Hello! I am Jaxon, an experienced welder who has been around for a while now. I’m more of a DIYer and always trying to recreate my welding ideas into reality and that too on an affordable budget. Keep reading and learn more about where to buy scrap metal for welding.
We live by the ‘throw-away’ mentality and it is not difficult for a practicing welder to find scrap metal for welding. DIY hobbyists tend to keep themselves busy by creating all types of welding projects. Their minds overflow with great ideas. They have the skill to start any welding project- be it metal artwork or forging. However, the scarce resources are the real challenge between them and creativity.
Yes, there are tons of metal and welding resources laying around somewhere. Now you can buy steel for welding at the cheapest rates possible.
Related: Best MIG Welder Under $200
Scrap Metal for Welding Near Me
All the bizarre places to find scrap metal are luckily located within the city. You can find a suitable area to grab scrap metal consistently over a long period with a little money and effort.
If you’re new to welding, you might have some difficulties finding welding metals for cheap. Whereas professional welders target the following locations:
- Local landfills
- Local construction sites
- Trade schools
- Metal fabrication shops
- Industrial sites
- Estate or garbage sales
- Online advertisements
- Facebook marketplace
- iScrap and other metal-selling apps
If not for professional welding, the scrap metal from these places can be used to practice your welding skills. For example, if your MIG welder is popping or spattering a lot, you can use these scrap metal pieces to tune amperage, wire speed, and gas pressure for perfect welds.
Where to Buy Scrap Metal for Welding?
There are multiple places that you can visit and strike the metal father-load for your art, forging, and welding projects. Some scrap metal locations are hidden from the eye while others are so obvious that they are overlooked.
All you need is an informative blog as this to get to the right place. So, let’s begin with our first target location:
Find Scrap Metal On Local Construction Sites
Construction is a steady and evergreen business that happens in every country and city. You observe hundreds of commercial and residential buildings built around your neighborhood. A construction site is one of the best places to find free scrap metal for welding. You can visit a construction site as a conversation starter and find out about other sites to get tons of scrap metal.
It is highly recommended to converse with the workers, laborers, and the foreman before picking pieces of metal from the ground or the dumpster. Ask the manager if it is okay to collect salvage left-over metal pieces for welding.
If his answer is not what you had expected, be polite and ask him about the places where you can find free scrap metal. Once you have the foreman’s permission, you can collect as much scrap metal as you want without disturbing the site workers.
· Should You Visit A Residential Construction Site To Buy Scrap Metal?
If you see residential construction happening around your city, contact the heating or plumbing crew to ask about the types of scrap metal they offer for welding. You can easily find galvanized steel, sheet metal, and copper pipe if you have good luck.
It is better to close the deal with the plumbing or heating crew at the beginning of the construction stage. Most workers have access to big chunks of metal that could help to start your welding project right away.
· Commercial Construction Sites Offer A Treasure of Scrap Metal For Welding
Mall, office, or building development sites might hit the mother-load for scrap metal if you could visit the site persistently throughout various stages of commercial construction. The commercial construction sites have the potential to offer various welding-friendly metals including steel, black iron, and copper.
The job trailers at the commercial sites are the hub to set up materials and tools for the long job ahead. You can visit one of the trailers and buy the leftover pieces of metal or iron.
Start by introducing yourself as a dedicated, opportunistic, and professional welder. Tell them what you are looking for, in a polite manner, and they would be more than willing to help. Picking pieces from the garbage or disposal trucks without permission might piss off the workers in the big trailers.
All the materials and resources are bought by the investors of the commercial site. This means that the scrap metal you are looking for was already put into the company’s quote.
Tradesmen or workers do not care to bring useless or smaller pieces of metal with them back to the trailer unless they want to use them immediately. Some people are willing to provide scrap metal without a cost. So, don’t be ashamed to ask for the sake of your welding project.
· Be Prepared to Visit Construction Sites For Buying Scrap Metal
Do not visit the construction sites in regular clothes and shoes as there are different kinds of safety and occupational hazards. You should always be dressed insole and steel toe boots alongside a hard hat.
If a worker offers you a safety vest, do not forget to wear it as it always keeps the person visible to other workers. Be respectful, follow the rules and you can go home with a car full of scrap metal for welding.
Demolished Commercial and Residential Sites
Paying a visit to commercial and residential demolition sites is a good way to save the environment while you help yourself. Nowadays, activists live by the slogan, ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’. So why not take advantage of the day to collect scrap metal when one of the buildings in your neighborhood is on the verge of demolition.
A large portion of metal materials from the demolition sites is saved and brought safely to ‘reuse it’ stores. These shops are in contract to take scrap metal for a small price and sell them to the welders, hobbyists, and enthusiasts.
You can buy an extensive range of welding metals at demolition sites. However, you have to get in touch with the foreman as with the construction sites. Ask for permission and continue the conversation by telling the type of metal you want for your welding project. You can salvage the material at a small price if the materials are not ear-marked already.
Talk to a heavy equipment mover or an operator to ease up the process. These guys see a lot of metal pieces that are dragged or pulled down from the location’s structure. They know a great deal and can even help you by pushing aside pipes, beams, and other plastic materials.
Do a little asking around to know who is in charge. It is better if you visit a demolition site nearby, where you know a person or two. The last thing you want is a fight because you barged into the area unannounced.
Metal Fabrication Shops
It is worthwhile for every welder to search for scrap metal in fabrication shops. Fabrication companies forge metal for various purposes while melting down some to reuse them. However, you should not buy reused metal.
It does not hurt to like them all about the places to buy scrap metal if they turn down the request. The fabrication companies are bathed in metal since the establishment. It is worth checking the nearby fabrication shops to buy quality scrap metal.
Online Stores for Scrap Metal
You find buy scrap metal at the comfort of your home through online stores. Some big metal pieces like a washing machine or a steel bed frame are difficult for people to get rid of. Online stores are the best places to buy if you don’t have a vehicle to hunt for scrap metal. You can get the metal delivered to your doorstep.
You can use Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and other applications to buy used products for yielding scrap metal. Keep a good look at online advertisements that will let you pick up scrap metal free of cost. There are hundreds of people who can’t dispose of the metal pieces themselves. Therefore, they need welders like you to collect them at the expense of your comfort.
There are thousands of websites where people post daily ads about scrap metal. The best website of the century is freecycle.org. But make sure to invest in ready-to-use scrap metal. Make the arrangements right after closing the deal as the sellers don’t want the scrap metal laying around for too long.
Garage and Yard Sales
If you can find out online stores that deal in scrap metal, you can definitely find out about garage or yard sales happening around your neighborhood. The folks might not be advertising but they might have the most suitable scrap metal pieces for welding purposes.
Strike up a nice conversation with the homeowners as soon as you reach the destination. Tell them the specifics of the welding metal you are looking for. Most of the folks have channel iron or old metal bed frame laying around in the basement.
If you don’t something worthy to buy, you can leave your phone number for a visit later.
Dump Areas or Local Landfills
We all head down to the local landfills to dump unwanted items. Every landfill in the world has a designated place for metal. You would find a lot of items in that dump section- starting from home appliances to beams and steel doors.
Generally, the landfill workers recycle these products to sell to construction companies. However, they are ready to provide few large pieces of metal every once in a while. It is one of the best places to find quality scrap metal but the welding shopping will heavily depend on the rules and regulations of the local landfill.
If the workers do not help you with the fear of losing their jobs, you can take details of the companies that they have a contract with. Who knows you end up going to the pick-up location instead of roaming around the local landfill?
· How to Buy Extra Landfill Metal Scrap?
Get to the landfill as early as you can (30 minutes before they open) as there’s a huge queue at the gates in the rush hours. Some people are there to dump valuable metal items that could be used for welding.
Get out of the vehicle and examine what other people are hauling. Have a conversation with a few of them to hit the lottery. It is easier to take scrap metal from landfills situated in the cottage countries. The landfills near large camping areas are not monitored. Therefore, you can come and go as you please. But be mindful of the security as wildlife animals roam around there freely.
Farms and Rural Locations
If you live in the city, why not take a drive to the countryside to buy scrap metal for welding? You can build strong relationships with the locals of the countryside if you stop there for coffee every once in a while. Building relationships with the locals will help you to buy the scrap metal easily.
Small town folks love people who are into artwork and forgery. Ranchers and farmers willingly offer horseshoes as an act of courtesy. The owners have no use of the old horseshoes once they replace them with new ones. You can carry out endless welding projects with old horseshoes.
Renovation Companies
Make several phone calls to people in the renovation business and make the most of your relationships. Renovation companies find the best scrap metal while they are demolishing a residential or commercial property.
They are not after the items because their job is to tear down the house and replace it. If anyone is willing to let you enter a demolished property, you can go on with your hunt for scrap metal.
iScrap App
An application that guides you on the whereabouts of the metal scrap yards? Yes, please. iScrap is a sweet treat for welders as the app introduces the users to all the scrap and metal yards around the city.
The app also quotes the price if you happen to find good quality scrap at a yard. You can buy scrap metal with discounted pricing if you happen to build good relationships with someone at one of the locations.
Conclusion
The places to find scrap metal for welding are endless. However, you might have a hard time finding metal if you are not outgoing. A personality trait should not stop you from hunting down the best scrap metal for welding. Ask your friends to help you and keep a keen eye on online ads to buy something worthy of your money.
If you’re just starting out as a welder, don’t forget that MIG welding is the best welding technique for beginners. Learn more here.
Related: 12 Best MIG Welders For The Money 2021
Happy scrapping, folks!
In case of further questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to leave a reply below or contact us.
Jaxon is an integral part of Welding Rage team. He’s a writer and working closely to the welding industry for years. Jaxon is helping us shortlisting the best MIG welders on the market with his welder friends.
I want to get some scrap metal for a project that I’m working on. It makes sense that I would want to get a professional to help me out with this. That seems like a good way to ensure that everything ends up working properly.
Thanks for pointing out that it would be best to ask around regarding the scrap metal that you might need for your personal project. With that in mind, I will tell my brother to look for scrap metal recycling companies out there that can help him. It’s because he wanted to make a sculpture made from those materials just for a hobby that he wants to try this year.
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be interesting to read content from other writers and use something from other sites.