Key takeaways
- Inconel scrap is recovered nickel-chromium alloy, bought and sold by grade and UNS number, not as one material.
- The nine grades split into solid-solution wrought, age-hardened wrought and cast superalloys, and each group goes to a different kind of melt.
- The price per kg follows the nickel market and the payable elements, then moves with grade certainty, form, cleanliness, quantity and terms.
- Incoloy and Hastelloy are separate families; name the grade rather than the family to be priced for what you have.
Inconel scrap is one of the commonest high-nickel materials in the alloy scrap trade, and also one of the most loosely described. Sellers write “Inconel” on a drum the way people write “stainless” on a bin, when the drum could hold any of nine quite different alloys, a few pieces of Incoloy and a stray length of Hastelloy.
This page is a reference rather than a how-to. It explains what Inconel scrap actually is, how the grades differ in composition and purpose, where each one comes from and what decides the price per kg. If you already have material in front of you, the practical guides on how to identify Inconel scrap and how to sell Inconel scrap take it from there.
What Is Inconel Scrap?
Inconel scrap is any Inconel alloy that has left its first use and is going back to be melted: trimmings and turnings from fabrication and machining, pipe and plate from plant that has been replaced, worn furnace parts, and gates, risers and rejected castings from foundries. It is nickel-base material, so it is valued for its nickel and for the chromium, molybdenum, niobium and cobalt the alloy carries.
“Inconel” is a trade name for a family of nickel-chromium alloys. The trade name tells you the family; the number tells you the alloy; and the UNS number identifies the chemistry whoever made the metal. That is why a careful lot description reads “Inconel 625, UNS N06625” rather than just “Inconel”. The logic of those numbers is set out in how UNS numbers work.
Two things set Inconel apart from stainless steel scrap. First, nickel is the base element, not iron: most Inconel grades are well over half nickel. Second, the alloying additions are expensive metals in their own right, so a confirmed grade carries much more value than a vague “high-nickel” label.
Inconel Scrap Grades and Their Composition
Nine Inconel grades come up regularly as scrap, and their compositions differ enough that an analyser reading will usually separate them. The table gives nominal values from the site’s grade data; real heats vary within their specification limits.
| Grade | UNS | Type | Key elements (nominal, wt%) | Typical service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inconel 600 | N06600 | Wrought, solid solution | Ni 76, Cr 15.5, Fe 8 | Furnace muffles, caustic evaporators, older steam generator tube |
| Inconel 601 | N06601 | Wrought, solid solution | Ni 61, Cr 23, Fe 14, Al 1.4 | Radiant tubes, retorts, furnace baskets |
| Inconel 617 | N06617 | Wrought, solid solution | Ni 54, Cr 22, Co 12.5, Mo 9, Al 1.2 | Combustion cans, transition ducts, nitric acid catalyst supports |
| Inconel 625 | N06625 | Wrought, solid solution | Ni 62, Cr 21.5, Mo 9, Nb 3.6, Fe 4 | Subsea and process pipe, scrubbers, bellows, exhaust ducting |
| Inconel 690 | N06690 | Wrought, solid solution | Ni 62, Cr 29, Fe 9 | Nuclear steam generator tube, nitric acid equipment |
| Inconel 706 | N09706 | Wrought, age-hardened | Ni 42, Fe 37.5, Cr 16, Nb 2.9, Ti 1.75 | Large land-based turbine discs and shafts |
| Inconel 713C | N07713 | Cast superalloy | Ni 73, Cr 12.5, Al 6.1, Mo 4.2, Nb 2 | Turbocharger wheels, small turbine wheels, blades |
| Inconel 718 | N07718 | Wrought, age-hardened | Ni 53, Cr 19, Fe 18.5, Nb 5.1, Mo 3 | Jet engine discs and casings, wellhead parts, bolting |
| IN-939 | Usually named by trade name and OEM specification | Cast superalloy | Ni 49, Cr 22.4, Co 19, Ti 3.7, W 2, Ta 1.4 | Nozzle guide vanes in industrial and marine turbines |
Nominal values from the grade pages; specification limits vary by product form.
A few patterns are worth remembering. Inconel 600 is the plain nickel-chromium-iron alloy with nothing else of note. Inconel 690 is close to 600 but with nearly twice the chromium. Inconel 625 and 718 both carry niobium, but 718 has about four times the iron. The two cast grades, 713C and IN-939, carry aluminium and titanium at levels no wrought Inconel on the list reaches. For pairs that get confused, the Inconel 625 vs 718 comparison and the Inconel 600 vs 690 comparison go element by element.
How Do the Inconel Grades Group in Scrap?
Inconel scrap falls into three groups that matter to a buyer: solid-solution wrought grades, age-hardened wrought grades and cast superalloys. The group tells you what kind of melter wants the material and how tightly its chemistry has to be controlled.
Solid-Solution Wrought Grades: 600, 601, 617, 625, 690
These are strengthened by the elements dissolved in the nickel, mainly chromium, molybdenum and niobium, and are used for corrosion and oxidation resistance. Their scrap is mostly plate, pipe, tube, bar and turnings from fabrication shops and plant rebuilds. Because the forms are simple and the chemistry is stable, they are usually the easiest Inconel scrap to grade.
Age-Hardened Wrought Grades: 706 and 718
These carry niobium, titanium and aluminium, which form fine precipitates during heat treatment and give them their high strength. Their scrap comes mostly from machining forged parts, so it arrives as large volumes of turnings, plus bar ends and forging offcuts. A melter making 718 wants every one of those elements inside a narrow band, which is why a lot of 718 turnings is only worth its full value when nobody has mixed in 625.
Cast Superalloys: 713C and IN-939
These are investment-casting alloys high in aluminium, titanium and, for IN-939, cobalt. Their scrap is foundry revert and retired turbine parts. It usually goes back to a superalloy melter as revert, a route explained in how superalloy revert returns to the melt. Turbine hardware often carries coatings and repairs that need declaring, which selling turbine blade scrap covers in detail.
Wrought Grades (600 to 718)
- Forms plate, pipe, bar, sheet and turnings
- Sources fabrication, machining and plant rebuilds
- Grade evidence stencils, heat numbers and mill certificates
- Main risk grades mixed at the saw or in the chip bin
Cast Grades (713C, IN-939)
- Forms gates, risers, rejected castings, blades and vanes
- Sources foundries and turbine overhauls
- Grade evidence part numbers, foundry records and readings
- Main risk coatings, braze and ceramic core residue
What Is Inconel Scrap Used for?
Inconel scrap is remelted. Its best use is to go back into a new heat of the same grade, where every element it carries is wanted; failing that, it supplies nickel and chromium to other alloy melts.
A melt shop producing Inconel 625 can charge clean, confirmed 625 scrap alongside primary metal and save buying fresh nickel, chromium, molybdenum and niobium. Scrap whose grade is uncertain, or which is a mixture, cannot be trusted in that way. It can still be used where only nickel and chromium matter, but the molybdenum, niobium or cobalt it carries is then wasted, and the price reflects that. Where recycled nickel alloys end up in practice is the subject of uses of nickel alloy scrap.
- Mill product plate, pipe, bar, forgings and castings to a grade
- Fabrication and service offcuts and turnings now, retired equipment later
- Scrap lot kept to one grade and form with readings
- Remelt charged into a new heat of the same or a compatible grade
Where Does Inconel Scrap Come from?
Inconel scrap comes from the industries that need nickel alloys for heat, corrosion or strength, and each one produces its own grades.
- Oil and gas. Inconel 625 pipe and fittings, clad and weld-overlaid pipe, and 718 wellhead and valve parts. See oil and gas nickel alloy scrap.
- Aerospace. Large volumes of 718 turnings from disc, shaft and casing machining, 625 exhaust and ducting trim, and cast grades from turbine work. See aerospace scrap.
- Power generation. 617 combustion hardware, 706 and 718 rotor parts, and IN-939 vanes from gas turbine outages. See power generation scrap.
- Furnaces and heat treatment. Inconel 600 and 601 muffles, retorts, radiant tubes, baskets and trays. These are often distorted and scaled after years at temperature.
- Chemical processing. 600 caustic equipment, 625 scrubber parts and 690 nitric acid equipment.
- Nuclear. 600 and 690 steam generator material, traded only after radiological clearance.
Knowing the source is useful evidence. “Turnings from a disc machining line” points strongly to 718; “radiant tubes from a carburising furnace” points to 600 or 601. A buyer will still want readings, but a credible source narrows the field.
What Sets the Inconel Scrap Price per Kg?
The Inconel scrap price per kg is set lot by lot from the metal the lot contains, adjusted for how certain, clean and convenient that metal is. There is no single Inconel rate, and any figure quoted without the grade, form and terms attached tells you very little.
| What moves the price | Why it matters for Inconel |
|---|---|
| Nickel market | Nickel is 50–76% of most grades, so the exchange price of nickel moves every offer |
| Payable alloying elements | Molybdenum in 625 and 617, niobium in 625 and 718, cobalt in 617 and IN-939 add value when the grade is confirmed |
| Grade certainty | Readings, stencils and certificates let the buyer place the lot in a matching melt |
| Single grade or mixed | A mixture can only be used for its lowest common use |
| Form | Solids charge easily; turnings carry oil, fines and oxide |
| Contamination | Weld overlay on steel, coatings, braze, attachments and tramp elements cost money to remove or limit the melt |
| Quantity, location and terms | Freight, handling and payment terms come out of the same price |
This is why a seller can move the price per kg without waiting for the market: by splitting grades, stripping attachments, drying turnings and sending evidence. The full build-up of an offer is explained in nickel alloy scrap price per kg: what decides the rate, and the contained metal calculator shows how many kilograms of nickel, molybdenum and niobium sit inside a given weight of each grade.
We do not publish an Inconel scrap rate. Metal prices move daily and two lots of the same grade can differ widely in form and condition, so any printed figure would mislead more sellers than it helped.
Is Incoloy or Hastelloy Scrap the Same as Inconel Scrap?
No. Incoloy and Hastelloy are separate alloy families, and their scrap is sorted and sold separately from Inconel.
Incoloy grades such as 825 and 925 are iron-nickel-chromium alloys with around 42–44% nickel and a large share of iron; the Inconel vs Incoloy comparison shows the gap. Hastelloy grades are built around molybdenum, up to about 28% in B-2, and C-276 carries tungsten, which no common Inconel grade does in quantity. Inconel 706 is the odd one out in its own family, with almost as much iron as nickel, so it is easy to misfile as an Incoloy.
The practical rule is simple: name the grade, not the family. A lot described as “Incoloy 825” or “Hastelloy C-276” will be priced for what it is; the same metal in a drum labelled “Inconel” will be priced for the doubt.
Which Standards and Markings Identify Inconel?
Wrought Inconel is made to ASTM B product specifications, and those numbers, stencilled with the UNS number and a heat number, are among the best grade evidence a scrap lot can carry. Inconel 600, 601, 617 and 690 appear under B168 for plate, B166 for bar and B163 or B167 for tube and pipe. Inconel 625 is made to B443, B444 and B446, and 718 to B637 and B670 as well as AMS 5662, 5663 and 5596. The cast grades are bought to AMS or turbine-maker specifications, so their evidence is usually part numbers and foundry records.
The full list is in ASTM B specifications for nickel alloys, and the equivalent grade chart matches trade names to UNS and W.Nr. numbers.
Who Buys and Supplies Inconel Scrap in India?
Mipra Steel buys and supplies Inconel scrap by grade from Khetwadi, Mumbai, and handles import and export enquiries through its head office and its offices in Dubai and South Korea. We act as an Inconel scrap buyer for sellers in India and abroad, and as a supplier and exporter for melters who need a named grade.
Inconel scrap normally ships under HS 7503.00, nickel waste and scrap; national tariff lines add further digits, so confirm the full code with your customs broker. The countries served include Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, South Korea and Australia; country pages such as nickel alloy scrap in the UAE and nickel alloy scrap in Italy describe what each market produces.
Whether you are selling or buying, the useful details are the same: grade and UNS number, form, approximate weight, location, photographs and any readings or certificates. Send those and we’ll review your enquiry.
Submit a requirement with the grade, form, quantity and delivery location.
Source a GradeFAQ
Is Inconel scrap valuable?
Yes, compared with most metal scrap. Inconel is mostly nickel, often with molybdenum, niobium or cobalt, and those elements are costly to buy new. How much a given lot is worth depends on the confirmed grade, the form, cleanliness, quantity and market at the time. A clean, single-grade lot with readings is valued well above a mixed drum of the same weight.
Which Inconel grade is most common in scrap?
Inconel 625 and 718 are seen very often. 625 is widely used for corrosion service in oil and gas, chemical plant and marine work, so it turns up as pipe, plate and turnings. 718 is machined in large volumes for aerospace and oilfield parts, so it turns up mainly as turnings, bar ends and forging offcuts.
Is Inconel scrap magnetic?
The common Inconel grades are non-magnetic at room temperature, so a magnet will not pick them up. That does not prove a piece is Inconel, because austenitic stainless steel and many other alloys are also non-magnetic. Use a magnet only to pull out carbon steel, then confirm the grade with an analyser reading, markings or a certificate.
Is Incoloy 825 a type of Inconel?
No. Incoloy 825 (UNS N08825) is an iron-nickel-chromium alloy with about 42% nickel, 30% iron, 3% molybdenum and 2% copper. It belongs to the Incoloy family and is sold as Incoloy scrap. Putting it in an Inconel lot lowers the nickel content of the lot and adds copper that many Inconel melts do not want.
Why is there no UNS number for some Inconel scrap grades?
Several cast superalloys, IN-939 among them, are bought to turbine-maker or aerospace material specifications rather than to a general ASTM product standard, so they are usually identified by trade name, specification and part number. The scrap is still graded by chemistry: readings for chromium, cobalt, titanium and tungsten, plus part records, carry the grade.
What is the HS code for Inconel scrap?
Inconel scrap is a nickel alloy, so it is normally classified under HS 7503.00, nickel waste and scrap. Countries add further digits for their own tariff lines, and some classify particular forms differently, so confirm the full code with your customs broker. The paperwork that travels with it is covered in export documents for alloy scrap.
Can Inconel scrap be mixed with stainless steel scrap?
It should not be. Stainless steel is iron-base with roughly 8–25% nickel, while Inconel is mostly nickel. Once mixed, the lot can only be valued as the lower material, and sorting it out again means reading every piece. Keep Inconel in its own bins by grade and form from the start.
