Get to Know Your Red Metals!

Posted on March 30, 2022 by admin

Red metals are a family of metals that contain copper and copper alloys, namely copper, brass, and bronze. Although they all share similar qualities in appearance, they are quite different in terms of composition and other respects. Continue reading to learn more about these important and useful metals, and then get started collecting your valuable inventory for reprocessing!

Common Red Metals

Copper

Copper is one of the most commonly-used and well-known metals in the world, easily distinguishable by its bright red-orange color. It is a vital resource for several industries and applications, including medical, agricultural, construction, health, and more. This metal has superior electrical and thermal conductivity, but is also malleable, strong, and resistant to corrosion.

Copper also retains a chemical composition that allows it to fight off bacteria. The Environmental Protection Agency did a study involving intensive antimicrobial testing and found that more than 350 copper alloys killed 99.9% of bacteria within 2 hours of contact! Because of its incredible qualities, copper is used for a wide range of products, including everything from plumbing pipes and pipe fittings, to tools, circuit boards, water purifiers, appliances, décor, jewelry, and more.

Brass

Brass is an interesting red metal because it mainly consists of copper and zinc. But brass varies in terms of zinc content, making their qualities differ from one another. It can also have other elements aside from zinc, which also influences its qualities and color. The more zinc brass contains, the stronger and more ductile it shall be. In terms of color, brass can range from bright yellow hues to deep oranges or reds.

Because brass resembles gold so well, its most common application is decoration. But you will also find many instruments constructed of brass and brass alloys. A well-known brass allow is called tin brass, and contains copper, tin, and zinc.

Bronze

Bronze is a combination of copper and several other blends of metals (arsenic, tin, aluminum, silicone, phosphorus, manganese, etc.), making it an alloy of copper, but a bit of a “mutt” in the metal industry. But this does not mean that bronze is not a valuable and useful element. The combination of alloys makes bronze much stronger than copper. So, it is widely used for industrial manufacturing, like bushings and bearings, but also for art, sculptures, musical instruments, medals, and even nautical components since it’s corrosion-resistant.

Bronze is distinguishable among the other red metals due to its dull-gold color and barely-visible rings on its surface. Additional bronze alloys include nickel brass (nickel silver), bronze silicon, phosphor bronze (tin bronze), aluminum bronze, and copper nickel (cupronickel).

If you have surplus or scrap red metals on your hands, recycle them! Contact Zore’s Recycling at 317-247-8484 for copper recycling services in Indianapolis, Indiana. We pay cash on the spot for all scrap metal materials.

What are Red, Yellow and Green Metals?

Posted on September 9, 2019 by admin

On our planet, and within the core, lies hundreds of thousands of natural ores and minerals that we mine to make metal. Of the vast varieties of metals found within the Earth, all can be categorized as either ferrous or nonferrous. Ferrous metals and alloys contain iron, while nonferrous contain no iron.

Aside from these umbrella categories, metals can be further broken down into more intimate classifications and descriptions, such as precious and noble metals. But have you ever heard of metals being described using color? Well, it is possible that you have come across red metals, yellow metals, and even green metals!

Continue reading to learn facts about each type of metal, including examples and common applications.

Indianapolis Metal Recycling 317-244-0700

Red Metals

Red metal is an informal term used to denote common alloys we know as copper, bronze, and brass. You can probably see quite well that all three of these alloys have a red-like tone, thus earning them the aforementioned moniker. Red metals have several beneficial attributes, such as corrosion resistance, high conductivity, high tensile strength, ductility, and aesthetics. For this reason, they are commonly used to make musical instruments, plumbing parts, wires, marine hardware, sculptures, and more.

Yellow Metals

Also known as Muntz metal, yellow metal is named after an English businessman, George F. Muntz, who received a patent in 1832. Although they may share some of the same types of metal, red and yellow metals are much different. Yellow metals is another informal moniker used to describe a type of brass alloy that contains an average composition of 60% copper and 40% zinc. It’s most common applications is for manufacturing corrosion-resistant machinery parts.

Green Metals

There are actually not metals known as “green” metals, however, you may have heard of electrum, which is often called “green gold.” Wikipedia.com describes electrum as “a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper and other metals.” An alloy is a metal that is made up of two or more metals, such as brass, which contains copper and zinc. It’s most common applications throughout history, and even now, are for jewelry, plated plaques and awards, coinage, and investments.

Indianapolis Metal Recycling

Call Zore’s Recycling at 317-244-0700 to get paid cash on the spot for scrap metal, or any items that contain any type of metal, in Indianapolis, Indiana. We pay top-dollar for power tools, sheet metal, appliances, cars, trucks, motorcycles, golf carts, farm equipment, construction equipment, and more. And we guarantee to pay you cash on the spot! Call 317-244-0700 to make fast cash, today!

What are Red Metals?

Posted on June 25, 2015 by admin

Indianapolis Copper Recycling 317-244-0700

Red metal is a colloquial term used for the common alloys we know as copper, bronze, and brass. They all retain a reddish hue similar to one another, earning them the aforementioned moniker. Although all three metals are similar in color and even share a nickname that supports this similarity, they are all quite different when it comes to composition, qualities, and more. Continue reading to learn more about red metal, and the differences between copper, brass, and bronze.

Copper

Copper is resistant to corrosion, highly durable, malleable, and retains superior thermal and electrical conductivity. These qualities have proven to be highly beneficial and purposeful in several industries, including electrical material and product manufacturing, automotive, and plumbing. Not only is copper corrosion-resistant, it combats bacterial growth. For this reason, it is commonly used for door knobs and other surfaces that are touched frequently.

Bronze

Bronze is an alloy of copper, containing copper, as well as, other materials like tin or aluminum. Other metallic ingredients used in combination with copper to make bronze include arsenic, manganese, phosphorus, and silicone. Bronze is harder than copper but has a duller gold-like color in comparison to the other two red metals. Bronze also has faint rings on its surface, making it easy to tell it apart from copper and brass. It is used to make medals, plaques, musical instruments, hardware like bearings and bushings, and more. Types of bronze include tin or phosphor bronze, aluminum bronze, and silicone bronze.

Brass

Brass is simply an alloy made from copper and zinc. The amount of zinc can vary, creating brass metals that vary in color and other properties. The more zinc there is, the more durable and less ductile the brass will be. Although one of the three red metals, brass can also range in color between yellow and orange, depending on the zinc content. Brass is primarily used to make décor, as it resembles gold, and also in musical instrument manufacturing and design.

Sell Your Scrap Metal for Cash

Do you have extra metal laying around that you want sell for profit? Even junk scrap metal can be sold for cash on the spot! Things like electrical wiring, laptops, stereos, appliances, general electronics, sheet metal, pipes, cars, and more can be traded for fast cash no matter what condition they are in!

Zore’s Recycling

Indianapolis Metal Recycling 317-244-0700

Call Zore’s Recycling at 317-244-0700 for information about copper recycling in Indianapolis, Indiana. For more than 75 years, our company has provided trusted metal recycling services to all the surrounding Hoosier communities and businesses. We pay cash on the spot for scrap metal, including copper, bronze, brass, tin, aluminum, steel, iron, platinum, gold, and more. Call 317-244-0700 and speak with a friendly and knowledgeable company representative about our Indianapolis metal recycling services and current market values.