G.A. RITTENHOUSE
G.A. RITTENHOUSE
Brass and bronze share a page because they arrive together and grade together — off the same valve decks, pump houses and machine shops. What separates them commercially is what else is in the alloy, which is exactly what grading is for.
Process valves, unions and fittings off piping systems. The largest single source on most plant work.
Bronze bearing shells, bushings and wear rings, usually out of pumps, presses and rotating equipment.
Pump bodies, impellers, housings and hardware.
Shop swarf from brass and bronze machining. Keep it separated from steel chips.
Bar stock, rod ends, offcuts and sheet from fabrication.
Brass and copper heat exchange cores, priced on what comes out rather than what goes in.
Grading is not our invention and it is not a negotiating tactic — it is how this material is priced everywhere. Knowing which grade you are holding is the difference between being paid for it and being paid for the cheapest thing in the container.
| Grade | What it is |
|---|---|
| Yellow brass | The common grade — fittings, rod, castings and hardware. Free of iron and heavy solder. |
| Red brass | Higher copper content, typically valve bodies and quality castings. Worth separating from yellow. |
| Hard brass | Brass carrying lead or other additions for machinability. Graded on its own. |
| Bronze bushings | Bearing bronze, including leaded and tin bronzes. Iron backing shells must be declared. |
| Mixed borings | Turnings that were not kept apart. Prices as the lowest constituent, which is why separation pays. |
Induction for known chemistries, crucible for smaller lots and trial blends. Poured as commodity ingot or, more often here, blended to a customer’s alloy specification.
One offer covering removal, freight and the metal. Because we own the furnace there is a floor under the number, and we can price it without finding a buyer first.
Keep title to your own material and pay to have it run and returned as ingot, bar, sow or pig. How tolling works.
Everything is re-weighed here and the ticket goes to you. Chemistry on blended product is verified by an independent laboratory, not by us. What comes out.
Most jobs arrive as a mix. Separated metal prices as itself, so it is worth knowing what else is in the pile. All metals we buy.