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Molybdenum scrap from furnaces, chemical plants and fabrication
We buy molybdenum scrap in solid pieces, trimmings and worn parts; keep it in its own bag, apart from carbide and tungsten. Send photos for a quote; we pay the shipping from anywhere in the US and pick up across California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada.
Moly's main job is going into other metals
Molybdenum, or moly, is a refractory metal that spends most of its life inside other metals. USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 says it is used principally as an alloying agent in cast iron, steel and superalloys.
You can see it in the recipes. ITIA's 2008 table of high-speed steel grades lists M2 at 5.0 percent molybdenum and M42 at 9.2 percent, and a USGS table (2009) gives one nickel turbine alloy about 4 percent. Some cemented carbides are even built on molybdenum carbide: USGS lists them among the possible substitutes for tungsten carbide.
Trade policy is part of the picture too. USGS notes that China imposed export controls on molybdenum powders in February 2025.
Sources: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Molybdenum; ITIA, Tungsten in Steel (2008 newsletter); USGS Circular 1196-Z (rev. 2009); USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Tungsten.
The places moly scrap piles up
USGS's molybdenum recycling study (Circular 1196-L, 2004) describes new scrap as pure and alloyed molybdenum metal and compound scrap from chemical plants and furnaces, trimmings left over from fabrication, and fabricated items that could not be used. Those are the pieces this page is about.
Moly also comes back inside other metals. USGS says it is recycled as part of catalysts, ferrous scrap and superalloy scrap, and that molybdenum in new and old steel and other scrap may be as much as 30 percent of the US apparent supply (2025 data).
If your moly is part of a superalloy, it sells as that alloy: see nickel alloys and cobalt alloys. Worn HSS cutters belong on the high-speed steel page.
Sources: USGS Circular 1196-A-M (2004); USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Molybdenum.
Moly country: Utah, Arizona and Nevada
Molybdenum comes out of the ground in three of our four pickup states.
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 says byproduct molybdenum concentrate was produced at seven US operations in 2025: four in Arizona and one each in Montana, Nevada and Utah.
In Utah, the Utah Geological Survey's report on Utah mining in 2024 says Bingham Canyon produces copper as its main commodity and also significant molybdenum, gold and silver.
That moly leaves the mines as concentrate. The moly we buy is metal that has already been made into something: sheet, rod, wire, parts and the offcuts from making them. If a shop or plant in Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas or Reno has some, we drive to it.
Sources: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Molybdenum; Utah Geological Survey Circular 139, Utah Mining 2024.
Weight tells moly from tungsten and carbide
Weight separates moly from its heavy neighbors better than looks do.
NIST's X-ray table uses 10.22 g/cm3 for molybdenum and 19.30 for tungsten, so a tungsten piece weighs nearly twice as much as a moly piece of the same size (19.30 divided by 10.22 is about 1.89). An NTP table puts tungsten carbide at 15.6, about half again as heavy as moly. Common steels are about 7.8 in an MIT course table, so moly runs roughly a third heavier than steel.
Keep moly in one bag, tungsten in another and carbide in a third, and write what each is on the bag. Mixed bags are harder to quote. Carbide is still the center of what we buy, and selling scrap carbide walks through it.
Sources: NIST X-ray mass attenuation tables, Table 1; NTP Report on Carcinogens profile: cobalt-tungsten carbide; MIT 3.11 metals property table (1999).
Moly forms we take, and how to send them
- Sheet and plate offcuts
- Rod and bar ends
- Wire, on the spool or loose
- Furnace parts and fixtures at the end of their service
- Machined parts that failed inspection or were never used
- Turnings and trimmings, bagged by themselves
Use the quote form, choose exotic metals, give a rough weight and attach photos; email works too. We quote every moly lot separately and list no molybdenum scrap price on the site. Ship it to us from anywhere in the country and we cover the shipping, or have us collect it in any city in California, Arizona, Utah or Nevada. Payment is cash where state law allows; the scrap metal laws guide has each state's rules.
Common questions
How can I tell moly from tungsten without sending it out?
Compare weight. Hold two pieces of about the same size: the tungsten one is close to twice as heavy. If you still cannot tell, bag the piece alone, mark it unknown and send a photo.
Will you give me a molybdenum scrap price by email?
We give a quote for your lot rather than a list price. Email photos and a rough weight to help@carbidebuyersusa.com, or use the quote form, and the quote you get back covers those pieces.
Do you take moly that came out of a furnace?
Yes. Furnace parts, fixtures and offcuts are on our list of moly forms we take. Tell us what the furnace ran and send photos so we can see the condition.
Can you collect moly scrap from a Utah plant?
Yes. Utah is one of our four pickup states, along with California, Arizona and Nevada, and we pick up in every city in all four. From anywhere else, ship the moly to us and we pay the shipping.
More for sellers
Tungsten and heavy alloy
Pure tungsten and tungsten heavy alloy
Learn more
High-speed steel (HSS)
HSS drills, taps, end mills and tool bits
Learn more
Nickel alloys
Inconel, Hastelloy, Monel and other nickel alloys
Learn more
Utah
Salt Lake City, the Wasatch Front and the rest of Utah
Learn moreSell scrap carbide
Ship it from any state and we pay the shipping, or we come to you
Learn moreReady to sell your carbide?
Send a few photos and a rough weight. From any state, you ship it and we cover the shipping; in California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada, we drive out to you.