Basic metals are the foundation of the scrap recycling industry. They are widely used in construction, manufacturing, transportation, and consumer goods, which makes them consistently available in the waste stream. The primary basic metals in scrap recycling are steel (ferrous metals), aluminum, copper, brass, and stainless steel. Each has distinct physical properties, market values, and processing requirements.

The scrap recycling market operates as a commodity-driven supply chain that converts discarded metal into furnace-ready raw material. Pricing, grading, logistics, and processing efficiency determine profitability. Payouts to sellers are based on weight, metal type, grade purity, contamination level, and current commodity pricing benchmarks.