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Here where I live we have a unique kind of price scale when it comes to aluminum. I have noticed that if you have cast, extruded, or melt/pot/low aluminum here that the prices are shades higher than my scrapyards, but with more stringent guidelines. But where I live the folks are a seedy bunch- the kind of people that would fill a washer with cement to get cash.

So we have a system of all aluminum is .50 regardless of how clean (or not). For example you have a pot or pan you can leave the handle on, lawn chairs just need the ribbons taken off, grills can have a little glass window or still have the handles on it. But if you try to clean any of these things its .50 a pound. They still will pay more for siding/painted, wheels, cans (sometimes, must be in quantity) but everything else is .50 no questions.

Would you like a scrap yard that would pay you .70 for a clean lawn chair with no steel what so ever/.20 for irony alum if you didnt clean that steel off OR a flat .50 for that lawn chair in ANY shape with no option to ever get the cheaper price.

Thoughts?

I'll take the .50 and take the clean stuff to the competitor!

Thats the interesting thing- most competitors do the exact thing (but at .40/pound).

I used to buy pots and pans that were aluminum and take the handles off, every little bolt and screw making them perfect aluminum only to get charged the old/mixed rate of .50/pound.

Tried this at different yards with the same results.

.50 is actually pretty nice. I get .55 for painted alum. I think if I had to go to one place...... I'd hold my nose and go for the blanket .50

And I'd get more pots and pans!

Aluminum is probably the most inconsistent material bought and sold at scrap metal yards. Wire is second.

None of the companies in my area separate by alloy unless you bring in a large quantity and/or it's something abundant and easy to classify, such as rims.

The "blanket $0.50/lb" is the way to go for the small time scrapper, especially if you can include unclean items and diecast zinc.

I prefer both systems because they both have advantages.