Scrap brass prices.

hatman1793

hatman1793

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Years ago during the reloading process, I would come across a 38 special case that had a minor case mouth split. Or it could have a couple small splits. If the case split was not too extreme I would reload it for the last time & mark it with black marker on the headstamp indicating a "fire & forget" case. Then tossed.

Since brass is an alloy not an element it is eminently recyclable. And since primer cups & anvils are also brass, they are recyclable too. Saving these spent cases and primers and recycling them to the scrap metals dealers can offset other costs.

The price of scrap brass fluctuates. In the past I got $85.00 for 35 pounds of scrap brass. Recently I recycled 45 pounds of scrap brass & primers. The buyer classified it as "small shell" @ .75 cents a pound.
Ouch! I was expecting $2.00 a pound, so my 45 pounds netted out C$33.75.

What should scrap brass cases be valued at?
 
I'm not sure what yellow brass scrap weight is right now but it's definitely more than 75 cents a pound. Primers are almost always not brass so if the guy was picky he call it dirty.
 
I was checking prices lately and it looks like that's right in the ballpark for the Alberta area. Was disappointed too as a year or two back it was $1.80-2.00.

If primers aren't brass what do you think they are?
 
You may have gotten jammed because of the small quantity and they figured they could make an extra dollar a pound off of you.

I am dealing in significantly larger quantities, but I take photos of the load, send it to my usual yards that I deal with and get a quotes, they know it gets shopped around, which usually makes them price a bit more in my favor by a couple of cents per pound. Who bids the highest, gets it.

They have a look at it before it comes off the truck and confirm price. I had one yard change the price after it went on the scales on me, after I went through that process. I had them put it back on the truck and I left.

But your mileage may vary. You may get lucky with smaller quantities of brass and the right yard.
 
Brass is bought and sold as 70/30 brass copper mix
That's what it usually is comprised of and what most scrap collectors buy and sell it at.
If you're near a city center you'll usually get anywhere from $2 and up/pound.
Youll generally get hosed the further away from a city center you get.
 
hatman1793 said:
I thought I got hosed. To add insult to injury, the guy doing my order cautioned me in the future to separate the nickel plated cases from the brass cases. I mumbled an expletive under my breath, took my meagre earnings & left. So disappointing.
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It sounds like the guy you had been dealing with wasn't familiar with it, or was trying to screw you on price more. There are lots of honest people in the scrap game, but there are also a lot of people who will screw you if you aren't familiar or in a position to walk away.

I have had yards say, "oh we don't normally handle shells, but we will do 25 cents a pound on that kind of volume" usually they get offended when I laugh at them and ask if they try and screw everyone like that.
 
hatman1793 said:
I thought I got hosed. To add insult to injury, the guy doing my order cautioned me in the future to separate the nickel plated cases from the brass cases. I mumbled an expletive under my breath, took my meagre earnings & left. So disappointing.
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I deal with the scrap sales from our indoor range, and have dealt with scrap dealers for a long time. The challenge is recovery of good brass when they melt it down. Unfortunately the nickel/chrome plated stuff results in a lot of waste dross when they melt it. With something like primers that are fairly dirty, plated, and have a low brass weight, the recovery of good brass when melted down is very low.
 
BlackSheepBrass said:
It sounds like the guy you had been dealing with wasn't familiar with it, or was trying to screw you on price more. There are lots of honest people in the scrap game, but there are also a lot of people who will screw you if you aren't familiar or in a position to walk away.

I have had yards say, "oh we don't normally handle shells, but we will do 25 cents a pound on that kind of volume" usually they get offended when I laugh at them and ask if they try and screw everyone like that.
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Which dealers do you usually price with? Do you find one is usually best?
 
VanMan said:
I deal with the scrap sales from our indoor range, and have dealt with scrap dealers for a long time. The challenge is recovery of good brass when they melt it down. Unfortunately the nickel/chrome plated stuff results in a lot of waste dross when they melt it. With something like primers that are fairly dirty, plated, and have a low brass weight, the recovery of good brass when melted down is very low.
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Who are you dealing with and how much do they pay? thanks
 
Proceed said:
Which dealers do you usually price with? Do you find one is usually best?
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I shop the brass around the greater Toronto area. I am not willing to disclose where my usual locations are, or what they pay me. The issue is that I have developed relationships over time with these places, and I have had damage done to some of these relationships by people who will not be named going places and causing grief because they don't get the exact same money I get.

Again, I deal with the metal buyers who coordinate pricing for the whole yard and tells the guys at the scales what metal is worth. Also I deal in the metric tonnes of scrap which demands a premium.

Be aware though brass shell casings are not considered clean brass, so if they pay you "clean yellow brass" keep your mouth shut and walk away with a smile on your face. But if that place in London that is paying $2.17 a pound you are not in a bad position.
 
BlackSheepBrass said:
I shop the brass around the greater Toronto area. I am not willing to disclose where my usual locations are, or what they pay me. The issue is that I have developed relationships over time with these places, and I have had damage done to some of these relationships by people who will not be named going places and causing grief because they don't get the exact same money I get.

Again, I deal with the metal buyers who coordinate pricing for the whole yard and tells the guys at the scales what metal is worth. Also I deal in the metric tonnes of scrap which demands a premium.

Be aware though brass shell casings are not considered clean brass, so if they pay you "clean yellow brass" keep your mouth shut and walk away with a smile on your face. But if that place in London that is paying $2.17 a pound you are not in a bad position.
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I get it. Someone always has to be Wendy whiner and ruin it for everyone else.
 
I get the backstop lead off of a few of the ranges I deal with. Some places won't take it, some will take it as long as it isn't filled with plastic wads. Others don't care and will pay you a fair price for it. The only problem for me is even a half a drum of backstop lead weighs 1,500 pounds and is a pain in the derriere to move. I have never smelted it down to recover the lead.
 
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