If you want to get into metal recycling (scrapping), the first thing you should do is learn the values of the different types of metals. Generally, the most common types of metal you will run across are steel, aluminum, brass, and copper. I listed those in the order of value going from the cheapest prices paid (steel) to the most expensive prices paid (copper) per pound. You will also sometimes find mixed metal...say a piece of steel pipe is stuck is a brass fitting or you have an aluminum window that has a bunch of steel screws or other misc. steel parts - these will be paid roughly about 2 times whatever the going price per pound that steel is going for. That's just an estimate though to give you a rough idea of that the mixed metal is worth.
*I should note that unless you have someplace to store steel, it's a good idea to just take whatever steel you have with you whenever you go to the scrap yard. Simply because steel isn't worth as much and it's the bulkiest of the metals. You can have a whole truckload of steel that weighs say 1,000 pounds. If steel is going for say .05 per pound when you cash it in, then you're only looking at $50 for a full truckload of steel at the scrap yard. That's not too good of a scrap yard trip after you take away your fuel costs. What I try to do is round out my full steel loads with some more valuable metal like copper or aluminum. Say you have two 5 gallon buckets of copper wire you add to your truckload of steel. ....and say the copper in those buckets weighs 30 pounds. Copper usually hovers around $2 per pound depending on the type of copper. (You will have what's called #1 (clean....nice golden and shiny) and #2 (dirty...dirt stains, grimey, etc) copper). So that 30 pounds of copper equals $60 - more than your truckload of steel. Add that to your truckload to get the most value out of your trip to the scrap yard.
If you have the space, you can monitor the going price of steel and cash in when it's high. In the last couple of years the metal markets are a mirror image of the economy. Before the U.S. slid into a near depression steel was at an all time high and was going for 15 cents a pound. When the economy sank, so did metal prices and steel slid all the way down to 1.5 cents per pound at one point. It has since slowly creeped up into the 6 or 7 cents per pound range. So...keep an eye on those prices.
PRICES CHANGE DAILY AT THE SCRAP YARDS/RECYCLING CENTERS and you will need to monitor the prices to get the most value out of your scrap metal.
Don't throw away your used car batteries. These are accepted at the scrap yards. Prices change on them as well, but I've received anywhere from $2 to $4 per car battery. If you happen to be buying a new car battery, many places will refund you a "core charge" if you bring in your old battery as well.
Copper is the gold mine of the scrapping world, but at the same time...it's not easy to come across. You have to develop a keen eye to where you can find copper. A good place to get copper is in wires or air conditioners. In my area, I see a lot of used air conditioners that people put out by the side of the road and mark as free - simply because the old bulky air conditioners are energy hogs compared to the newer models. If you happen to come across these sitting by the side of the road, pull over and throw it in your car or truck. Inside you will find copper tubing, possibly some aluminum pieces, and the big money maker is the radiator found on the inside of the conditioners. You will have the steel shell and misc. pieces as well. What you do is strip the conditioner apart and seperate all the different metal because if you don't (and you just take the whole unit as is to the scrap yard) then scrap yard will just give you the low mixed metal price per pound. All in all a junk air conditioner can get you anywhere from $20 for a small window air conditioner to $40 for the larger window air conditioners.
To be continued.....
Be sure to check out the following for more money making topics.....
The Dapper Scrapper Index to Making Money Online & Offline for Sustained Self Employment Income
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