Hastelloy Scrap Grades and Uses: B-2, C-276, C-22 and X Explained

What Is Hastelloy Scrap?

Hastelloy scrap is any Hastelloy alloy returning to the melt: fabrication offcuts and turnings, plate and pipe from rebuilt plant, and worn hot-section parts. Hastelloy is a trade name for a group of nickel alloys, and like Inconel the name covers several unrelated chemistries, so the grade and UNS number matter more than the brand.

Three of the four grades on this site are corrosion alloys for wet chemical service. The fourth, Hastelloy X, is a heat-resisting alloy that shares the name but almost nothing of the purpose. All four are nickel-base and all carry molybdenum, which is the element that makes Hastelloy scrap worth sorting carefully.

Hastelloy Scrap Grades and Composition

The four grades differ mainly in how they balance molybdenum, chromium, tungsten and iron. Nominal values below come from the site’s grade data.

Read the table as two pairs. B-2 and C-276 are the high-molybdenum alloys; C-22 and X are the high-chromium ones. Within each pair, the third element tells them apart: tungsten and chromium in C-276 against almost none in B-2, and iron in X against very little in C-22.

Why Do the Hastelloy Grades Differ So Much?

Each grade is tuned for a different kind of attack, and the composition follows from that. Molybdenum resists reducing acids such as hydrochloric; chromium resists oxidising conditions; tungsten strengthens resistance to pitting in chlorides; and iron, in Hastelloy X, is part of a recipe built for strength and scaling resistance at temperature rather than for wet corrosion.

• B-2 pushes molybdenum as high as practical and leaves chromium out. That makes it excellent in hydrochloric acid, but it does poorly once oxidising species such as ferric or cupric ions are present, so it is used only where the process chemistry stays reducing.
• C-276 keeps a lot of molybdenum but adds chromium and tungsten, so it copes with both reducing and moderately oxidising conditions. That versatility is why it is the general-purpose Hastelloy in chemical plant and pollution control.
• C-22 moves the balance towards chromium, giving up some molybdenum. It handles oxidising media and chloride pitting better than C-276, at some cost in strongly reducing acid.
• X is a high-temperature sheet alloy. Its chromium forms a protective scale in hot oxidising gas to about 1,200 °C (2,190 °F), and molybdenum and iron in solid solution give it strength.

What Is Hastelloy C-276 Scrap?

Hastelloy C-276 scrap is recovered UNS N10276, the grade seen most often in Hastelloy scrap because it is specified so widely in chemical, pollution-control and sour gas plant. It reads at about 16% molybdenum, 15.5% chromium and nearly 4% tungsten, and that tungsten is its signature: Inconel 625 has similar chromium and molybdenum but carries niobium instead.

C-276 scrap typically appears as plate from scrubber and duct relining, pipe and tube from exchanger and reactor replacements, fittings and valve bodies, and turnings from machining flanges and forgings. Much of it has been in acid service and comes with scale or deposits, and some is not solid C-276 at all but a lining or cladding on steel, which changes the lot completely. The Inconel 625 vs Hastelloy C-276 comparison and the C-22 vs C-276 comparison set out the readings that separate it from its two closest neighbours.

Where Do Hastelloy B-2, C-22 and X Scrap Come from?

Each grade comes from the equipment it was chosen for, so the source of a lot is a good first clue to its grade.

Hastelloy B-2

B-2 scrap comes from chemical plant handling hydrochloric acid, and reducing sulfuric and acetic acid: reactors, pumps, valves, piping and exchanger parts. It is a narrow-use alloy, so volumes are small and lots are often single items from a rebuild. Its very high molybdenum makes it distinctive on any analyser.

Hastelloy C-22

C-22 scrap comes from pharmaceutical and fine-chemical reactors, pickling and metal-finishing lines, pulp bleach plants and flue-gas desulfurisation. It often arrives from the same sites as C-276, and the two are easy to mix in a yard.

Hastelloy X

Hastelloy X scrap comes from gas turbine overhauls (combustors, liners, transition ducts and tailpipe parts), from industrial furnace rebuilds and from sheet-fabrication trim. It is a different stream from the chemical grades, often thin, formed and oxidised, and it competes in the yard with other heat-resisting sheet alloys. The Hastelloy X vs Haynes 230 comparison shows the commonest confusion.

The industry view of these sources is on chemical plant nickel alloy scrap and power generation scrap.

How Do You Keep Hastelloy Grades Apart?

Keep Hastelloy grades apart by reading three elements on every piece: molybdenum, chromium and iron. Those three, with tungsten as a check, sort all four grades and also catch the Inconel and Incoloy that commonly get mixed in.

Why does the separation matter so much to a melter? Because each grade’s specification is tight and the grades sit far apart. A few pieces of B-2 in a C-276 heat raise molybdenum and dilute chromium; Hastelloy X brings close to a fifth iron into a melt designed to have very little; C-22 in a C-276 heat shifts chromium and molybdenum in opposite directions. Any of these can push a heat out of specification, so the buyer prices a mixed lot for the work of re-sorting it, or for a lower use. Analyser technique is covered in how handheld XRF sorts nickel alloys.

Keep Hastelloy away from Monel and copper-bearing alloys too. Copper is a contaminant in nickel-chromium-molybdenum melts, as explained in tramp elements and remelting.

Which Names and Markings Does Hastelloy Scrap Carry?

Hastelloy scrap is labelled in many ways, and every one of them should be translated back to a UNS number before a lot is described. Trade lists write “Hastelloy C276”, “Alloy C-276” and “C276” for N10276; “Alloy 22” and “C22” for N06022; “Alloy X” for N06002; and “B2” for N10665. European material may carry only a W.Nr. such as 2.4819 for C-276 or 2.4602 for C-22, which the grade name converter resolves.

Product stencils are the best markings to look for. Plate and sheet of C-276 and C-22 are made to ASTM B575, bar to B574 and pipe and tube to B622, often dual-marked with the ASME SB number. B-2 plate is B333, and Hastelloy X sheet is B435 or AMS 5536. A stencil with the specification, UNS number and a heat number, matched to a mill certificate, is strong evidence of grade.

Welding consumables follow their own naming. Filler wire classified ERNiCrMo-4 matches C-276, ERNiCrMo-10 matches C-22, ERNiMo-7 matches B-2 and ERNiCrMo-2 matches Hastelloy X. Spool ends and rod offcuts from a weld shop can be sorted with the grade they match, provided the classification is still on the spool or packet.

What Makes Hastelloy Scrap Valuable?

Hastelloy scrap is valued for its nickel and, unusually, for a large share of molybdenum, plus tungsten in the C grades and some cobalt. Molybdenum is a costly metal and Hastelloy carries far more of it than most other scrap, which is why a confirmed Hastelloy grade is worth more than a generic nickel-chromium lot of the same weight.

The rest of the price works as for any nickel alloy: confirmed grade, single-grade lots, form, cleanliness, quantity and terms. Lined and clad pieces, acid deposits and steel attachments are the usual deductions on Hastelloy. The way these factors build into a rate per kg is set out in nickel alloy scrap price per kg: what decides the rate, and the contained metal calculator estimates the molybdenum and tungsten in a lot.

Is Hastelloy Scrap the Same as Inconel Scrap?

No. Both are nickel-base, but they are separate families with different jobs, and their scrap is sold separately. Inconel grades are built mostly around chromium for heat and oxidation resistance, with molybdenum and niobium in 625; the corrosion-grade Hastelloys are built around molybdenum. Hastelloy X is the only one of the four that overlaps with Inconel in purpose, and even it carries far more iron than most Inconels. The Inconel vs Hastelloy comparison goes through the families side by side, and what is Inconel scrap gives the Inconel picture.

Buying or Selling Hastelloy Scrap

Mipra Steel is a Hastelloy scrap buyer and supplier working from Khetwadi, Mumbai, with offices in Dubai and South Korea, and handles import and export enquiries for B-2, C-276, C-22 and X by grade. Hastelloy scrap is a nickel alloy and normally ships under HS 7503.00; confirm the national tariff line with your customs broker.

For a useful first response, give the grade and UNS number, form, approximate weight, location, photographs, and readings showing molybdenum, chromium, iron and tungsten. Say whether any piece is clad or lined, and where the material served. The Hastelloy scrap overview links each grade page. Send the details and we’ll review your enquiry.

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