First off, let’s agree on what is considered to be steel. This is pretty simple—if it sticks to a magnet, then you have yourself a piece of steel! Steel is a ferrous (magnetic) metal that plays an important role in our daily lives. While it’s incredibly strong, the value of scrap steel isn’t as high as non-ferrous scrap metals like copper and aluminium.
Below, we explore exactly how you can get the best scrap steel value when you bring it into our scrap metal collection locations.
What steel can I scrap?
We most commonly see clean steel brought into the yard by builders and roofers, while the heavier types usually come from demolition and construction companies. But you don’t have to be in the industry to get your hands on a nice bit of steel. You can likely find it in many of your household items, such as whiteware and appliances.
The most common steel items that we receive from individuals/households for recycling include:
- Fridge
- Freezer
- Oven
- Tumble dryer
- Washing machine
- Dishwasher
- Microwave
- Heat pumps
- General kitchen appliances
- BBQs
- Cast iron items like pots and baths
- Gym equipment
- Filing cabinets
- Car shells/bodies (engines must be removed and drained of all fluids)
- Steel hot water cylinders
- Steel cans (cleaned)
- Steel drums (cleaned of oil and residue)
- Roofing iron/roof sheeting
- Rims/mag wheels (tyres removed)
We also take the following items, found more commonly in industry scrap:
- Rebar
- Coils
- Steel swarf
- I-Beams
- Galvanized sheet
Want to check what your steel scrap could be worth? We’d love to hear from you, so get in touch with our team from Monday to Friday (7 am to 5 pm) and on Saturdays (7 am to 1 pm).
How is steel graded and priced?
Steel is weighed and paid by the tonne; like many of its metal mates—the cleaner it is, the better the grade.
- When we grade your steel, we distinguish between clean and dirty. Dirty steel is steel mixed with other metals or contains contaminants like plastic. If it meets these criteria, we call it a ‘dirty light gauge’, and we have to process it through the shredder to remove the non-metallic parts and separate the steel from the other metals.
- If the steel is mixed with aluminium, it becomes “irony ali” (irony meaning steel/iron). Examples of irony ali would be some machinery and equipment, like lawnmowers, chainsaws, weed whackers, and some outdoor furniture.
- Steel beams and pipes are classified as in-size or oversize if they’re pure, good quality steel and are the highest grade of steel commodity. To be classed in-size, items need to be cut into pieces smaller than 1m in length. Oversize classes should be more than 1m in length. Both in-size and oversize steel need to be at least 3mm thick; otherwise, it will count as a different lower value grade.
Most whiteware and appliances are made from steel, but because they have plastic components, they’ll be classified as dirty steel and are of low value. But on the bright side, if the appliance has been sitting around, taking up space, and is absolutely buggered anyway, why not bring it into us and make a few bucks for a coffee? You’ll save yourself the hassle of paying to dispose of it at a transfer station. Plus, you’ll feel better knowing it’s going to a place where it can be made into something new (steel is renewable if treated correctly), and you’ll finally have space in your garage for another beer fridge. Onya mate!
How to upgrade and make more money from your steel scrap
Now let’s iron out the details on how to get the most bang for your buck regarding steel scrap! Our most valuable tip is to separate your metals so they’re not graded as mixed, but we’ve got a few more specific details below:
- Put those guns of steel to work by safely cutting your beams to less than 1m in length. This way your steel beams will be graded as in-size, which is of higher value than oversize as some of the processing has already been done.
- If you have an item that is a mixture of aluminium and steel, have them separated. This way you will be paid for steel and aluminium separately instead of irony ali, which is a low grade due to the processing involved.
- Swarf must only have steel in it, so make sure it’s not mixed with any other metals.
Get in touch with the team at Endless
If you have steel scrap you want to enquire about, you can get in touch with us from Monday to Friday between 7 am to 5 pm and on Saturdays between 7 am to 1 pm. Our friendly team would love to hear from you. Check out our scrap steel prices online, or feel free to send us an enquiry to discover what your steel treasures could be worth.