About Ferrous Scrap. Ferrous metals, which include steel, pig, and wrought iron, often alloyed with other metals like stainless steel, are very important materials in various industries. In this context, Ferrous Scrap recycling is a crucial practice, conserving energy and raw materials. The recycling process – mainly for steel – is noted to save a substantial amount of energy equivalent to the power needs of millions of houses. The process of scrap recycling involves shredding and separating materials like metals, plastic, and rubber. Specifically for steel scraps, hydraulic shears and baling presses are employed to prepare scrap for transportation to steel mills. Steel mills use various methods, including Basic Oygen Furnaces (BOFs), Electric-arc Furnaces (EAFs), and blast furnaces, to melt scrap and produce new steel.

Ferrous Scrap can derive from home, new, and old sources. Increasingly, more efficient industry technologies has been reducing home scrap availability, preventing bad products from reaching the end consumer. New source refers to the scrap originated from manufacturing processes like cutting, drawing, extrusion, and machining steel, along with excess metal from the casting process, which possesses known chemical and physical characteristics. This scrap is then transported back to ferrous product plants for recycling. Old scrap encompasses discarded metal articles post their useful life, available for recycling. This source remains consistently high, being junked automobiles the primary responsible for old scrap, followed by appliances, industrial machinery, worn-out railroad cars, and demolished steel structures. Due to the variable nature of old scrap, substantial preparation, including sorting, detinning, and dezincing, is often required before its use in mills.

Because of its magnetic properties, Ferrous Scrap can be easily separated from accompanying materials, allowing iron to return to foundries in a high state of purity. While cupola and induction furnaces are usually employed for iron scraps, basic oxygen and electric-arc furnaces are usually employed for steel scraps. Recycling 1 metric ton of steel from scrap conserves approximately 1030 kg of iron ore, 580 kg of coal, and 50 kg of limestone.

Ferrous Scrap Handling. Ferrous Scrap can be stored in big bags, on pallets or pressed in bundles, and in a dry area. It can be transported by rail, truck, and/or ship.

Ferrous Scrap Uses. One of the designations for recyclable steel and wrought iron is “Heavy Melting Scrap” (HMS), used for scraps from obsolete (old) sources only. HMS is divided into two main categories: HMS 1 and HMS 2. HMS 1 excludes galvanized and blackened steel, while HMS 2 includes them. Another difference between them is that HMS 1 is denser, with a minimum density of 0.7 tons per cubic meter. Both have defined minimum thicknesses (1⁄4 inch for HMS 1 and 1⁄8 inch for HMS 2) and specific maximum dimensions for efficient handling and furnace charging. On the other hand, other grades refer to less purified materials. For example, shredded scrap means a ferrous scrap (primarily steel) that was treated with the first step of the recycling process: cleaned, magnetically separated, and shredded, being almost free of non-ferrous metals and non-metallic matter, particularly combustibles (rubber and plastics).