Brass

Many different types of brass show up at our recycling center.

The most common is Yellow Brass, which for many years has been used in plumbing.  Faucets and thin water lines under the sink are often brass with a chrome coating, making them resistant to corrosion and easy to keep shiny.  Other faucets are zinc with a chrome finish, or even plastic.

Red Brass is usually found in larger valves used by industrial and local government water systems. Water meters are graded as Semi-Red Brass and must have glass, plastic, and possibly steel attachments removed before they are a finished product. NOTE: Water meters are usually the property of your city or local water district, so we have documentation requirements when individuals try to sell them.

Brass shell casings are acceptable as long as they have been discharged, and the primer pin is brass rather than stainless or steel.

Automobiles sometimes have brass radiators and heater cores – just strip any plastic, rubber, or steel off and they are ready to sell for top price.

If you disassemble machinery and end up with brass bushings, they are normally one of two alloys.  Hard Brass is not magnetic at all, and Manganese Bronze will usually exert a slight pull on a small magnet dangling from a chain.