As you drive around you are likely to see a fair share of scrap metal recycling yards throughout. Recycling scrap metal is not only a great way to make money, but it is also very important for the environment. You will likely almost always see a sign outside of every yard indicating if they take ferrous and non-ferrous metals or just one or the other. Although most yards take both, there are some that only take one. For the scrap yard, the difference between these two categories of metal impacts how they recycle the metal. For consumers, whether your metal is ferrous or non-ferrous will likely impact how much money you make for your metal. 

What Is The Difference Between The Two Types?
Simply put, ferrous metal has iron and non-ferrous metal does not. More specifically, these metals have very different properties compared to one another. Ferrous metals include steel, alloy steel, carbon steel, wrought iron, and cast iron. These is a lot of ferrous metal in circulation. From skyscrapers to bridges, most structures utilize ferrous metals for their structural integrity. Ferrous metals easily rust when introduced to moisture due to their high carbon content. However, both stainless steel and wrought iron are actually rust resistant due to the presence of chromium in the metal. 

Examples of Non-Ferrous Metals
There are many types of Non-ferrous metals. They include tin, copper, lead, zinc, silver, gold, and aluminum. Unlike ferrous metals, these metals do not contain iron which makes them more malleable. For this reason they are not usually used for structural integrity but instead used for piping, electrical wiring, and similar projects. They are also resistant to rust which makes them perfect for gutters, roofing, and outdoor signs. 

The Importance of Organizing Scrap Metal
Whenever you decide to recycle scrap metal it is important to ensure that you identify your metal and organize it by kind. Many yards will charge you for the average of all of your metals if the metals are not organized into separate containers. You can easily tell the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals by using a magnetic (except in the case of stainless steel which is ferrous but non-magnetic). 

Recycle Your Scrap Metal in Everett
If you live in the Greater Boston area and need to recycle scrap metal. You can easily sell it at our yard in Everett. Our team pays competitive prices for all ferrous and non-ferrous metals as well as old vehicles. For more information please contact our team.