METALS KNOWN FOR STRENGTH AND DURABILITY INCLUDING MILD STEEL, CARBON STEEL, CAST IRON, WROUGHT IRON, AND MORE.

Car motors: (VIEW IMAGES)

– Car and truck engines that are complete and have been removed from the vehicles
– All fluids must be removed
– Oil can must be removed or have a hole in it
Note: Prices may vary between gas and diesel engines.

#1 Cast Iron:  (VIEW IMAGES)

– Common grade of cast iron is harder to break
– Also referred to as Engine Cast or Machine Cast
– It must be 2 feet by 3 feet or smaller
Note: Anything larger will be considered Heavy Breakable Cast and paid for as such.

#2 Cast iron:  (VIEW IMAGES)

– A lower grade of cast iron — lesser quality and easier to break
– Often referred to as Stove Cast or Sewer Cast

Prepared steel #1 (HMS or 5 foot):  (VIEW IMAGES)

– Needs to be at least 1/4-inch thick
– Must be 5 feet by 18 inches or smaller
– Free of galvanized coating and chrome

Prepared steel #2 (HMS or 3 foot): (VIEW IMAGES)

– Needs to be at least 1/8-inch thick
– Must be 3 feet by 18 inches or smaller
– Must be free of lead and wheel weights

Shreddables:  (VIEW IMAGES)

– Light metals
– Anything that’s mostly tin

Steel turnings:  (VIEW IMAGES)

– Machine-shop turnings

Unprepared steel:  (VIEW IMAGES)

– Anything that is too large to be considered prepared steel

Lightweight metals that resist corrosion, such as aluminum, brass, copper, nickel, tin, lead, and zinc.

Aluminum:  (VIEW IMAGES)

Car & Truck rims:

– Cast grade from cars and pickups
– Chrome and polished (prices will vary)
– Must have lead wheel weights removed
– Must have valve stem removed

Cast/Sheet:

– Grade of aluminum that is slightly porous and breaks rather easily:
– Must be clean of steel or plastic

Extruded

– Grade of aluminum that has been “extruded” through a mold by a machine:

– Must be clean of steel or plastics

Thermal extruded

– Extruded aluminum with plastic insulation running through the middle

Low copper clips (LCC) and mixed low copper clips (MLCC):

– Grade of aluminum that is clean and not painted:
– Thicker than what is considered cast and sheet aluminum

EC or aluminum wire:

– Aluminum wire without any insulation:

– May contain steel-wire core
Note: If wire does contain steel core, it must be removed or the wire will be considered dirty.

Covered aluminum or aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR) wire:

– Aluminum wire that has insulation or a steel middle wire

Dirty aluminum: (must be a majority of aluminum)

– Any aluminum that is not clean of plastic, steel, or other metals

Litho sheets:

– Printers aluminum

Aluminum/Copper radiators:

– Radiators with copper tubes and aluminum fins:

– Usually have steel plates on the ends
Note: Steel plates must be cut-off to receive a clean price.

Batteries:  (VIEW IMAGES)

SPI accepts and will pay for:

– Lead-acid batteries
– Steel case
– Fork lift

Brass:  (VIEW IMAGES)

Yellow Brass:

– Yellow colored
– Commonly found on water and gas meters, water shutoffs, and decorative items
– Must be as clean as possible
Note: Steel handles or shutoffs must be removed in order to be considered clean.

Red Brass:

– Red colored
– Commonly found on water and gas meters, water shutoffs, and decorative items
– Must be as clean as possible
Note: Steel handles or shutoffs must be removed in order to be considered clean.

Brass/Aluminum shells:

– Primers must be removed
– No plastic, dirt, or steel attached
– No internal residue
– Separate from aluminum shells*

Car radiators:

– Must be clean of all steel and plastic, or they are considered dirty and paid for as such

Car heater cores:

– Main part of vehicle heating systems
– Made of brass and copper
– Must be free of steel and/or plastic to be considered clean
Note: Some heater cores may be made of aluminum or will have aluminum fins with plastic tanks; these will be purchased as aluminum.

Dirty brass:

– Brass with steel or aluminum handles, shutoffs, etc.

Modine tubes

Copper:  (VIEW IMAGES)

Bare bright:

– Bare, uncoated, unalloyed copper wire free of attachments

#1 Copper:

– Copper pipe with no paint, solder, or fittings, and very little oxidation
– Can also be wire with little oxidation and no insulation or paint

#2 Copper:

– Copper wire that’s smaller than the diameter of a pencil lead:

– Copper tubing usually painted, soldered, oxidized, and outfitted with copper fittings
Note: If steel or brass is present, copper will be considered dirty and priced lower.

Sheet copper:

– Lighter grade of copper
– Often referred to as light copper or roofing tin
Note: Must be free of any steel or plastic to be priced as clean.

Copper turnings:

– Commonly derived from machine shops

Covered or insulated:

– Copper with insulated coating made of plastic or rubber

Grease wire:

– Copper wire with a grease coating
– Commonly used for underground wiring

Other:  (VIEW IMAGES)

Die cast:

– Like cast aluminum, but heavier
– Somewhat brittle

Compressors: 

– SPI accepts compressors from:

– Air conditioners
– Refrigerators

– Compressors must be drilled and drained

Electric motors:

– SPI accepts electric motors of all sizes, including starters and alternators

Lead:

– Very soft and malleable heavy metal
– Must be clean of steel and plastic

Stainless steel:

– Silvery in appearance
– Non-magnetic
– Won’t rust
– Must be clean of any plastic, steel, foam, or other foreign materials

Stainless steel turnings

NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR OLD BATTERIES AND ELECTRONICS? SPI WILL TAKE CARE OF THEM FOR YOU.

(we do not accept monitors)

Electronics: (VIEW IMAGES)

CD/Floppy drives
Circuit/Motherboards:

– Circuit boards
– Motherboards
– Audio and video cards
– RAM chips
Note: Circuit boards and motherboards will be graded onsite.

Complete laptops
Desktop PC towers
Gold/Silver memory cards
Hard drives
Power supplies
Processors:

– Processing chips from computer motherboards

GET TOP PRICES FOR YOUR INOPERABLE VEHICLES AND THEIR PARTS.

Cars: (VIEW IMAGES)

Junking requirements vary by location:

SPI Des Moines:

– Title or Junking Certificate* in the name of the person receiving payment
– All fluids drained
– Gas tank completely removed

SPI Webster City:

– Title or Junking Certificate* in the name of the person receiving payment
*Junking Certificate can be obtained from your local courthouse free of charge.