Most sellers who call us describe their scrap as ‘mixed carbide’ — and lose money on it, because mixed lots price well below sorted grades. Here’s how to identify what you actually have before you sell.
Tungsten Button Scrap — The Highest-Value Grade
Solid carbide drill bits and mining/rock-drill buttons with no steel shank, 90%+ recoverable tungsten. Test: uniformly grey/silver, heavier than steel for its size, no visibly different metal base. Current India market rate: ₹9,000 – ₹10,000/kg (pan-India average, not a fixed offer) — full detail on India Market Rates.
Carbide Rod Scrap and Round Tools
End mills, reamers, burrs and round blanks — usually clean, high-purity carbide. Current India market rate: ₹6,500 – ₹7,800/kg.
Carbide Inserts — Lower Recoverable %
CNMG, WNMG, DNMG and similar cutting inserts, often coated (TiN, TiAlN, TiCN gives a gold, purple or grey-black tint). The coating and shape geometry mean lower recoverable tungsten per kg. Current India market rate: ₹6,000 – ₹7,000/kg.
Mixed Scrap and Sludge — Sort Before You Sell
Chips, grinding sludge, and carbide-tipped tools with a steel shank brazed on all fall into ‘mixed’ — currently ₹2,500–₹4,500/kg for mixed scrap and ₹2,000–₹4,000/kg for sludge, priced after inspection since recoverable % varies lot to lot. Separate button scrap and rods from inserts and tipped tools before calling us and you’ll realize a meaningfully better blended price than selling it all as one mixed lot.
Get An Accurate Price
Send a photo and rough weight breakdown by grade via carbidescrapbuyers.com and we’ll quote same day — see Sell Carbide Scrap for the full process, or the complete grades reference for identification detail on every type.