Identifying Types Of Metal

 Welcome! In this post you'll find out how you can identify different types of the most common metals so you can easily sort them out. I hope that my blog is helping you out to make scrapping easier.

 First up, there is one very important item you'll be needing.. a magnet! You can find magnets everywhere, there in speakers, microwaves, and in most electronics which you can pull it and use. You can easily identify the common metals just by their characteristics. Now, my guide on how to identify different metals.

 Aluminum

•  Very light
•  Doesn't stick to a magnet
•  Doesn't rust 
•  If chipped, leaves a saw edge

Iron And Steel

• Heavy
• Sticks to magnet
• Rusts
• Strong
• Common

Brass/Bronze

•  Yellow-ish if high in zinc, otherwise reddish
•  Doesn't stick to magnet
•  Doorknobs are usually brass/bronze

Copper

• Doesn't stick to magnet
• Reddish Brown
• Oxidizes into green
• Found in wires and electronics
• Copper #1 = Clean Copper
• Copper #2 = Painted Copper
• Light Copper or Copper #3 = Copper Sheeting

Tungsten Carbide

• VERY HEAVY, two tablespoons can weigh over a pound
• Expensive! A pound goes for about 7$
• Super strong
• Makes short, dim, dark red sparks
• Usually found in end mills, saw tips, and tool inserts.

Lead

•  Very Malleable and Soft
•  Very Toxic
•  Heavy about 150% denser than iron
•  Non-Magnetic

  These are some of the common metals that can be easily identify through these tricks, identifying other more complex metals would require more tests, which will be explained in a different post. Good luck sorting out your scrap metal, I hope this helped!