If you're starting to recycle metal for cash, one thing you'll have to learn is how to separate ferrous metal from non-ferrous. Ferrous metal, such as ferrous steel, contains iron and includes other metals such as cast iron, wrought iron, carbon steel, and stainless steel. Non-ferrous metals include aluminum, which is another popular metal to recycle, as well as bronze, copper, gold, and silver. Here are some tips for identifying ferrous steel and how to recycle it.

Use A Magnet To Identify Ferrous Steel

It's usually easy to identify metal that has iron in it since a magnet will stick to it. If you find a can on the street and you don't know what it's made of, try to stick a magnet to it. If it sticks, it's probably steel and if it doesn't, it's probably aluminum. Even metal recycling plants use magnets to separate ferrous metals from other materials by using magnetic conveyor belts or drums. The magnets pull the ferrous metal from all the other materials so they can be sent for recycling. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals are not recycled together.

Another way to identify metal that has iron is to look for the presence of rust. Ferrous steel can rust while metals such as copper and aluminum don't. However, just because you don't see rust, it doesn't mean the metal is automatically non-ferrous, it could be that the ferrous steel just hasn't rusted yet.

How To Recycle Ferrous Steel

Ferrous steel is one of the most popular metals to recycle in the world. It is in high demand and has a plentiful supply. That means prices aren't as high as those for metals like copper, bronze, and gold. However, the price is more constant. This makes it easier to plan your recycling efforts since you can predict the prices you'll get for your future haul. Gold and copper prices fluctuate much more than steel according to market demand.

Be sure to separate ferrous metals from other metals before you take your haul to the recycling center. It usually isn't necessary to further separate the different types of ferrous metal, but you may want to do it if the recycling center prefers it that way. It could mean you'll get more for your haul. Leaving non-ferrous metals in with the steel is a bad idea because you'll be paid for them at the lower steel rate. You'll make more money for those metals when you separate them by type, so always keep them separate.

The amount of money you can make with ferrous steel recycling depends on the current price, which could change a bit daily and the weight of the steel you bring in. The steel is weighed using a truck scale and you're paid according to the type of metal in the truck, which would be the ferrous steel price. The larger your load, the more you make, so you may want to keep accumulating the steel until you have a full truckload and your trip is worthwhile.

For more information, you will want to contact a company such as Beartown  Recycling.