How do you spot aluminium among stainless steel, zinc and other grey metals?
Short answer: Aluminium is light for its size, is not magnetic, feels slightly warm to the touch and marks easily with a scratch, whereas stainless steel is much heavier and usually slightly magnetic or not at all depending on the grade, and zinc die-cast is heavy and brittle, so comparing weight, magnetism and how easily it scratches normally separates them.
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List Free →Weight is the first clue
Aluminium is about a third the weight of steel for the same volume, so a piece that feels surprisingly light is likely to be aluminium.
Magnet and scratch
Aluminium is not magnetic and scratches more easily than stainless steel, which is hard and resists marking.
Zinc die-cast
Zinc fittings are heavy and brittle for their size and often chrome-plated, so they feel nothing like aluminium once you handle them.
How ScrapTrade Fits In
ScrapTrade lists aluminium, stainless and zinc as separate categories, so each gets its own price.
A little sorting goes a long way with aluminium. ScrapTrade connects you with verified buyers, transparent weighing and escrow-protected payments.
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