Brass scrap

Brass scrap or yellow copper comes in all shapes and sizes, including brass sections, brass swarf, and condenser pipes. Bullets for pistols and rifles often have a yellow-copper jacket, but these must always be delivered separately, not along with other brass or copper scrap. Scrap brass comes from sanitary or industrial applications such as heat exchangers and cooling systems.

Bronze & Brass Scrap

Bronze is one of the world’s oldest alloys that dates back several hundred years BC. Bronze and Brass are copper alloys, which means that they primarily contain copper with various other metals, such as zinc, tin, and lead to form a new metal in the form of bronze or brass. Some other metals can also be added, which depends on the uses and requirements of metal. Strength, corrosion resistance and appearence are some of reasons for the different types of brass and bronze.

Most people wonder about the difference between brass and bronze. These two alloys are very similar in so many ways, however in general, brass is believed to be a copper alloy, which generally contains more zinc; while bronze is usually thought of with regards to its tin content.

Brass (Characteristics & Properties)         Bronze (Characteristics & Properties)

An alloy of copper and zinc, brass is yellow in color and often used as a substitute of gold. The metal has found uses in low pressure plumbing fittings (sometimes with copper), sink drains and fixtures (sometimes chrome plated to make it more decorative), car radiators, door knobs, and in trim hardware.           In appearance, bronze is very similar to brass except that it has a more coppery color than the yellow color of brass. Being an alloy of copper and tin, bronze is harder than brass. Hence, the metal has found uses in high pressure applications, such as water fittings, fire hose couplings, and for similar uses.

Bronze & Brass Scrap

High Price Scrap

Most people recognize the high price commanded by brass / bronze scrap. Indeed many people, after installing a new kitchen or bathroom, collect together the old taps and fittings and sell them to their local scrap merchant in order to recoup some of their expenditure. The reason for such a high price paid for brass / bronze scrap is due to the fact that it is essential to the economics of the brass / bronze industry.

Brass for extrusion and hot stamping is generally made from a basic melt of scrap of standardized composition – adjusted by the addition of small quantities of virgin copper or zinc as needed to meet the specification before pouring. The use of brass scrap bought at a considerably lower price than the metal mixture price means that the cost of the fabricated brass is significantly less than it might otherwise be.

Types / Grades

Different grades and varieties of bronze and brass scrap are used for recycling and to recover pure metal from the scrap. Given in the table below are some of the important grades / types of bronze / brass used in recycling –

Grades Details

Mixed Brass & Bronze    This grade comprises of assorted clean brass and bronze solids.

Refinery Brass   It consists of a minimum of 61.3% copper and a maximum of 5% iron. It also includes copper, brass and bronze alloyed metal. The grade should be free of non-metallic materials.

Red Brass Solids                It includes red brass solids scrap and may consists of valves, machinery bearings and other red brass solids, consisting mainly of copper with tin/lead/zinc alloys.

Red Brass Turnings          It consists of borings, turnings and grindings from red brass solids.

Old Yellow Brass               It includes sheet, tubing, rod and castings, including plated materials. It should be free of aluminum bronze or manganese bronze.

New Brass Clips It consists of unleaded yellow brass clippings including 70/30 clips.

Yellow Brass Turnings     It consists of yellow brass turnings, grindings and borings.

C Metal It consists of sorted red brass plumbing cocks.

C&F Metal (cocks & faucets)       This grade comprises of mixed clean red and yellow brass plumbing cocks and faucets, including nickel/chrome plated parts. It should be free of zinc die cast and aluminum parts.

Clean Auto Radiators      It includes iron free mixed copper / brass automotive radiators. It may not include aluminum radiators. Typical composition is 70 % copper, 3-3.5 % tin, 7-8 % lead and 10-11 % zinc.

Unclean Auto Radiators It comprises of mixed copper / brass automotive radiators with iron frame or supports still intact. It may not include iron finned rads or aluminum rads.

Heater Cores      It comprises of clean copper / brass automotive heater core radiators.

Aluminum Bronze Solids                It comprises of aluminum bronze alloy solids with a typical analysis of 78-90% copper, 1-5% iron, 8.5-11.5% aluminum and may include up to 5% nickel.

Aluminum Bronze Turnings          It comprises of aluminum bronze alloy turnings, grindings or borings.

Nickel Silver Solids           This grade comprises of clean nickel / silver alloys and includes sheet, rod and castings. It may not include other alloys or foreign materials.

Nickel Silver Turnings     It includes nickel / silver alloy turnings, borings and grindings.

Manganese Bronze Solids             It comprises of manganese bronze alloy scrap with a minimum of 55% copper and a maximum of 1% lead.

Manganese Bronze Turnings       This grade includes turnings, borings or grindings of manganese bronze alloy scrap.

Brass Wire Nodules         It comprises of clean brass wire nodules from a chopping or shredding operation.

Clean Brass Wire              It comprises of clean brass wire free of aluminum and other foreign materials.

Insulated Brass Wire       Insulated brass wire consists of plastic insulated brass wire.

Mixed Wire Connectors It includes mixed coated (plated) and uncoated electrical wire connectors.

Brass & Bronze Dross      Brass and bronze dross include brass and bronze slags and skimmings from melting operations.

Irony Brass & Bronze      It includes brass and bronze solids with a maximum iron content of 10%.

Other Brass & Bronze     It includes brass and bronze materials, which are nor included in other grades.

Scrap Brass & Bronze Recycling – Industry Associations

American Bureau of Metal Statistics

Canadian Association of Recycling Industries (CARI)

Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI)

British Secondary Metals Association

Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS)

Scrap Brass & Bronze Recycling – Publications

Recycling International Magazine

Scrap (Magazine)

AMM – American Metal Market

Modern Metals