Start A Metal Scraping Business - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Start A Metal Scraping Business

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Metal scrapping refers to the recovery and processing of recyclable metal materials. Metal scrappers collect end-of-life products and structures and refine or sell them to metal product manufacturing and fabrication companies, where the scraps are reintroduced as raw materials.

To start a metal scrapping business, find out the possible sources of scrap metal and ensure you understand the legal and tax issues concerning operating the business. Spot a location where you will get a deal for your scrap metal business, and start collecting the scrap metals.

Starting a metal scraping business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell metal scraping, or selling metal scraping online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

market size
$27.8B
starting costs
$10.9K
gross margin
65%
time to build
210 days

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

Equipment & Supply Expenses

$66

$700

Inventory Expenses

$50

$9,750

Software Expenses

$12

$575

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$3,000

Website Costs

$13

$215

Specific Industry Expenses

$0

$500

Total Startup Costs

$141

$21,740

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

Steel Scrap HMS Waste

trade-metal.com

397,377

Commercial Metals Company

cmc.com

524,300

Ecology Recycling

ecoparts.com

1,121,801

SA Metal Group

sametal.co.za

1,473,836

Elemetal Direct

elemetal.com

1,722,912

Metallix Refining

metallix.com

2,211,731

Gardner Metal

gardnermetals.com

2,294,058

ABC Recycling Ltd

abcrecycling.com

3,200,937

METALWOOD SALVAGE

metalwoodsalvage.com

3,356,854

Leder Brothers Metal Company

lederbros.com

3,726,675

Runtime Error

tmrecycling.com

4,029,278

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Rewarding work

Starting a metal scraping business can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

Meaningful business connections

You never know who you will meet as a metal scraping business. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity!

Quick build time

The average time it takes to build your product is quick - typically around 7 months. This will allow you to bring your product to market faster.

Cons Description

Crowded Space

Competition is high when it comes to your metal scraping business, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.

Low margins

The gross margins for your metal scraping business are typically around 65%, which can make it more challenging to incur new expenses and maintain profitability.

Work can be inconsistent

As a metal scraping business, the amount of work assigned to you and schedule tends to be more inconsistent, which may make your income less stable. It's important to set boundaries and budget accordingly based on the amount of work you plan to have.

Lack of benefits

With a metal scraping business, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.

Taxes

As a metal scraping business, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

No safety net

Typically, as a metal scraping business, you do not receive a consistent pay-check and instead earn money based on your transactions each month. During the slow periods, you typically take away less since the job is based on commission. It's important to budget accordingly for the slow times.