The second most abundant metallic element in the Earth's crust after silicon, aluminum is a comparatively new industrial metal, which has been produced for commercial uses for just over 100 years. The metal weighs about 1/3rd as much as copper or steel, is malleable, ductile, has excellent corrosion resistance and durability and can be easily machined and cast. Measured either in value or quantity, the use of aluminum exceeds that of any other metal except iron, and it has proved to be important in virtually all the segments of the global economy.
Some of the important uses of aluminum metal include transportation (airplanes, trucks, rail cars, marine vessels, etc.), packaging (cans, foil, etc.), consumer durables (appliances, cooking utensils, etc.), construction (windows, doors, siding, etc), electrical transmission lines, machinery, and several other applications.
Different grades and varieties of aluminum scrap is used for recycling purposes and to recover pure aluminum from the scrap. Given in the table below are some of the important grades / types of aluminum used in recycling.
Types | Description |
---|---|
Sheet Aluminum | This category includes material like lawn chairs without the webbing, some lighter gauge pots and pans, window frames with small amounts of plastic or steel attached, and jacketing from MC cable. |
Cast Aluminum | A type of aluminum that looks to have been poured into a mold. Something like a BBQ grill, molds from certain applications, or larger light pole bases. |
Aluminum Cans | One of the more common items that are brought to scrap yards, is aluminum cans. With the common availability of them from soda and food cans, many people clean out, crushed, and collect cans before bringing them to a yard. Be sure to call you yard for pricing. |
Aluminum Gutters/Siding | Mainly collected by general contractors and roofers, aluminum gutters and siding are common types of aluminum to find their way to the scrap yard. With many people opting for vinyl siding, there is less aluminum on residential buildings. |
Aluminum Wire | When you are pulling out cables and wires, you may find wires you first assume will be copper, but instead you find they are silver in color. As long as they are not magnetic, these are going to be aluminum wire. Be sure to sort through to separate these wires from copper. |
Aluminum Rims | Common to automobiles and trucks, aluminum rims are another type of aluminum scrap that should be sorted. To maximize your profit on them, make sure that any rubber tires and lead wheel weights are removed from them. |