With brass turnings, brass offcuts, plumbing valves or mixed brass scrap on hand, if you ask around among scrap buyers, quotes can vary quite a bit. Some buy at a discount to the copper price, some cut the price as soon as they hear there is lead, and some simply only take solids and not turnings. The reason is not who is more unscrupulous, but that brass itself is not a single material: different grades, different lead content, and whether other alloys are mixed in mean the final factories it goes to are completely different, so the prices they can offer naturally differ. This article explains how brass scrap is classified, who is buying, what buyers care about most, and what preparations you can make before selling. It is suitable for purchasing or scrap management staff at machining plants, hardware and plumbing plants, and dismantling plants, as well as newcomers just entering the brass trade.
1. First distinguish which type of brass
Brass is an alloy based mainly on copper and zinc. In recycling, it is usually divided into the following categories:1. Ordinary brass: Common grades H62, H65, and H68, with copper content roughly between 60% and 70%, and the rest basically zinc. H62 contains about 60.5% to 63.5% copper, and H68 about 67% to 70%. Stamped parts, heat sinks, and spring contacts mostly use this type.2. Leaded brass (free-cutting brass): Common domestic grades HPb59-1 and HPb58-2, as well as the Japanese standard C3604, with lead content of about 1% to 3%, used for turned parts, screws, fittings, and lock cylinders. The vast majority of brass turnings from machining plants are this type.3. Special brass: Aluminum brass, manganese brass, silicon brass, bismuth brass (eco-friendly lead-free brass), etc., with other elements added to modify performance.4. Mixed brass scrap: A mixed lot of water meters, valves, faucets, radiators, and old hardware, with inconsistent composition and often containing iron parts, plastic, and rubber.When you cannot tell the difference, at least pile them separately by “source”: material from the same machine tool or the same production line often has stable composition, and that itself is the basis for a better selling price.
2. Who buys brass scrap
There are roughly four downstream categories for brass scrap, each with different buying preferences:1. Brass rod and brass wire processing plants: They directly remelt scrap brass into leaded brass rod and are the main buyers of brass turnings and leaded brass solids. Ningbo and Taizhou in Zhejiang, and Zhongshan and Jiangmen in Guangdong, among other places, have high concentration. They care most about stable grades and low iron and impurities.2. Copper alloy ingot plants: They blend mixed brass and remelt it into cast brass ingots for valve and plumbing fitting foundries, and are more accepting of mixed brass scrap than rod plants.3. Secondary copper smelters: They smelt low-grade mixed copper into blister copper or anode plates and then electrorefine it, recovering zinc and lead as by-products. They can take the most mixed material, but price by copper content, and the zinc in brass is basically not paid for.4. Traders and scrap yards: Sellers with small volumes and mixed material mostly sell to them first, and they sort it before passing it on to the three types of plants above.The rule is simple: the cleaner and more stable the material, the more directly it can be sold to upstream processing plants, and the fewer middle links there are, the higher the net price.
3. Where buyers cut the price
For the same brass, quote differences mainly come from these deductions:1. Iron content: Steel turnings and lathe tool fragments mixed into brass turnings, and steel screws and steel sleeves caught in solids, are the most common deduction items. Iron is very hard to remove after remelting, and rod plants are extremely sensitive to iron.2. Oil and moisture content: Turning scrap carries cutting fluid and absorbs moisture after being piled up. Buyers deduct weight by an estimated ratio, and in serious cases directly reject it or require drying.3. Mixed-in special brass: Bismuth brass and silicon brass mixed into ordinary leaded brass will make the remelted rod composition out of spec and cause hot-working cracking; aluminum brass mixed in affects casting performance. So upon hearing “eco brass may be mixed in,” rod plants will significantly cut the price.4. Mixed-in other copper alloys: Tin bronze, cupronickel, and pure copper mixed into brass all look like copper, but to brass plants they are impurities, and must either be picked out or deducted for.5. Plating and cladding: For nickel-plated and chrome-plated plumbing parts, the surface plating and plastic parts all count as impurities.To reduce deductions, the most effective way is to sort and pile separately before the material leaves the factory, pick out iron cleanly, and drain/dry turnings.
4. How to verify composition on site
Brass transactions now commonly use the following methods to judge material grade:1. Color: The higher the copper content, the redder it tends; H68 is redder than H59; bronze is greenish-gray, and cupronickel is whitish. This can only be a preliminary judgment.2. Magnet test: Quickly pick out iron parts and iron-bearing inclusions; turnings can be run through a magnetic separation roller.3. Handheld spectrometer (XRF gun): Currently the most commonly used method by both buyers and sellers. In a few seconds it can read the main elements such as copper, zinc, lead, iron, tin, and bismuth, and can distinguish ordinary brass, leaded brass, and eco brass. It is advisable for the seller to also have one or hire a third party to test, rather than only looking at the buyer's readings.4. Sampling and assay: For large batches or disputes, sample by the agreed method and send to a laboratory, and settle based on the assay results. The sampling method, assay laboratory, and re-test rules must be clearly written in the contract.Note that the XRF gun tests the surface, and readings will skew when there is plating, oil, or scale. Before testing, grind the test points clean and test several points to take an average. Turnings are best briquetted or melted into a sample before testing.
5. How to quote with a better basis
Brass scrap rarely has a unified “list price.” Two pricing methods are common in the industry:1. By copper price coefficient: Based on the day's copper price, multiply by a discount coefficient according to material type. Clean ordinary brass has a high coefficient; mixed brass and iron-bearing, oily material have a low coefficient.2. By composition: For large-volume material with stable composition, price by the assayed copper content; zinc and lead are converted per agreement or not paid for.Before selling, you can do three things:1. Watch the market trend: The copper price is the anchor for brass scrap quotes. First see whether the recent copper price is strengthening or weakening, then judge whether the coefficient offered by the other party is reasonable. The Guilin Nonferrous Metals Network price page updates the copper price daily for reference.2. Ask several different types of buyers: Ask rod plants, alloy ingot plants, and traders each once, and compare on the same impurity deduction basis, not just unit price.3. Clarify settlement terms: Tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive, whether an invoice is needed, who pays freight, and who determines impurity deductions. Unless these terms are aligned, unit prices are not comparable.
6. Where to find reliable buyers
Common channels for finding brass scrap buyers include the following:1. Direct contact in industrial belts: Machining plants with large volume and stable material can directly contact processors in brass rod industry clusters to discuss long-term supply.2. Local scrap yards and traders: Easiest when volume is small and grades are mixed, but the net price is generally lower than direct supply.3. Online information platforms: Post material type, quantity, location, and composition description in the Guilin Nonferrous Metals Network supply and demand hall to let buyers inquire proactively; you can also filter copper processing and alloy ingot companies by the “copper” category and region in the company directory and contact them one by one.4. Public tender: State-owned enterprises and large manufacturers often sell brass scrap by tender, splitting packages into lots by material type, with the highest bid winning.Whichever channel you use, verify the counterparty entity: whether it has the corresponding business scope, whether it can issue an invoice, where weighing and assay are done, and how payment milestones are set. Whether it is cash before delivery or delivery before payment must be written into the contract. For the first order, a small-batch trial cooperation is recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which fetches a higher price, brass turnings or brass solids?
Under the same grade, solid material generally prices higher. Turnings contain oil and moisture, easily trap iron, and have greater melting loss, which buyers reflect in the coefficient or weight deduction. If turnings are drained/dried, de-ironed, briquetted, and come from a single stable source, the gap with solids can be significantly narrowed.
Q: Will leaded brass be downpriced?
It depends on who you sell to. Leaded brass itself is the most important raw material for brass rod plants, and as long as the grade is stable and iron is low, it is not at a disadvantage. Downpricing often happens when leaded brass and eco-friendly lead-free brass are mixed together, because buyers on both sides cannot use it directly and can only treat it as mixed scrap.
Q: Can eco brass be mixed with ordinary brass for sale?
Mixing is not recommended. Bismuth brass and silicon brass mixed into ordinary leaded brass will cause the remelted rod composition to fail and hot-working cracking, and buyers will usually cut the price as mixed scrap or even reject it. Pile and sell them separately, and each type can find a more suitable buyer.
Q: Who is best to sell mixed brass scrap to?
For small volumes, first look for local scrap yards or traders; for large volumes, you can directly ask copper alloy ingot plants or secondary copper smelters. Mixed brass scrap has inconsistent composition, and rod plants generally do not buy it. If you are willing to spend labor removing iron parts and plastic from valves and roughly sort by material type, it can be sold at a higher grade.
Q: Can XRF gun readings be directly used as a settlement basis?
For small batches, the two parties can agree to settle by XRF readings; for large batches or disputes, sampling and assay should prevail. The XRF gun tests the surface, and plating, oil, and scale all affect readings. It is recommended to grind test points clean, take an average of multiple points, and specify in the contract which laboratory will be used in case of dispute.
Q: Do I need to issue an invoice when selling brass scrap?
It depends on the buyer's requirements. Regular processing plants and smelters generally require the supplier to issue an invoice or follow a compliant path such as reverse invoicing. Quotes without invoices are usually lower. Before quoting, first clarify whether the price is tax-inclusive; otherwise, unit prices from different buyers cannot be compared together.
Q: How often should a factory sell brass offcuts?
Base it on not affecting composition stability and storage conditions. Turnings absorb moisture and oxidize after being stored for a long time, so regular clearing is recommended; solids can be accumulated to a truckload before sale to spread freight costs. Factories with stable volume can sign long-term agreements with one or two regular buyers, with pricing linked to the copper price, saving the need to ask for quotes each time.
Key Takeaways
1. Brass is not a single material. First pile it separately by grade or source, and do not mix ordinary brass, leaded brass, eco brass, and mixed brass scrap.2. Iron, oil and moisture, and mixed-in other copper alloys are the main deduction items. Picking out iron and draining/drying before shipment can directly raise the net price.3. Inspection relies on the XRF gun plus sampling and assay. Sellers should preferably also have composition data themselves.4. Quotes are anchored to the copper price trend. When comparing prices, align tax, freight, and impurity deduction basis.5. The cleaner and more stable the material, the more directly it can be sold to upstream processing plants such as rod plants, and the fewer middle links, the better.
Further reading
- Daily nonferrous metal prices: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/prices
- Nonferrous company directory: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/companies
- Supply & demand marketplace: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/market
About Guilin Metals
Guilin Metals (Chinese name 贵临有色网, guilinmetals.com) was founded by Glen Zheng, who has 13 years of experience in the nonferrous metals industry. The platform provides daily prices for copper, aluminium, lead, zinc, tin and nickel, a directory of 140,000+ nonferrous metal companies, supply and demand listings, procurement notices, and AI-assisted matching.
- Daily prices: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/prices
- Company directory: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/companies
- Marketplace: https://www.guilinmetals.com/en/market
*Data as of 2026-09-30.*