Why the Part Tells You the Alloy
A gas turbine is built from the front to the back for rising temperature. Air enters cool at the fan and compressor, is burned in the combustor, and reaches the turbine blades and vanes at the hottest point in the machine. Engine designers pick a different alloy for each zone, so the part in your hand already narrows the grade before any reading is taken.
That matters for value. A drum of mixed turbine scrap is valued on the least useful alloy in it. The same parts sorted into discs, combustor sheet, blades and vanes can each go to the melter that wants that chemistry. This guide walks through the engine section by section, using the alloys and applications listed on our grade pages.
1. Fan and Compressor: Mostly Titanium
The front of the engine runs coolest, so weight matters more than heat. Titanium Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V) is listed for aircraft structures and engine fan and compressor parts, and most Grade 5 scrap reaches the market as aerospace machining turnings, bar ends and forging trim. Further back, where temperatures rise, the discs and shafts are nickel superalloys, covered in the next section.
- Keep titanium apart from everything else: it goes to a titanium melter, not a nickel melter.
- Keep Grade 5 apart from commercially pure titanium; the aluminium and vanadium change its use.
- Dry, oil-free turnings sell better than oily chips.
2. Discs, Shafts, Rings and Casings: Wrought Superalloys
The rotating discs that hold the blades, and the shafts and rings around them, are forged from wrought superalloys. Our grade pages list Inconel 718 for jet engine discs, shafts, casings and rings, Waspaloy for compressor and turbine discs, shafts and spacers, Udimet 720 for gas turbine discs, and Haynes 282 for combustors, casings and rings.
These alloys look identical as forging flash or turnings, but they differ where it counts for a melter:
| Alloy | What separates it on a reading |
|---|---|
| Inconel 718 | About 18.5% iron and 5% niobium; no cobalt to speak of |
| Waspaloy | About 13.5% cobalt, 4.3% molybdenum, 3% titanium |
| Udimet 720 | About 15% cobalt, 5% titanium, 1.25% tungsten |
| Haynes 282 | About 10% cobalt and 8.5% molybdenum |
A few 718 turnings in a Waspaloy drum bring iron and niobium into a melt that should have neither, which is why disc scrap is sorted by alloy, heat and job.
3. Combustor, Liners and Transition Ducts: Sheet Alloys
The combustor is built from formed and welded sheet, so its scrap is thin, often coated, and usually comes as cut-up cans, liners and transition ducts. The alloys listed for this zone on our pages are Hastelloy X and Haynes 230 (combustors and transition ducts), Haynes 188 (combustion cans and liners), Nimonic C-263 (combustion chambers and transition liners) and Haynes 25 (combustion chambers and afterburner parts).
| Alloy | Base | Marker |
|---|---|---|
| Hastelloy X | Nickel | About 18.5% iron, 9% molybdenum |
| Haynes 230 | Nickel | About 14% tungsten, 22% chromium |
| Nimonic C-263 | Nickel | About 20% cobalt, 5.9% molybdenum |
| Haynes 188 | Cobalt | About 39% cobalt, 22% nickel, 14% tungsten |
| Haynes 25 (L-605) | Cobalt | About 51% cobalt, 15% tungsten |
Two of these are cobalt-base. Mixing Haynes 188 or Haynes 25 into a nickel sheet lot wastes their cobalt and tungsten, so a quick reading before bagging is worth the time. Thermal-barrier coatings on liners should be declared; they add weight that is not metal.
Send photos of the parts and any part numbers or overhaul tags on WhatsApp, with the approximate weight and location. We review incoming enquiries and respond with relevant next steps.
4. Turbine Blades: Cast Nickel Superalloys
Turbine blades (called buckets in heavy-duty land turbines) are investment cast from nickel superalloys and are the most valuable single parts in the engine. Our grade pages list René 80 for turbine blades and vanes, IN-738 for industrial gas turbine blades, GTD-111 for first- and second-stage buckets in heavy-duty gas turbines, MGA 1400 for industrial rotating blades, MAR-M 247 and René 108 for directionally solidified blades and vanes, and René N5 and PWA 1484 for single-crystal high-pressure blades in aero engines.
Blade alloys are told apart by small amounts of hafnium, tantalum, tungsten and rhenium. Our guide on how to identify cast superalloy scrap sets out those markers grade by grade. Blades with coatings, ceramic core residue or braze should be described as they are; see superalloy revert recycling.
5. Vanes and Nozzles: Cobalt Alloys and High-Chromium Nickel Alloys
Vanes (nozzles) do not rotate, so they can trade some strength for oxidation and corrosion resistance. Many are cast cobalt alloys: MAR-M 509 for nozzle guide vanes, ECY-768 for industrial vane and nozzle segments, and X-40 and FSX-414 for first- and second-stage nozzle vanes. Others are high-chromium cast nickel alloys: GTD-222, GTD-241 and GTD-262 for heavy-duty nozzles, and IN-939 for vane segments.
The first sort is cobalt-base against nickel-base. A cobalt vane sold in a nickel blade lot loses most of its value, and the reverse spoils a cobalt melt.
Other Parts Worth Separating
| Part | Alloy listed on our pages |
|---|---|
| Honeycomb seals | Haynes 214 (turbine honeycomb seals) |
| Afterburner and nozzle sheet | René 41, Haynes 25, Hastelloy X |
| Turbocharger turbine wheels | Inconel 713C |
| High-temperature fasteners and springs | Inconel X-750, A-286 |
How to Sort Turbine Overhaul Scrap Before You Sell
- Separate by zone first: titanium, discs and rings, combustor sheet, blades, vanes.
- Within each zone, split cobalt-base from nickel-base parts with a reading.
- Keep part numbers, engine model and overhaul tags with each bag; they often name the alloy outright.
- Declare coatings, braze, ceramic core and attached hardware.
- Weigh and photograph each bag, then send the list.
Most of the turbine scrap we buy in India is from overhaul and casting work, much of it in South India, including Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Lots are sorted and prepared before dispatch: see how we sort and prepare scrap lots. Mipra Steel buys as a superalloy scrap importer and buyer and sells as an exporter from India.
Send the grade, form, quantity and delivery location.
Source a GradeTurbine parts scrap map FAQ
Which alloy are gas turbine blades made of?
Cast nickel superalloys. Examples listed on our pages are René 80, IN-738, GTD-111, MGA 1400, MAR-M 247 and René 108, and single-crystal René N5 and PWA 1484 in aero engines.
Which alloys are used in a gas turbine combustor?
Sheet alloys such as Hastelloy X, Haynes 230, Nimonic C-263 and the cobalt-base Haynes 188 and Haynes 25.
Are turbine vanes cobalt or nickel alloy?
Both. Many vanes are cast cobalt alloys such as MAR-M 509, ECY-768, X-40 and FSX-414; others are high-chromium nickel alloys such as GTD-222 and IN-939.
Which alloy are turbine discs made of?
Wrought superalloys such as Inconel 718, Waspaloy and Udimet 720.
Should turbine scrap be sorted before selling?
Yes. A mixed lot is valued on its least useful alloy; sorted by zone and alloy, each part can go to the melter that wants it.
Does Mipra Steel buy turbine overhaul scrap in India?
Yes. Mipra Steel buys blades, vanes, discs, combustor sheet and related scrap by alloy from sellers across India, much of it from South India.
Sources and Review
Figures are quoted as published in these sources; any value we could not confirm has been left out.
- Alloy compositions and applications as listed on this site's grade pages, each of which names its producer data sheet or standard: Titanium Grade 5, Inconel 718, Waspaloy, Udimet 720, Haynes 282, Hastelloy X, Haynes 230, Haynes 188, Nimonic C-263, Haynes 25, René 80, IN-738, GTD-111, MGA 1400, MAR-M 247, René N5, PWA 1484, MAR-M 509, ECY-768, X-40 and FSX-414, GTD-222, IN-939, Haynes 214, Inconel 713C.
Published by Mipra Steel, Khetwadi, Mumbai · Last updated