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We buy carbide rod scrap, blanks and broken pieces
We buy carbide rod scrap from anywhere in the US: ground rod, sintered blanks, preforms, offcuts and the broken pieces that collect beside a tool grinder. Send photos and rough sizes through the quote form or call (877) 838-9920.
What carbide rod and blanks are, and where the scrap comes from
Carbide rod is a half-made product: ITIA, the tungsten industry association, calls it a first-use or semi-finished product that still needs more manufacturing steps. ITIA puts the next step in one line: "The hardmetal rod may be ground to become a metal cutting drill or an endmill." Round parts, and parts long for their diameter, are formed by extrusion before sintering.
Scrap comes off at every step:
- Ground rod: bright lengths, often the end left after a tool was cut off, sometimes with coolant holes.
- Blanks and preforms: as-sintered pieces with a dull grey skin, shaped close to a finished tool and never used.
- Offcuts and stubs: short ends from cutting rod to length.
- Broken pieces: rods that cracked on the grinder, chipped when dropped, or failed inspection.
ITIA lists sintered rods as new scrap, the scrap made during production, along with finished tools that fail quality checks. A USGS recycling report adds "grinding residues, sludges, or powders that result from processing blanks or slugs." That mud belongs in its own container (see grindings and sludge).
Sources: ITIA, Recycling of tungsten, part 1 (newsletter, May 2018); ITIA, Cemented carbides: a success story (newsletter, June 2010); USGS Open-File Report 2005-1028, tungsten recycling in the United States in 2000.
How to tell carbide rod from steel and HSS rod
Shape will not tell you. High-speed steel (HSS) comes as blanks too, and ITIA says about 95% of HSS goes into machining tools such as drills, taps and milling cutters. Weight is the better clue.
Carbide is roughly twice as dense as iron. A 2023 Washington State University study, funded by the Energy Department, measured a 6% cobalt grade at 14.91 g/cm³, and NIST lists pure iron at 7.874 g/cm³:
| Rod 1/2 inch across, 12 inches long | Approximate weight |
|---|---|
| Carbide at 14.91 g/cm³ | About 1.27 lb (576 g) |
| Iron at 7.874 g/cm³ | About 0.67 lb (304 g) |
The table is our arithmetic from those two densities; real grades and steels vary a little. A rod that feels like an ordinary steel bar of its size probably is one.
HSS carries 1.5 to 20% tungsten by ITIA's figures, but it goes a different way: ITIA says HSS blanks and turnings are collected by their composition and can go straight into a new steel charge. Bag it separately. We buy it too (see high-speed steel scrap).
Sources: OSTI, Washington State University shock study of cemented tungsten carbide (2023), grade densities; NIST, X-ray mass attenuation coefficients, Table 1 (element densities); ITIA, Tungsten in steel (newsletter, December 2008); ITIA, Recycling of tungsten, part 2 (newsletter, August 2019).
Why clean, solid pieces are easy to sort
A rod or blank is one piece of one material. There is no steel shank to cut away and no braze to strip, and an unused blank never touched a workpiece.
That counts further down the line. In the zinc process, molten zinc swells the cobalt binder and sorted, cleaned scrap ends up as powder with the same composition, ready for new carbide. USGS notes the process does no purifying, so any oil, solder or coating on the scrap has to come off before it goes in. ITIA ties this direct recycling to the least energy and chemical waste and the lowest production cost, while sludge, powder and unsorted hard scrap mostly take the chemical route.
ITIA also sets out what direct recycling needs: scrap of high purity, sorted by composition and size. Solid rod and blanks get most of the way there on their own. Keep oil, steel and floor sweepings out, and write any grade you know on the bag; we buy mixed lots as well.
Sources: USGS Open-File Report 01-349, tantalum recycling in the United States in 1998 (carbide processes); ITIA, Recycling of tungsten, part 2 (newsletter, August 2019); USGS Open-File Report 2005-1028, tungsten recycling in the United States in 2000.
Getting rods and blanks ready to go
- One bag for solid carbide: rod, blanks, preforms, offcuts and broken bits together.
- A second bag for HSS and anything you are unsure of, labeled with your best guess.
- Steel-mounted pieces apart. Carbide still brazed or shrunk into steel gets its own bag (see brazed carbide).
- Dry. Wipe off coolant and oil; a damp carton can split under this weight.
- No cutting or grinding to fit. Carbide grinding dust carries cobalt, and OSHA lists scarred lungs and sensitized airways and skin among the effects of breathing it. ITIA says normal use of finished carbide articles is expected to produce little or no exposure, so ship pieces whole.
- Labels left on. Unused rod in its tube, with the grade printed, can ship as is.
Pack small. USPS says sturdy corrugated boxes are best up to 10 pounds, dense items such as tools and machine parts from 20 to 45 pounds need at least 200-pound test board, and no mailpiece may weigh over 70 pounds. Brace the bags so they cannot slide and tape every seam. The shipping page covers boxes and pallets.
Sources: OSHA, Sawmills eTool: cobalt dust; ITIA, Health and environment; USPS Postal Explorer, Preparing packages; USPS Domestic Mail Manual 601, Mailability; USPS Domestic Mail Manual 201, Physical standards.
Tell us the sizes, then ship it or book a pickup
On the quote form, tick Rods & blanks, give a rough weight, and add a wide photo plus a close-up of the ends. Put sizes in the notes box. Rough is fine, such as mostly 6 to 12 mm, 50 to 330 mm long, a few broken 20 mm blanks. Say whether pieces are ground or as-sintered, and add any grade from a label or invoice.
We quote each lot from the form, the photos and the weight. Carbide prices follow the tungsten market, so no number is printed here.
Rod from any state can come to us by carrier, and we pay the shipping. In California, Arizona and Nevada we come to you and pick up, in any city in those states (how pickup works). We pay cash where state law allows; our state rules guide explains each state. Or call (877) 838-9920 or email help@carbidebuyerusa.com.
Questions sellers ask
Do you buy short offcuts and broken carbide rod?
Yes. We buy scrap carbide in any form, and snapped rods, stubs and chipped blanks go in the same bag as full lengths.
Can carbide blanks scrap go in the same bag as used end mills?
Yes, both are solid carbide. Keep coated tools in their own bag if you have time, and keep high-speed steel out; our sorting guide has more.
Do you buy scrap carbide rod with coolant holes?
Yes, it is still solid carbide. Mention the holes in your notes, since they make a rod lighter than its size suggests.
Do you pay cash for carbide rod scrap?
We pay cash where state law allows. Arizona and Nevada set payment rules for larger scrap metal sales, covered in our rules guide.
Keep reading
End mills and drills
Solid carbide end mills, drills, reamers and burs
Learn more
How to sort carbide scrap
Keep it clean and separated to get the most for it
Learn more
High-speed steel scrap
HSS and cobalt drills, taps and tool steel
Learn moreWhat is tungsten carbide?
What it is made of, grades and cobalt content
Learn moreGet a quote for your carbide
Tell us what form it is in, about how much it weighs, and send a few photos. Ship it to us from anywhere in the US and we pay the shipping, or we pick up in California, Arizona and Nevada.