Ferrous vs non-ferrous waste: differences, codes, and how it's collected
"Scrap metal" is the catch-all term we use for any metal waste, but technically it only covers half the story. The other half — non-ferrous metals — gets collected, weighed, and above all paid differently. Here is what separates the two categories and why it's worth keeping them apart.
In short
- The magnet test quickly separates ferrous (magnetic) from non-ferrous (non-magnetic) metals — copper, aluminium, brass, lead, zinc.
- Non-ferrous metals carry a much higher price per kilogram than ferrous ones; mixed into a single load, they drag the total value down to the price of the cheapest metal in it.
- Sorting at source, even roughly, shows up directly on the weighbridge slip.
What "ferrous" and "non-ferrous" actually mean
Ferrous metals contain iron: steel, cast iron, sheet metal and structural steelwork all fall into this category. The practical test is a magnet — if it sticks, the metal is ferrous.
Non-ferrous metals contain no iron, or only insignificant traces: copper, aluminium, brass, lead, zinc and their alloys. They are not magnetic, and colour often gives them away to the naked eye — reddish copper, yellowish brass, matte grey aluminium.
Waste codes, and why separation matters
The European Waste List, transposed into Romanian law through HG 856/2002, treats metals as distinct code families — chapter 17 04, for instance, separates copper, aluminium, lead, zinc, iron and steel under different sub-codes, even when they come from the same site or the same production hall.
Separating by code isn't just paperwork: it also determines what the operator is allowed to do with the material next. An operator licensed for scrap steel isn't automatically licensed for non-ferrous waste too — check that the same way you'd check any other code when choosing a collector.
Why the collection price differs so much
Copper and aluminium trade at international quotations several times higher per kilogram than scrap steel. A load of non-ferrous metal mixed in with scrap steel and not weighed separately gets paid at the price of the cheapest metal in the load — you lose the value gap of the better material.
Scrap steel makes up for it in volume: it doesn't carry copper's price per kilogram, but it turns up in much larger quantities — structural steel, sheet metal, profiles — which keeps it profitable even at a modest quotation.
How it's collected in practice
On reception, material goes through a visual check and, where relevant, the magnet test, then gets weighed separately by category — ferrous, non-ferrous, mixed alloys. Bulky scrap steel structures are frequently lifted with a grapple crane, straight from the point of generation.
We weigh each category separately at our Cristur site, on a metrologically verified scale, precisely so the value of the non-ferrous fraction doesn't get lost in the mass of scrap steel — see the details on our scrap metal and metal waste collection page.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I tell if a piece of metal waste is ferrous or non-ferrous, without special equipment?
- An ordinary magnet is enough for the first test — ferrous metals stick, non-ferrous ones don't. Colour helps with a second check: reddish for copper, yellowish for brass, matte grey for aluminium.
- Can ferrous and non-ferrous metal be handed over mixed together?
- They can, but it isn't recommended: the collector separates them on reception anyway, and unsorted loads are typically weighed and paid at the price of the cheapest metal in the mix.
- Do alloys like brass or bronze count as ferrous or non-ferrous?
- Non-ferrous. Even though they may contain traces of other metals, brass and bronze are weighed and paid separately from scrap steel, at their own quotation.
This article is informational and reflects our practice at the date of publication. Romanian environmental legislation changes frequently — for your company's specific situation, check the texts in force and consult the environmental protection agency or a specialist adviser.