Beyond the Basics: Zinc, Tin, Nickel & Other Minor Metals in Scrap
While you won't typically base your entire haul around these, knowing how to spot and sort them can add valuable extra dollars to your payout. This guide will introduce you to some of these less common but still worthwhile finds.
Why Dig Deeper? The Value in the Details
Minor metals are often encountered as components within larger items or as specific, standalone pieces. Scrap yards buy these metals at their own rates, which can sometimes be higher than common steel, making them worth separating if you find them in quantity and purity.
1. Zinc (Zn)
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Characteristics: A bluish-white, brittle metal at room temperature, but becomes more malleable when heated. Non-magnetic. Often feels lighter than lead but heavier than aluminum. It can corrode to a whitish-gray powder.
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Common Sources:
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Die-Cast (Pot Metal): Often mistaken for aluminum or lead. Zinc is the primary component in "pot metal," which is common in older decorative castings, carburetors, grilles, and some toy parts. It's brittle and breaks easily.
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Galvanized Steel Coating: Zinc is used as a coating on steel (galvanized steel) to prevent rust. You cannot easily separate this, and the underlying steel is what's scrapped.
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Pennies (Post-1982): US pennies after 1982 are mostly zinc with a thin copper coating. They're not typically scrapped for value.
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Old Zinc Roofing/Flashing: Less common but can be found.
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Value: Generally lower than copper or brass, but usually higher than common ferrous metals or mixed aluminum, especially if it's clean die-cast.
2. Tin (Sn)
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Characteristics: A soft, silvery-white metal that is highly malleable and ductile. Non-magnetic. It has a distinctive "tin cry" (a creaking sound) when bent.
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Common Sources:
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Tin Cans: Food cans are tin-plated steel, meaning they are mostly steel with a very thin layer of tin. They are usually processed as common steel/light iron, as separating the tin isn't practical for small volumes.
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Solder: Tin is a primary component in lead-free and lead-based solders (used in plumbing, electronics). You wouldn't scrap solder by itself, but it's often a contaminant on copper wire or pipes.
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Pewter: An alloy primarily of tin. Found in old decorative items, plates, and sometimes figurines. Test it for softness and density compared to lead.
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Value: Tin itself is valuable, but it's rarely found in pure, easily scrap-able forms by the general public. Tin cans are sold as steel.
3. Nickel (Ni)
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Characteristics: A silvery-white metal, hard, ductile, and corrosion-resistant. It is magnetic, but less strongly so than iron. Often found in alloys.
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Common Sources:
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Stainless Steel (300 Series): Nickel is the primary alloying element that makes 300-series stainless steel (like 304 and 316) non-magnetic and highly valuable. You'll scrap the stainless steel itself, which gets a higher price due to the nickel content.
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Coins: US nickels (5-cent coins) are 75% copper and 25% nickel. Not scrapped for their metal value.
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Batteries: Some rechargeable batteries (NiCad, NiMH) contain nickel.
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Superalloys: Found in specialized industrial equipment or aircraft parts (very rare to find as scrap).
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Value: High in pure form or in high-grade alloys like 300 series stainless steel.
4. Other Minor Metals (Brief Overview):
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Magnesium (Mg): Very lightweight, often silvery. Used in some car parts (steering columns, engine blocks), aerospace. Highly flammable as shavings/powder – handle with extreme caution!
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Chromium (Cr): Primarily an alloying agent. Gives stainless steel its "stainless" property. Not typically found as a standalone scrap metal.
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Titanium (Ti): High strength-to-weight ratio. Found in aerospace, medical implants, high-end sporting goods. Relatively rare as scrap for general scrappers, but valuable.
The Scrap Master's Approach: Spotting the Bonuses
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Don't Hunt Specifically: You won't typically go looking for a "ton of zinc." These are bonus finds you identify while disassembling larger items or sorting mixed loads.
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The Magnet Test (Refined!): Always the first step. If it's non-magnetic, then you proceed to assess its color, weight, softness, and brittleness to identify copper, aluminum, brass, lead, or potentially zinc/tin.
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Separate for Value: If you can confidently identify a pure batch of one of these minor metals (like clean die-cast zinc), keep it separate from mixed non-ferrous or common steel. Your yard may have a specific price for it.
Knowing these minor metals adds another layer to your Scrap Master expertise, allowing you to extract even more value from unexpected places!
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