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Who buys carbideWhere to sell carbide, and what each buyer asks of you
Where to sell carbide comes down to four kinds of buyer: a tool maker's buyback program, a general scrap yard, a specialist buyer or tungsten producer, and a buyer like us that takes any form and any brand.
The four places that buy used carbide
Cemented carbide combines hard carbides, mainly tungsten carbide (WC), with a metal binder such as cobalt. A 2021 review says large producers offer buyback programs (they buy used tools back) and scrap traders actively collect carbide cutting-tool scrap.
| Where | Who can use it | What it asks of you | How you are paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tool maker's buyback program | Set by each program. Kennametal's online terms, as archived in February 2025, serve customers of Kennametal products, not scrap brokers, dealers or agents. | What its terms allow. Sandvik Coromant's US page, as archived in January 2026: stand-alone inserts and solid round tools, coated or uncoated, nothing brazed or attached. | Kennametal: net 30 days (terms archived February 2025). Sandvik Coromant: a mailed check (US page, January 2026), or 30 days from an undisputed invoice, or a credit on a future Sandvik invoice (terms, May 2026). |
| General scrap yard | Varies. California, Arizona and Nevada buyers must record your ID. | ID, plus your photo and a fingerprint in Arizona and Nevada. Ask whether the yard grades carbide apart from steel. | Arizona and Nevada limit cash (below). Elsewhere, ask. |
| Specialist buyer or tungsten producer | Varies; ask. | Its own specs. GTP's undated brochure limits hard scrap (solid pieces) to 6 inches and 25 pounds a piece unless the weight limit is waived; its form requires a 1 kg (2.2 lb) sample before shipment. | Varies; ask before you ship. |
| Carbide Buyers USA | Sellers anywhere in the US. | The form, about how much it weighs, and photos. Any form, any brand. | Cash where state law allows. We pay the shipping from any state and pick up in every city in California, Arizona and Nevada. |
More detail: manufacturer buyback programs and scrap yard or carbide buyer.
Sources: ITIA, cemented carbides; Zeiler et al. 2021, tungsten recycling review (ITIA copy); Kennametal US recycling terms (Internet Archive, February 2025); Sandvik Coromant US recycling page (Internet Archive, January 2026); Sandvik Coromant US recycling terms (Internet Archive, May 2026); GTP recycling brochure; GTP scrap submission form; California Attorney General, Information Bulletin 2025-DLE-12; Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1642; Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 647.
Who buys carbide near me, and who buys by mail
A local scrap yard is usually the buyer you can drive to; most of the makers' programs we read use containers that you ship or that get collected.
- Kennametal's US page, as archived in February 2026, offers its program in the United States, Canada and Germany: a Send Carbide form, then a 50 lb green box or 500 lb steel drum that is weighed on arrival before you receive value.
- Sandvik Coromant's US page, as archived in January 2026, sends free recycling containers on request: a box for 40-50 pounds or a can for 500-600 pounds. Its US terms, as archived in May 2026, have Sandvik collect at an agreed pick-up location or collection point.
- Seco's undated recycling page, which names no country, supplies bins and collects them when you report one full.
- Hyperion's undated page refers you to the local supplier it partners with, who manages the whole transaction; not all products can be recycled in all regions.
For another maker's tools, ask that maker or your distributor whether it runs a program. We pick up in every city in California, Arizona and Nevada; from every other state you ship to us, and we pay the shipping.
Sources: Kennametal US carbide recycling page (Internet Archive, February 2026); Sandvik Coromant US recycling page (Internet Archive, January 2026); Sandvik Coromant US recycling terms (Internet Archive, May 2026); Seco Tools, carbide recycling; Hyperion Materials & Technologies, recycling.
How to sell used carbide inserts
Inserts are cutting tips held in a holder; when one edge wears, the insert is indexed (rotated) to a fresh cutting point. Kennametal's US page (archived February 2026), Sandvik Coromant's US page (archived January 2026) and Seco's undated page all list them.
- Coatings and brands. That Sandvik Coromant page takes stand-alone inserts, coated or uncoated; its terms (archived May 2026) cover any coating, any dimension and whatever brand.
- Other insert materials. Those May 2026 Sandvik Coromant terms exclude cermet, ceramic, CBN and PCD inserts. Kennametal's terms (archived February 2025) require carbide free from contaminants, ceramics, cermets and steel. Seco takes PCD and PCBN only as tipped inserts, and not cermets or ceramics.
- Mixed grades. The 2021 review says alternative binder grades and parts made from two or more grades make scrap harder to identify.
We buy carbide inserts in any form and any brand.
Sources: King Saud University, cutting tool materials (Kalpakjian, 2010); Kennametal US carbide recycling page (Internet Archive, February 2026); Sandvik Coromant US recycling page (Internet Archive, January 2026); Sandvik Coromant US recycling terms (Internet Archive, May 2026); Kennametal US recycling terms (Internet Archive, February 2025); Seco Tools, carbide recycling; Zeiler et al. 2021, tungsten recycling review (ITIA copy).
What to have ready before you ask anyone
Have three things ready: the form the carbide is in, roughly what it weighs, and clear photos. The law asks buyers to record much the same: type and quantity in California, a photo, description and weight in Arizona, and a description plus a photo or video in Nevada.
Keep four groups apart:
- Inserts, loose and out of their holders.
- Solid round tools: drills, end mills and reamers made entirely of carbide.
- Brazed tools, a carbide tip bonded to a shank with brazing material. Sandvik Coromant's US page (archived January 2026) takes nothing brazed, and the 2021 review notes that carbide on a mostly steel tool can be lost in steel scrap.
- Soft scrap, such as grinding sludge, sweepings and powders. A 2023 study says grinding sludge (abrasives, lubricants and carbide chips) is currently treated only by chemical recycling; the 2021 review says carefully sorted scrap can be recycled directly.
Our quote form asks for just these three.
Sources: California Attorney General, Information Bulletin 2025-DLE-12; Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1642; Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 647; King Saud University, fundamentals of metal cutting (Kalpakjian, 2010); Sandvik Coromant US recycling page (Internet Archive, January 2026); Zeiler et al. 2021, tungsten recycling review (ITIA copy); Pacini et al. 2023, Materials 16(4):1347.
Getting paid: cash, checks and the ID you will need
We pay cash where state law allows it. Arizona and Nevada limit cash for scrap metal by the size of the sale:
- Arizona: on a scrap metal sale of $300 or more, with exceptions, the dealer may not pay on site and mails a check or money order to the address on your ID. A seller may take part in only one cash transaction a day. On a reportable sale over $100 the dealer holds the scrap seven days after reporting it. Industrial accounts, other dealers, aluminum cans and ferrous metals are exempt from the hold, and industrial accounts that preregister their selling employees each year are exempt from the mailed payment.
- Nevada: a scrap metal purchase of $150 or more is paid only by check or electronic transfer, made out to the business when a business sells. A processor may do only one cash deal under $150 a day with any one seller.
Expect to show ID (more in getting paid): California buyers record it, and Arizona dealers and Nevada processors also record your photo and fingerprint. Other states have rules too: per a 2022 Arizona Senate research brief, every state has passed a metal-theft law.
Sources: Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1642; Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1644; Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 647; California Attorney General, Information Bulletin 2025-DLE-12; Arizona Senate Research Staff, scrap metal issue brief (November 10, 2022).
Shipping carbide: what each carrier allows
The parcel carriers' limits differ:
- USPS accepts nothing over 70 pounds and requires dense items such as tools and machine parts of 20 to 45 pounds to go in at least 200-pound test board, or a wood, metal or plastic container.
- UPS, in its 2025 Rate and Service Guide, caps a domestic package at 150 pounds, requires a heavy package sticker over 70 pounds, and charges additional handling over 50 pounds or for a metal, wood or hard plastic container, bucket or pail.
- FedEx Ground takes up to 150 pounds, and FedEx ships anything heavier as freight.
A box of 70 pounds or less fits all three parcel limits. When you sell to us, we pay the shipping from any state.
Sources: USPS Domestic Mail Manual 201; USPS Domestic Mail Manual 601; UPS Rate and Service Guide, 2025 Daily Rates; FedEx Ground; FedEx Freight.
The federal order on tungsten waste and scrap
A federal allocation order published August 6, 2026 runs from August 27, 2026 through August 27, 2027. US persons selling tungsten waste and scrap must allocate 100% of monthly sales to US persons unless the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) grants an adjustment or exception in advance, and material under Schedule B 8101.97.00.00 must stay in the United States unless BIS authorizes otherwise.
Whether a carbide lot falls under 8101.97 or 8113.00 (cermets, including their waste and scrap) is a classification question. Comments closed November 4, 2026, so check the Federal Register for changes and ask any buyer how the order applies to your lot.
To compare our offer with the others, send the quote form or call us, and use the offer calculator.
Sources: Federal Register, 91 FR 50701 (August 6, 2026); Harmonized Tariff Schedule 2026, chapter 81.
Two ways to sell us your carbide
Ship it
- Send the form with a weight and a few photos.
- Get our quote.
- Ship it to us. We pay the shipping.
We pick it up
- Send the form with a weight and a few photos.
- Get our quote.
- We come to you, in any city in the three states, and pay you in cash where state law allows.
Where we buy
- California, Arizona and Nevada: we come to you, in every city.
- Every other state: ship it to us and we pay the shipping.
Questions people ask
Where can I sell scrap carbide?
Four kinds of buyer take it: a tool maker's buyback program, a general scrap yard, a specialist buyer or tungsten producer, and buyers like us. Line up what each asks of you, then compare the offers.
Who buys carbide near me?
A local scrap yard is usually the one you can drive to, while the makers' programs we read work by mail or collection, with containers you ship or that get picked up. We pick up in every city in California, Arizona and Nevada, and pay the shipping from anywhere else in the US.
Can I sell coated carbide inserts, or inserts of another brand?
Often, but it depends on the buyer: some programs take coated inserts of any brand, others serve only their own customers. We buy carbide in any form and any brand.
Do I need ID to sell scrap carbide?
Expect to. Buyers in California, Arizona and Nevada must record your identification.
Do you buy anything besides carbide?
Yes, we also buy exotic metals and alloys, though carbide is our focus. Use the quote form or email help@carbidebuyersusa.com.
Keep reading
Manufacturer buyback programs
What the tool makers' recycling programs take, who can use them and how they pay
Scrap yard or carbide buyer?
What a general scrap yard does with carbide, and when a specialist makes sense
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
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.