carbide deserves better. I grade every lot: inserts by type, solid carbide by condition, heavy alloy on tungsten content, XRF-checked when it matters. About 70 miles from Rolling Meadows with regular Northwest Indiana runs — read about our carbide buying program, then send photos.

A general scrap yard buys metal by the pile, and carbide gets one blended price there. Your inserts — dense, expensive, precisely graded — get lumped in with cheap mixed loads and paid far less than the tungsten inside them is worth.

It’s our only business, so I grade every lot before I buy it: inserts, solid carbide, brazed tips, and heavy alloy — XRF-checked when it matters — each paid for what it actually is. You get a top-of-market number based on real tungsten content.

Ironcrest Industrial Surplus is me — Sonny Johns. Text 312-880-8174 and I’m the one who looks at your photos, grades your material, and gives you the number. No dispatcher, no call center, no bait-and-switch.

This is all I do, and I’ve built my name on paying sellers fairly and fast. Northwest Indiana is a regular route — send photos and I’ll tell you when I can be there. One buyer, one number, one honest price.

Do you buy carbide scrap from machine shops in Valparaiso?

Yes — precision carbide is exactly what we want. Inserts, solid carbide end mills, drills, and micro tooling from Valparaiso shops: text photos of your pile to 312-880-8174 and I’ll give you today’s number.

How do I get today’s number?

Text a photo of your pile to 312-880-8174. I look at every photo myself, grade your carbide, and give you a firm number for today. My price is published right on this page: a firm $18–$20 a pound for clean, sorted tungsten carbide inserts, end mills, and drills. The national buyer boards pay $8–$15 a pound — scrap yards are not paying a fair price, and I pay way more than the national average. You watch the digital scale, and you are paid within 24–48 hours.

Do you pick up carbide in Valparaiso?

Yes — on scheduled pickup runs across Northwest Indiana. Send photos of what you have and I’ll tell you when I can be there. Smaller lots can go mail-in with a prepaid label; either way, you get paid fast.

How is carbide graded?

By type and tungsten content: inserts grade separately from solid carbide end mills and drills, brazed tips are their own grade, and heavy alloy prices on tungsten content. Grading beats a blended yard rate every time. See how it works on our scrap carbide prices page.

How do I know my tooling is real carbide?

Real carbide is much heavier than it looks, nearly impossible to scratch with a file, and usually non-magnetic. Still not sure? Send me a photo — I identify carbide all day. Our guide on how to spot real tungsten carbide shows the quick checks.

From our Rolling Meadows shop, we also buy carbide across Northwest Indiana, including Portage, Michigan City, and Hobart. See all service areas.