I met a guy the other night who claims he brings in around $900 a week by just going around looking for scrap metal. The bed of his truck was full of the stuff. Was he pulling my leg ? I know copper prices are very high but what he had was just basic crap.

Anyone doing this ?

The local PD would probably like to talk to him.

Seriously, $900 a week is doable I suppose, but that's a LOT of non-copper/aluminum scrap.

If he has a line on copper, stainless and aluminum in quantity it's remotely possible.

If it's mostly mild steel, I'd say he is exaggerating a bit

If all he has is steel/iron he's going to need a cargo ship to get that much. Aluminum, brass, copper, bronze then yeah it's possible.

Quoted: The local PD would probably like to talk to him.

I am the local Pd and he was stopped because it was 0200 hrs and he was driving through apartment parking lots. Someone thought he was up to no good. I just have a ton of old metal crap at my place and was wondering could it bring in a few bucks.

Quoted: Quoted: The local PD would probably like to talk to him. I am the local Pd and he was stopped because it was 0200 hrs and he was driving through apartment parking lots. Someone thought he was up to no good. I just have a ton of old metal crap at my place and was wondering could it bring in a few bucks.

Interesting.  We have a BIG problem with these guys.  Almost always tweakers. They are looking for AC units and wiring to strip from houses.  

As for value, I recently pulled up 900' of old cattle fence.  T-posts and wire.  The scrap guy gave me $22 for it, Although he was kind enough to pick it up.  

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The local PD would probably like to talk to him. I am the local Pd and he was stopped because it was 0200 hrs and he was driving through apartment parking lots. Someone thought he was up to no good. I just have a ton of old metal crap at my place and was wondering could it bring in a few bucks. Interesting.  We have a BIG problem with these guys.  Almost always tweakers. They are looking for AC units and wiring to strip from houses.

The A/C units are big down here also. Hell, the crack heads will steal the wiring out of new homes. He had no copper in the truck, just old crap.

If it's just scrap, no steel pipe, water meters, machinery, etc, I say possible, but probbly BS...

Copper scrap about $1.75-$2.00 per lb.
Aluminum- $.60-$.75 per lb.
Stainless- $.75-$.85 per lb.
Carbon steel- $.20-$.30 per lb.

Quoted: If he has a line on copper, stainless and aluminum in quantity it's remotely possible. If it's mostly mild steel, I'd say he is exaggerating a bit

Hi my name is Kyle and I'm a scrapaholic.

I dont know about $900, but there definatly is a way to make money collecting scrap.

...I shaln't give out my secrets

Quoted: Hi my name is Kyle and I'm a scrapaholic. I dont know about $900, but there definatly is a way to make money collecting scrap. ...I shaln't give out my secrets

Why?  Piss off too many people stealing their spent brass at the range?

Quoted: Quoted: Hi my name is Kyle and I'm a scrapaholic. I dont know about $900, but there definatly is a way to make money collecting scrap. ...I shaln't give out my secrets Why?  Piss off too many people stealing their spent brass at the range?

Shit, here they just go into Princeton and rip the copper gutters and downspouts off the older houses.

I hate thieves

I have regular daily folks that make 3-400 per day.

My average total payout to public on retail business is about 15K$

Scrap steel around here is paying around $5.50-$6 per 100lbs.

It's sometimes more profitable to scrap an old car than to sell it.

Quoted: Quoted: Hi my name is Kyle and I'm a scrapaholic. I dont know about $900, but there definatly is a way to make money collecting scrap. ...I shaln't give out my secrets Why?  Piss off too many people stealing their spent brass at the range?

formed brass has a hell of a lot more value as is and not as scrap. I get .05 per 38 super auto case at the local reloader supply store. It takes about 200 empty cases to make a pound and the local scrap yards only offer about $1.00 per pound of brass.

What is the going rate for brass per pound?

Can it have a spent primer in it?

Quoted: I have regular daily folks that make 3-400 per day. My average total payout to public on retail business is about 15K$

Yeah, but your regulars are likely GENERATING the scrap they bring you, right?

You're paying out $15K per what? Week? Month?

Quoted: What is the going rate for brass per pound? Can it have a spent primer in it?

yes it can have spent primer

1.20  per lb is what I would give

If you have more than 500 lbs I would bump that 2 or 3 cents

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Hi my name is Kyle and I'm a scrapaholic. I dont know about $900, but there definatly is a way to make money collecting scrap. ...I shaln't give out my secrets Why?  Piss off too many people stealing their spent brass at the range? formed brass has a hell of a lot more value as is and not as scrap. I get .05 per 38 super auto case at the local reloader supply store. It takes about 200 empty cases to make a pound and the local scrap yards only offer about $1.00 per pound of brass.

Maybe for your own .38 super cases.

But what about picking up 9mm brass off the ground that has an unknown history,
when it is still almost as cheap to buy WWB at Wal-Mart as it is to reload?


EDIT:  My post 6660

Quoted: Quoted: I have regular daily folks that make 3-400 per day. My average total payout to public on retail business is about 15K$ Yeah, but your regulars are likely GENERATING the scrap they bring you, right? You're paying out $15K per what? Week? Month?

No, those regulars are scrounging cars, cleaning up property etc

They scrounge scrap just like other folks punch a clock.

15K per day.  That doesn't include industrial or other scrap yard purchases.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I have regular daily folks that make 3-400 per day. My average total payout to public on retail business is about 15K$ Yeah, but your regulars are likely GENERATING the scrap they bring you, right? You're paying out $15K per what? Week? Month? No, those regulars are scrounging cars, cleaning up property etc They scrounge scrap just like other folks punch a clock. 15K per day.  That doesn't include industrial or other scrap yard purchases.

Wow, interesting--thanks.

I've been content with the $40-$60 worth of aluminum left over per roof job. So far it's been going to gas money but when we ramp up in 2008 I'll have to start putting it in some kind of rainy day fund for the company.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Hi my name is Kyle and I'm a scrapaholic. I dont know about $900, but there definatly is a way to make money collecting scrap. ...I shaln't give out my secrets Why?  Piss off too many people stealing their spent brass at the range? formed brass has a hell of a lot more value as is and not as scrap. I get .05 per 38 super auto case at the local reloader supply store. It takes about 200 empty cases to make a pound and the local scrap yards only offer about $1.00 per pound of brass. Maybe for your own .38 super cases. But what about picking up 9mm brass off the ground that has an unknown history, when it is still almost as cheap to buy WWB at Wal-Mart as it is to reload? EDIT:  My post 6660

The only brass that I sell to the reloading store is from the range and has an unknown history. I keep the 38SW, 380ACP, 357MAG, 9MM Luger/para, 40SW, 45ACP, 5.56mm Nato, 7.62mm Nato, and 30.06 for myself.

EDIT: for spelling

Solids bring in alot more money than say turnings or other chips. Clean/seperated metals bring in more than if you brought in say an old fridge or something and just dropped off the whole thing.

Quoted: Quoted: Hi my name is Kyle and I'm a scrapaholic. I dont know about $900, but there definatly is a way to make money collecting scrap. ...I shaln't give out my secrets Why?  Piss off too many people stealing their spent brass at the range?

...um no

more so because once my co-workers found out I was collecting scrap from our job sites (boss/owner of the company encouraged it) they dove in the swimming pool!

I work for a remodeling company and would collect the 6"-8" cutoffs of copper from the electricians at the end of the day when I'd sweep up, after awhile I had quite a bit of copper... I mentioned what I was doing to one of our runners and soon enough he began doing the same thing... only he would take ANY copper he found, be on the spool or not. Ruined it, I stopped collecting the scraps just to prevent anyone from even thinking I was stealing from my boss... some people just dont know where to draw the line between what is scrap, and what is not.

On one job we filled part of a 30yd dumpster with demolished Aluminum siding, I mentioned to my boss that I'd like to take it and he gave me a helper to load my truck on the clock... he was happy to have the 1/3 of his dumpster back! over the next few days at the job I took loads of the siding back home (I have an s-10 ) and when I recycled it I got near $600 for all of it.

My boss knows about the money he throws away by not recycling some of the things he loads his dumpsters with... He will every once and awhile take a large copper pipe from a dumpster, but he has better things to do with his time than worry about the recycling, its not worth it to him. He's actually a penny pincher, he tried to get as much in a dumpster as he can (they often get overloaded)... which is why I think the thought of giving up his recycleables for more room in his dumpsters is legit.

Catalytic converters have become popular with thieves lately, worth about a hundred bucks each around here.

Stealing non-ferrous metal has always been done, but has escalated exponentially with rising prices.

Aside from construction waste, which may be legit; cans are always valuable and you don't have to explain them if the cops stop you.

Best places are any bars which serve cans and toss them into the dumpster.  College drinking areas where the bars are stacked shoulder to shoulder are very nice too.

Filthy though:  Old truck, and pinesol by the half gallon after a load are essential.

Quoted: Catalytic converters have become popular with thieves lately, worth about a hundred bucks each around here.

I've heard that--why is that? What are they made of?

Quoted: Quoted: Catalytic converters have become popular with thieves lately, worth about a hundred bucks each around here. I've heard that--why is that? What are they made of?

the catalyst inside them is either platinum or paladium

scrap price will vary anywhere from 25 bucks up to 375

it depends on the make, model and condition(still full/half full etc) of the catalyst

Hey dedfella, what do you do to deter theives cashing in at your place?

The place where I take my scrap says they require photo ID, but they've never asked for mine (but, granted, I'm bringing roofing scrap in a marked roofing truck, so I look pretty legit without it).

Quoted: Quoted: Catalytic converters have become popular with thieves lately, worth about a hundred bucks each around here. I've heard that--why is that? What are they made of?

A small amount of platnium, palladium and rhodium.  All expensive elements.

Unfortunately many scrap men running around like him are also thieves if the opportunity presents itself.  I have had too many things stolen out of my yard that were metal to think everyone running around in a truck picking up scrap is legitimate.

Can you scrap a used Cat converter from a car that needs it's changed?  If so what does that usually get you?


I've been to a few Chief's games this year and noticed that there are a few large old pickups in the parking lot driving around picking up empty cans.  We didn't go into one of the games till the second quarter and there was a driver, and 2 guys walking up and down each isle pacing the truck, smashing cans and tossing them in the back.  

I know they had to pay about $30 for a parking pass,  wonder what a pickup load of smashed aluminum cans brings?  Any idea?

Quoted: Hey dedfella, what do you do to deter thieves cashing in at your place? The place where I take my scrap says they require photo ID, but they've never asked for mine (but, granted, I'm bringing roofing scrap in a marked roofing truck, so I look pretty legit without it).

Photo ID required for all purchases

Any copper or other high value material must be 2 forms of ID, 1 of which must be a DL (current)

Enough cameras to film an ant farm

Plus I work actively with the popo to identify any thieves

I have actually called the cops and had them come pull thieves out of line and make a production of arresting them.

I still end up buying some stolen stuff though.

Quoted: Can you scrap a used Cat converter from a car that needs it's changed?  If so what does that usually get you? I've been to a few Chief's games this year and noticed that there are a few large old pickups in the parking lot driving around picking up empty cans.  We didn't go into one of the games till the second quarter and there was a driver, and 2 guys walking up and down each isle pacing the truck, smashing cans and tossing them in the back.   I know they had to pay about $30 for a parking pass,  wonder what a pickup load of smashed aluminum cans brings?  Any idea?

About $200 if crushed well.  About 350 pounds.

Here in Texas, various groups can sign up to "adopt" a highway and they help keep it clean.  One stretch of road that was adopted netted about 50 pounds of cans per mile.  Yep, they keep the change.  I get about 25 pounds per mile on my little stretch of road and that is twice a year.  If I could walk its entire 15 mile length, it would be over $200!  Great beer money.

The local recycler requires ID for all but cans.  I had some scrap copper/brass, all sorted.  No ID needed for me as it was scrap I also found on my can hunts.

I was driving down the road the other day and saw two full garbages bags full of cans that had fallen out of someone's truck... but my brother was with me and convinced me not to stop.

D'oh!

Quoted: Unfortunately many scrap men running around like him are also thieves if the opportunity presents itself.  I have had too many things stolen out of my yard that were metal to think everyone running around in a truck picking up scrap is legitimate.

Many have loose definitions of "somebody else's valuable possessions" and "private property".

Then any tools laying around get scarred up as well.  Obviously if they aren't welded to an I-beam, you don't want them.

I see quite a bit of the aftermath of these thieves in my line of work. I have seen folks go to a tremendous amount of trouble to obtain a 25 cent piece of metal.

There is money in it, but not even taking into account the risk (tampering with our equipment is a Federal offense) you could likely earn more at a honest job.