Ever really wonder how much metal can I scrap in order to pay my bills? Probably, if you are a regular scrapper…you think of it everyday…or even better, your actually living that life. On top of that, your no longer a recreational scrapper, it is bread and butter, it puts food on the table and quite possibly..you love what you do, which is a whole lot more than the average American can say.

How Much Metal Can I Scrap

Without knowing exactly what the average metal scrapper hauls a day, it is not to hard to figure out what one might make in a days work and go for there. So first things first, the average daily scrapper, does not have the luxury of driving over 100 miles a day to find an old tractor to haul in at 1/2 ton and call it a day, and by the way..currently that my be worth $100. So your average scrapper actually runs a route about town..first checking early morning trash routes (pre trash pickup). These runs generally yield quite a bit of aluminum as well as copper wiring in dumped lamps and electronics. A good find would normally be a washer and dryer set that have been sent to the curb.

Then our daily scrapper may answer ads he/she put out on craigslist or other social media sites about hauling off appliances for free.  Unfortunately, between trash runs, and picking up a washer and dryer, it is time to head back to the house or the shop to beak down the washer and dryer and separate your metals. Doing this away from the scrap yard, will actually save time and money.

At the end of the day, you collect, its fair to say a daily run similar to this may only net $20 to $40 yield on this run. A super seasoned veteran may increase the yield up to $30 – $50…nowhere near your day job (in most cases). Does this mean not to scrap..of course not. Use this as a test before you come to a yard expecting to retire, and judge for yourself.