Why does brass radiator core scrap pay differently than plumbing brass?
Short answer: Older brass/copper radiator cores are typically a mix of thin brass fins and copper tubing, sometimes with lead solder joints, so they're priced as a mixed-metal item rather than straight brass — the actual payout depends heavily on the copper-to-brass ratio and how much solder is present, not a single "radiator brass" rate.
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List Free →Radiators are rarely one single metal
Classic car and older heating radiators often use copper tubing for the core with brass end tanks, or various combinations of both, assembled with lead-based solder at the joints. That mix means a radiator can’t be priced as simply “brass” any more than a car radiator can be priced as simply “aluminium.”
Why solder matters
Lead solder at every joint adds a genuine contamination factor a buyer has to account for, similar to how oil affects turnings — it’s not brass or copper, and burning it off during remelt is a real processing step with its own cost.
Getting a fairer price
If you can separate the copper tubing from the brass tanks yourself, you’ll generally get a better combined price than selling the whole assembly as one blended “radiator” price. If not, ask the buyer how they’re splitting the estimate between copper and brass content before accepting a number.
How ScrapTrade Makes This Easier
For higher-value radiator cores, listing on ScrapTrade with a photo showing the copper-to-brass construction lets buyers who specialise in radiator breakdown bid a fairer split price instead of a generalist yard’s blended guess.
Ready to sell or source brass scrap without the guesswork? ScrapTrade connects verified buyers and sellers with escrow-protected payments and transparent weighing.
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