Difference Between Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Scrap Metal

While buying and selling scrap material, have you ever wondered “What is the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous materials?” If you have, read on to learn more.

Ferrous metals like mild steel, stainless steel, cast iron, wrought iron and carbon steel contain irons which are used for their strength and durability. They are used in making industrial containers, construction of buildings, pipes, automobiles and rails for railroads and hardware tools like knives, used at home.

Most ferrous metals except for wrought iron and stainless steel are prone to rusting because of the use of carbon to create them. They also have magnetic properties and are used in creating electrical appliances like refrigerators and large motors. The most recycled materials in the world are indeed ferrous metals.

Non-ferrous metals include tin, lead, copper, brass, aluminium and zinc. These metals are strong, more malleable and light weight than ferrous metals and are used largely in the canning industry and aircrafts.

Since they don’t contain iron, they resist rusting and are used in water pipes, road signs, gutters and roofing. Their non-magnetic factor works in electrical wiring and small electronics. Also, aluminium is the third most recycled material while other non-ferrous metals like brass, lead and copper are scarce.

Those wanting to sell the metal must know that ferrous metals are found in good number; hence the prices tend to be lower than non-ferrous metals with minor rises or drops in the pricing. Other than aluminium, prices of non-ferrous metals can highly fluctuate.


Disclaimer: This article(s) has been prepared solely for information purposes, using publicly-accessible sources that are believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of publishing. LUCKY GROUP accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage resulting from the use of information, images or opinions expressed in the report. LUCKY GROUP does not give warranty of any kind regarding the completeness, accuracy and reliability of the information included in the article(s).

Aluminium Recycling

The act of recycling metals has been in practice for a very long time as aluminium can be reprocessed and reformed an endless number of times without affecting its quality.

Recycling aluminium takes just 5% of energy and all of its properties remain as good as new which add to its demand in the scrap industry. The metal can be used in the manufacturing of various products e.g. cars, aeroplanes, window frames, food packaging and many more.

There are five stages involved in the process of recycling aluminium:

1. Collecting:

 Aluminium waste material in the form of aerosols, drink cans and foil trays can be collected from houses or waste banks where they are mixed with other food and drink packaging. Some waste management councils also collect aluminium waste like foils and cans separately.

2. Sorting: 

After collection, the recyclable metals are taken to local waste transfer stations where, with the use of magnets, they are sorted into groups of steel and aluminium items that arecompressed into bales.

3. Reprocess:

 After the metals are compressed into bales they are taken to a reprocessing plant where they undergo the stages of shredding, decoating, melting and casting. In the last stage the molten metal is cast into huge ingots.

4. Rolling:

 The ingots are sent to rolling mill that is then rolled out to create sheet aluminium which can then be used to make new packaging.

5. Conversion:

 The aluminium sheets are then fit to undergo conversion to produce a variety of packaging items.


Disclaimer: This article(s) has been prepared solely for information purposes, using publicly-accessible sources that are believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of publishing. LUCKY GROUP accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage resulting from the use of information, images or opinions expressed in the report. LUCKY GROUP does not give warranty of any kind regarding the completeness, accuracy and reliability of the information included in the article(s).