Is it worth removing steel brackets from aluminium window frames before selling them?
Short answer: Yes, when practical. Steel brackets, hinges, and fittings are magnetic contamination a buyer will either deduct for or ask you to remove before weighing, since ferrous attachments have to be physically stripped before the aluminium can be remelted. For a handful of frames it is usually worth the ten minutes; for a large volume, ask the buyer whether they will do the stripping themselves for a price adjustment instead.
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List Free →Why steel fittings matter more than they look
Window frames are aluminium extrusion, but they are almost always assembled with steel screws, hinges, corner brackets, and sometimes steel reinforcing bar inside larger commercial frame sections. Any steel left attached is dead weight against the aluminium price and has to be pulled out before the aluminium can go into a remelt furnace.
What the deduction actually reflects
Buyers price attached steel one of two ways: either they weigh the whole frame and pay the aluminium rate on an estimated percentage, or they weigh it as “dirty” mixed scrap at a lower blended rate. Neither is as good as pulling the steel yourself and delivering clean aluminium extrusion.
When it is not worth your time
Reinforced commercial-grade frames with internal steel bar can take real effort to strip. If you are only dealing with a handful of domestic window frames, weigh the time cost against the price gap — ask the buyer what the clean-versus-dirty rate difference actually is before deciding.
How ScrapTrade Makes This Easier
Listing frames as “aluminium with steel fittings attached” versus “stripped, clean extrusion” on ScrapTrade lets buyers bid on what you are actually delivering, rather than a generic assumption that defaults to the lower dirty rate.
Ready to sell or source aluminium scrap without the guesswork? ScrapTrade connects verified buyers and sellers with escrow-protected payments and transparent weighing.
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