Home › Guides › Choosing a buyer
How offers workHow to choose a carbide buyer: the questions to ask first
To choose a carbide buyer, ask each one the same seven questions before you ship a pound, get the answers in writing, and compare them line by line. You can also ask us for a quote and hold our answers to the same list.
Questions to ask a scrap buyer before you ship
Any buyer should be able to answer these. Cemented carbide is tungsten carbide (WC) grains held in a metal binder, most commonly about 85-95% tungsten carbide and 5-15% cobalt (Pacini et al., 2023). Hard scrap is solid pieces such as used inserts (replaceable cutting tips); soft scrap is grinding sludge, sweepings, powders and turnings.
| Ask | Why it matters | A clear answer names |
|---|---|---|
| How do you price it? | USGS (2005) notes that prices of tungsten-bearing scrap are not published on a routine basis, so ask how the buyer sets its number. | The price per pound, the weight it is paid on, and how hard and soft scrap differ. |
| What do you deduct, and why? | A deduction is anything taken off the weight or the price. USGS says the zinc process for hard scrap needs careful sorting and oil, solder and coatings removed first; Pacini et al. (2023) say oily grinding sludge often needs chemical recycling. | Each deduction by name and size, and what on your lot would trigger it. |
| Who pays the freight? | The UPS 2025 guide adds a handling charge for a package over 50 lb or in a metal, wood or hard plastic container. USPS takes no mailpiece over 70 lb. | Who buys the label and whether shipping comes off your payment. |
| How do you weigh it, and does the scale meet Handbook 44? | Handbook 44 (2026 edition) is the NIST code for commercial scales; NIST says all 50 states have adopted it, and that a commercial scale must be inspected and approved by an authorized state body. | The scale, its NTEP certificate or state approval, and how you can see the reading. |
| When and how will you pay me? | In Arizona, with some exceptions, a scrap metal sale of $300 or more is paid by check or money order mailed to the seller's ID address; in Nevada, $150 or more is paid only by check or electronic transfer. | The method, the day it goes out, and the name on it. |
| What ID and records does state law require? | California buyers record the seller's name and an ID such as a driver's license. Arizona dealers keep a photocopy of the ID and a right index fingerprint; Nevada processors keep a copy of the ID. | Which state's rules the buyer follows and what it will copy. |
| Will my scrap stay in the US? | A federal order (91 FR 50701) says tungsten waste and scrap under Schedule B 8101.97.00.00 must stay physically in the US from August 27, 2026 through August 27, 2027, unless BIS, the issuing agency, authorizes otherwise. Its comment period ended November 4, 2026; look for amendments in the Federal Register. | Where the lot goes next; whether it falls under 8101.97 is a classification question to settle first. |
Ask by email, so every answer is on paper.
Sources: Pacini et al., Materials (2023); Zeiler et al., Tungsten recycling (2021); USGS Open-File Report 2005-1028; USGS Open-File Report 01-349; UPS Rate and Service Guide (2025); USPS Domestic Mail Manual 201; NIST Handbook 44, current edition; NIST weighing and scales FAQ; Arizona A.R.S. 44-1642; Nevada NRS chapter 647; California AG Information Bulletin 2025-DLE-12; Federal Register, 91 FR 50701.
Carbide buyer red flags
Each warning sign below rests on a neutral source and fits no single kind of buyer.
- Overpayment with a request to send back the difference. The CFPB warns people selling items online that this is a common scam using counterfeit money orders or bad checks, and that if you deposit one you will have to repay the funds even after withdrawing them.
- A scale you cannot see. Handbook 44 says a scale used in direct sales must sit where its reading can be accurately read, and the weighing watched, from a reasonable customer and operator position. California tells the public to look for a round approval seal showing when a commercial device was last inspected.
- Terms that stay spoken. Arizona and Nevada require the buyer to hand the seller a receipt with the weight and the amount paid, and California requires a written record of every purchase. Terms that never reach paper leave you nothing to check the payment against.
For a shipped lot, ask for a photo of the scale reading.
Sources: CFPB: overpayment with a check or money order; NIST Handbook 44 (2026), General Code; CDFA Division of Measurement Standards: devices; Arizona A.R.S. 44-1642; Nevada NRS chapter 647; California AG Information Bulletin 2025-DLE-12.
How long a bank can hold a buyer's check
Regulation CC, the federal funds availability rule, normally releases local check money by the second business day after the banking day you deposit it. The rule has many exceptions; two matter most for a large scrap check:
- Over $6,725 in checks deposited on one banking day: the amount above that line can be held longer.
- A bank with reasonable cause to believe a check is uncollectible can hold it longer, giving the reason in its notice.
Available is not final, because a fraudulent check can still be pulled back. Our guide to getting paid for scrap carbide covers payment methods and state cash limits.
Sources: eCFR 12 CFR 229.12; eCFR 12 CFR 229.13; CFPB: fraudulent check taken back.
How to protect yourself before you ship
Make your own record first, so you can check the buyer's numbers against it.
- Photograph the lot. Arizona dealers must photograph, describe and weigh the scrap they receive; your photos are the same record from your side.
- Weigh every box yourself and note each weight on your packing list. You need them anyway: USPS takes no mailpiece over 70 lb, and the UPS 2025 guide caps a domestic package at 150 lb.
- Keep grades and forms apart. Discussing zinc reclaim, Zeiler et al. (2021) call scrap quality the most important prerequisite for processing, and say pre-sorting by the end user raises recycling efficiency.
- Keep the paperwork: the written quote, your photos and weights, the shipping receipt, the buyer's weight report and the payment record. IRS Publication 334 (2025) lists income from scrap sales among the business income entered on line 6 of Schedule C; ask a tax professional how that applies to you.
Sources: Arizona A.R.S. 44-1642; USPS Domestic Mail Manual 201; UPS Rate and Service Guide (2025); Zeiler et al., Tungsten recycling (2021); IRS Publication 334 (2025).
How published buyback programs answer the same questions
Some tool makers publish the terms of a buyback program (their own offer to buy back used carbide), and those terms answer several of these questions; other makers may run programs too, so ask them or your distributor.
| Program page | Seller's part | Weight | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennametal US terms, archived February 2025 | Prepays all shipping; shipping Kennametal pays comes off the final payment | Kennametal's weight is final | Net 30 days; the online program is only for customers of Kennametal products |
| Sandvik Coromant US recycling page, archived January 2026 | Gets a recycling purchase order (RRA) number and a price-per-pound quote first | A purchase order with the weight confirmed after inspection | Seller invoices; a check is mailed |
| Sandvik Coromant US terms, archived May 2026 | Sorts, weighs and packs per Sandvik's online tool; agreed prices include those costs | Ask Sandvik | Within 30 days of an undisputed invoice, or a credit against a future Sandvik invoice; the buyer is Sandvik AB |
| Seco (no region or date shown) | Contacts Seco to collect a full bin | Sorted and weighed on receipt | The price depends on the market |
The two Sandvik pages differ, so ask which process applies now. Ask any other buyer for the same in writing, then compare the numbers in the offer calculator.
Sources: Kennametal recycling terms (Wayback, 2025-02-10); Sandvik Coromant recycling terms (Wayback, 2026-05-16); Sandvik Coromant US recycling page (Wayback, 2026-01-13); Seco carbide recycling.
Our answers to the same questions
We are a family owned and operated business that buys scrap carbide in any form and any brand, and we also buy exotic metals and alloys.
- Freight: sellers anywhere in the US ship to us, and we pay the shipping.
- Pickup: we come to you in every city in California, Arizona and Nevada.
- Payment: we pay cash where state law allows it. With some exceptions, Arizona sends sales of $300 or more to a mailed check or money order, and Nevada limits purchases of $150 or more to check or electronic transfer.
Ask us the rest of the list too. Send the form on our quote page with the form your carbide is in, about how much it weighs and a few photos, email help@carbidebuyersusa.com, or call us. Then set our offer beside the others from where to sell carbide and compare the offers.
Sources: Arizona A.R.S. 44-1642; Nevada NRS chapter 647.
Questions people ask
How do I choose a carbide buyer?
Ask every buyer the same questions about price, deductions, freight, weighing, payment, ID and where the scrap goes, by email, then compare what each offer leaves you after deductions and shipping.
What are the red flags with a scrap buyer?
A payment above the agreed price with a request to refund the difference, a scale whose reading you cannot see, and terms never written down. A bank can reverse a fraudulent check even after you withdraw the money.
Should I weigh my carbide before I ship it?
Yes. Weigh each box, photograph what is in it and keep both with the written quote, so a different weight from the buyer can be raised against your own record.
Does it matter which state the buyer is in?
It can. ID, record and payment rules for scrap metal differ by state, as the California, Arizona and Nevada rules above show. Ask the buyer which state's rules it follows for your sale.
Keep reading
Getting paid
Cash, checks and transfers, the ID rules for scrap sales, and the records to keep
Offer comparison calculator
Put two or three offers side by side and see what each pays after shipping and deductions
How buyers price carbide
Tungsten content, the market, hard and soft scrap, and what a buyer deducts
Where to sell carbide
Every option near you and by mail, and how we buy: ship from any state or pickup in CA, AZ and NV
Have carbide to sell?
Tell us what form it is in and about how much it weighs, and add a few photos. Ship it from any state and we pay the shipping, or we pick up anywhere in California, Arizona and Nevada.