Selling scrap metal locally
The local scrap metal market is more transparent than it used to be — most yards now publish daily pricing on their websites or social channels — but it's still a market where calling around and timing your trip pays off.
What to expect at a typical scale house
- Drive onto the certified scale — your loaded truck is weighed in
- Unload at the designated bay — yard staff direct you by material type
- Material is graded — non-ferrous loads are sorted by hand; ferrous is visually graded
- Drive back over the scale empty — net weight = paid weight
- Collect ticket and payment — cash, check, or account credit depending on yard policy
Common pitfalls
- Mixed loads — non-ferrous mixed with ferrous defaults to ferrous pricing for the whole pile. Sort before you arrive.
- Hidden contamination — concrete, dirt, plastic, or wood inside steel pieces gets penalized
- Wet material — rain-soaked cardboard or insulation adds weight that doesn't pay
- Improper documentation — catalytic converters, propane tanks, and certain alloys require additional paperwork
Building a local pricing baseline
Once you've sold to two or three yards in your area, you'll have a working sense of what each one pays for the metals you handle. From there, calling for a current quote on the day of sale takes 90 seconds and routinely beats walking in cold.