Stainless looks and feels like a premium metal, so people expect a premium price. It pays more than plain steel and a lot less than copper or brass, and knowing that in advance saves disappointment.
Telling it apart
Plenty of things that look like stainless are not.
- Chrome-plated steel. Very common on old taps, trim and furniture. A magnet sticks firmly. It is steel with a thin shiny coating.
- Stainless. Usually does not stick to a magnet, or sticks only weakly. Some grades are mildly magnetic, which confuses people.
- Aluminium. Much lighter for its size and duller in colour.
- Nickel plated. Another plated steel. Magnet test again.
Where the real quantities come from
Household stainless is usually a sink and not much else. The loads worth collecting come from:
- Commercial kitchen strip-outs. Benches, splashbacks, shelving, sinks, rangehoods. The best source by a long way.
- Food processing and brewing equipment. Tanks, pipework, fittings.
- Balustrade and handrail jobs. Offcuts add up on a big install.
- Marine fittings and hardware.
- Industrial pipework and ducting.
- Old commercial appliances.
Getting the better end
- Keep it separate from plain steel. Mixed in, it gets weighed as steel.
- Get plastic, timber and rubber off where it comes away easily.
- Keep plated steel out of the stainless pile. It is a different metal and it drags the lot down.
- On a commercial strip-out, ring before anyone books a skip.
Worth bringing, not worth a trip
A single sink is not worth driving in for. Put it with the rest of a load and it is money you would otherwise not have had.
A kitchen strip-out, a balustrade job or a run of commercial gear is a different story, and that is worth a phone call before it goes anywhere near a bin.