Scrap metal recycling is an eco-friendly way of handling excess or waste metal. It involves collecting, sorting, and processing scrap metals in a scrap yard. Since most metals are recyclable, scrap metal recycling services lower the need for mining and help maintain the world's natural resources. Additionally, it helps limit the carbon footprint since you can recycle and reuse the metals repeatedly without losing their value. For proper processing, professionals properly distinguish scrap metal types. Below are the primary methods to identify the different scrap metal types.
Magnetization
There are two major types of metals, mainly ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The best way to distinguish these metals is through the use of magnets. Ferrous metals such as alloys steel, carbon steel, and cast iron have a significant carbon content and an attraction to magnets. On the other hand, non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, lead, zinc, tin, and copper lack iron and hence are nonmagnetic. Ferrous metals are great for industrial piping, automobiles, and shipping containers, while no ferrous metals are great for wiring and electronic applications. Scrap yards use magnetization to properly distinguish between ferrous and non-ferrous metals before recycling them.
Distinctive Colors
Different metal types have distinctive colors that scrap metal professionals use to distinguish them. They first eliminate the effects of corrosion, coating, and dirt on scrap metals through grinding, drilling, shearing, and filing. That ensures that the base metal surfaces are freshly prepared and clean. The scrap metal examination occurs immediately after cleaning since metals change color after environmental exposure due to oxidation, making identification challenging. Standard metal colors entail gold, brass, silver, and copper. Gold has a shiny yellow hue, while brass has a yellow color. Identifying metals by color is done carefully since most metals may be rusted or painted over.
Weight Test
Some metals may look similar in color but weigh differently. Scrap metal recycling services use weight tests to distinguish these metals further. That's because some metals are considered lightweight and easily bend, while others are heavy. For example, aluminum and tin have the same appearance but distinctive weights. A piece of metal material is weighed before its volume is determined by its placement in a water cylinder to find its water displacement. That allows professionals to determine the density by dividing the weight of the metal by its volume. Metals are available in different densities and hence distinguishable by weight tests.
Final Note
Professionals use methods such as magnetization, distinctive colors, and weight tests to determine the types of metals they're dealing with and effectively recycle them. Contact scrap metal recycling services to identify and recycle your scrap metals.
