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We buy it in any formSell tungsten carbide in any form, from any state
You can sell tungsten carbide to us in any form, worn or broken included: ship it from any US state and we pay the shipping, or we pick it up in every city in California, Arizona and Nevada. Tell us what you have on the quote form.
Who buys tungsten carbide, and the two ways we buy it
Scrap buyers such as us buy tungsten carbide, and the industry runs buy-back programs that, as ITIA puts it, motivate end users to collect and separate tungsten products. USGS counts seven US companies with the capability to convert tungsten concentrates, oxide or scrap into tungsten powder, carbide powder or chemicals (2026 edition).
USGS calls scrap an important source of raw material for the tungsten industry (2025 edition). Its 2026 edition notes that tungsten has not been mined commercially in the United States since 2015.
We are a family owned and operated business that buys scrap carbide in any form, by two routes:
- You ship it, from any state. We pay the shipping.
- We pick it up in every city in California, Arizona and Nevada.
If you are looking for tungsten carbide buyers near you: in those three states we come to your city, and from every other state you ship to us and we pay the shipping.
Sources: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Tungsten; USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Tungsten; ITIA: Supply and circularity.
What we buy: any form of tungsten carbide
We buy cemented carbide, meaning tungsten carbide (WC) grains held in a cobalt or other metal binder, in any form, coated, brazed or broken.
| Form | Typical pieces | Scrap type |
|---|---|---|
| Inserts | Turning, milling, grooving and threading inserts (replaceable cutting tips clamped in a holder); ITIA puts their tungsten content typically above 80% | Hard |
| End mills and drills | Solid round tools, reamers, routers | Hard |
| Rods and blanks | Unground rod, blanks, cut-off ends | Hard |
| Brazed tips and saw tips | Carbide brazed onto steel; carbide-tipped saw blades | Hard, on steel |
| Dies and wear parts | Drawing and compacting dies, punches, plungers, seal rings, chuck jaws | Hard |
| Mining and road bits | Rock drill buttons, roller cone inserts, road-milling chisels | Hard, often on steel |
| Grindings, sludge and powder | Grinding sludge, swarf, sweepings, loose powder | Soft |
| Mixed lots | Any of these in one bucket | Both |
USGS calls solid carbide parts hard scrap and fine particles such as sludge and swarf soft scrap. Some bimetal saw blades carry high-speed steel (HSS) teeth rather than carbide, so photograph the teeth.
Our second line is exotic metals and alloys, such as titanium, nickel and cobalt alloys and tantalum. Name them in the form's exotic metals box.
Sources: ITIA: Recycling of tungsten, part 1 (May 2018); ITIA: Cemented carbides, a success story (June 2010); ITIA: Tungsten in steel (December 2008); NTP background document on hard metals; USGS Open-File Report 2005-1028.
Why worn, chipped and broken carbide still carries its tungsten
Worn carbide is still carbide: tool wear is measured at the cutting edge, in tenths of a millimetre. Tool-wear course notes describe flank wear as a wear land formed as the freshly cut surface rubs the tool, and a 2019 study says wear along the cutting edge is generally caused by cracking and microchipping.
A paper citing ISO 3685:1993, the tool-life test for turning with sintered carbide tools, says the standard calls an average flank wear land (VBB) of 0.3 mm, or 0.6 mm at its widest (VBBmax), the most commonly used end-of-life thresholds. By that test, a tool is finished once its wear land is a few tenths of a millimetre wide.
Recycling depends on what the scrap is made of, not on whether it still cuts. ITIA says sorted, cleaned carbide scrap becomes a powder with the same composition as the scrap, and USGS notes that the chemical route can reuse almost any type of cemented carbide scrap.
Heavily worn road tools keep most of their carbide too. In an ITIA example, a road-milling chisel started with a 24 g carbide tip, and the worn tips weighed 14 to 17 g, about 58 to 71% of the original.
Sources: Materials (Basel) 2019: wear of uncoated carbide; AASTMT course notes: tool wear and tool life; Materials Science Forum vol. 986 (UMONS copy), citing ISO 3685; ITIA: Recycling of tungsten, part 2 (August 2019); USGS Open-File Report 01-349; ITIA: Recycling of tungsten, part 1 (May 2018).
What to put in the quote form, and why each part helps
The quote form asks three things about the carbide.
- What form. Tick each form and note whether pieces are coated, brazed or oily, because that shapes how scrap is handled. USGS says the zinc process takes hard scrap such as used inserts and needs careful sorting to remove oil, solder and coatings; ITIA says most soft scrap and unsorted hard scrap go the chemical route.
- About how much. A guess in pounds or kilograms, or a count of buckets, is enough. It tells us whether the lot travels as one box, several or a pallet.
- Photos. Up to six: everything at once, then close-ups of shapes, coatings, braze and steel shanks. TiN (titanium nitride) coating is gold-colored. Shape will not separate carbide from HSS, because drills, taps, milling cutters and saw blades are where ITIA puts about 95% of HSS. The density check helps.
A scrap buyer records much the same at the sale: in Arizona, a photograph, an identifying description and the weight of the scrap.
Sources: USGS Open-File Report 01-349; ITIA: Recycling of tungsten, part 2 (August 2019); ITIA: Cemented carbides, a success story (June 2010); ITIA: Tungsten in steel (December 2008); Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1642.
Getting paid: cash where state law allows it
We pay cash where state law allows it. Arizona and Nevada both limit cash for scrap metal, and neither statute names carbide as an exception.
| State | Payment rule |
|---|---|
| Arizona (ARS 44-1642) | For scrap metal transactions of $300 or more, a dealer "shall not provide payment for any scrap metal on site at the time of the scrap metal transaction"; a check or money order is mailed to the address on your ID. A seller may take part in only one cash transaction per day for scrap metal. Industrial accounts (businesses that file monthly transaction privilege tax returns and are reasonably expected to generate the type of scrap they sell) are exempt from the mailed-payment rule if they preregister their selling employees yearly. |
| Nevada (NRS 647) | For purchases of $150 or more, the processor "must pay the seller only by check or electronic transfer of money", and a check to a business is made out to the business. Only one cash deal under $150 is allowed per seller per day. |
| California | The nonferrous payment rule (Bus. & Prof. Code 21608.5: a check mailed to the seller, or cash or check collected on or after the third business day) covers copper, copper alloys, stainless steel and aluminum. Tungsten carbide is not on that list; the general record rules for scrap metal purchases still apply. |
Have a photo ID ready for a pickup. California's record starts with your name and an ID such as a driver's license; Arizona and Nevada buyers also copy your ID and record a photo of you and your right index fingerprint.
Sources: Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1642; Arizona Revised Statutes 44-1641 (definitions); Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 647; California AB 1508 (Chapter 531, Statutes of 2012); California Attorney General Information Bulletin 2025-DLE-12.
Packing carbide to ship: weight limits and boxes
Use small, strong boxes, because carbide is nearly twice as dense as iron: two commercial grades with 3.7% and 6.0% cobalt measured 15.17 and 14.91 g/cm³, against 7.874 g/cm³ for pure iron.
- USPS: no mailpiece may weigh more than 70 pounds, Flat Rate boxes included, and Priority Mail in your own box allows 108 inches of length plus girth.
- Box strength: USPS says sturdy paperboard or corrugated boxes are best up to 10 pounds, and dense items such as tools weighing 20 to 45 pounds need at least 200-pound test board or a wood, metal or plastic container.
- Tape: reinforce every seam with 2-inch-wide tape, and brace contents so they cannot shift.
- Heavier lots: FedEx Ground takes packages up to 150 lb and treats anything heavier as freight. Its 2020 freight guide caps a pallet at 3,150 lb.
- Sludge: drain free liquid, seal the rest in a leak-proof container and name the coolant or oil in the form. Under USPS rules the mailer identifies flashpoint and other hazards.
Do not grind or cut pieces to fit a box: OSHA says breathing cobalt metal dust or fume may cause lung scarring (interstitial fibrosis) and sensitize the airways and skin (more on carbide dust).
A box of dull inserts and snapped drills still holds its tungsten, and we pay to ship it. Weigh it roughly, take a few photos and send the quote form.
Sources: OSTI 2376169: densities of two WC-Co grades (2023); NIST: density of iron; USPS Domestic Mail Manual 201; USPS Flat Rate quick reference; USPS Priority Mail; USPS: Preparing packages; USPS Domestic Mail Manual 601; USPS Publication 52, section 323; FedEx Ground; FedEx Freight; FedEx Freight Packaging Guidelines (Rev. 5/20); OSHA: Cobalt dust.
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 tungsten carbide?
To us, from anywhere in the country: send the quote form, email help@carbidebuyerus.com or call us.
Are there tungsten carbide buyers near me?
In California, Arizona and Nevada, yes: we come to your city. Elsewhere we do not pick up, but you ship the carbide to us and we pay the shipping.
Do you buy worn, chipped or broken carbide?
Yes. A dull insert or a snapped end mill is still carbide.
Do I have to sort my carbide before I sell it?
No. Send the mixed bucket as it is and tick every form it holds.
How will I be paid?
In cash, where state law allows it. Arizona and Nevada require a check, money order or electronic transfer at or above set amounts, as the payment section shows.
Have tungsten 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.