As the use of tungsten carbide continues to increase in this country, it should come as no surprise that suppliers are constantly looking for new sources of both tungsten carbide, as well as other types of carbide recycling materials. Although these suppliers look for large sources of these valuables supplies, many also still work with much smaller shops too. In fact, the tungsten scrap specialists work with sources of all sizes to help them reclaim and recycle one of the most well sought after metals in the world.
From used tungsten carbide inserts to the largest pieces of equipment, it is important to make sure that suppliers find the sources for the metals that they need the most. Consider some of these facts and figures about the tungsten recycling business and the roll that scrap metals play in the nation’s economy:
- Tungsten only appears naturally when combined in four major mineral forms with iron, calcium, or manganese.
- Falling behind diamonds, which have an hardness of 10, tungsten carbide falls between 8.5 and 9 on the Moh’s hardness scale.
- Used for a variety of different applications, tungsten carbide comes in over a dozen different grades..
- Although it was not applied to an industry for another 150 years, tungsten was discovered 236 years ago, back in 1781.
- 66% of all tungsten available for scrap was either used in the U.S. or exported for recycling purposes.
- Added as percentage by weight, anywhere from 3% to 30%, typical binders used on tungsten carbide are made from both cobalt and nickel.
Finding more sources for scrap metals help the biggest suppliers provide the materials that they need to sell to their customers. Because so many of the metals in the world can be both recycled and reclaimed, it is important that suppliers are able to connect their sources and their products with customers. In a world of limited resources, it should come as no surprise that more and more individuals and companies are looking for ways to recycle and reclaim some of the world’s most important resources.
