3 Valuable Types of Scrap Metal to Keep an Eye Out For

Metal scrapping has become a popular pursuit for many home and business owners who want to earn extra money or embrace sustainability.

Whatever reason you have for trading in old scrap metal, focus on items you can turn into some serious cash at a scrapyard. While scrap metal prices are always changing and are not static from one scrapyard to another, a few types of scrap metals are more valuable than others.

Discover three scrap metals that are likely to fetch top dollar at scrapyards.

1. Copper

On average, copper is one of the most sought-after metals by scrap metal collectors and scrap metal recycling yards. Thanks to its high conductivity, ductility, and malleability, copper is useful in nearly every industry that requires metal.

Copper is also good-looking, long-lasting, and one of the most reusable resources of all modern metals. Also, recycling already used copper is far more cost-effective than extracting new copper. With an estimated 30% of copper supply in the last decade coming from recycled materials, you can easily understand why copper is a valuable metal.

That said, scrap metal prices will vary depending on the grade and the state of material you collect. Pure copper will often fetch a higher price than mixed copper, as is the case with insulated copper wires compared to their non-insulated counterparts.

You can easily find scrap copper in electrical wires, motors, piping, old electronics, appliances, and plumbing fixtures.

2. Brass

Another high-paying scrap metal is the bright gold-colored alloy of copper and zinc, commonly known as brass. Thanks to its low melting point, ease of casting, and rust resistance, it is useful for many household applications.

Another reason brass fetches a good price for scrappers is because the metal is not as readily available compared to other scrap metals such as steel and copper.

That said, you will likely have items that contain brass lying around your home. A few places to check would be doorknobs, door knockers, bolts, light fixtures, furniture, and handrails. You can also pull brass out of car radiators and decorative ornaments such as candleholders, trophies, bed frames, and plates. You can also find brass in plumbing components, such as dishwasher pipes.

3. Silver

Thanks to increased industrial applications such as sustainable technology, silver makes the list for popular scrap materials and sells for significantly higher prices than many scrap metals. Silver is also a precious metal and serves as a demand commodity traded daily on the world's stock market.

As such, the price of the metal can vary from day to day, so check current online prices to compare scrapyard prices for the best deal.



You probably have some form of junk silver in your home on easy-to-overlook materials worth recycling. You can often find silver on old jewelry, antique utensils, medals, silverware, and other miscellaneous items with little to no use anymore. You can also sometimes collect scrap silver from businesses where silver is used in manufacturing with mixed metal shavings, grindings, and dust.

With a large number of miscellaneous items with silver, you can put money in your pocket at top prices. 

Have you thought about getting into scrapping? At Bruce Metal & Salvage, we accept various types of scrap metals at competitive prices. Whatever scrap metal you want to get rid of, you have no reason not to make some extra cash with such an easy and lucrative process. Contact us today to properly analyze the scrap metal you have got and get the best price in the entire Santa Ana area. Please let us know what questions and concerns you may have.