Scrap Value

[Germelli1]

Just a quick question:

How much are full size aluminum kegs worth in scrap value?

I know it is dependant on the price of aluminum but I am not too familiar with the scrap process.

I ask because there is almost always a keg for sale on craigslist at my college town for around $20...I have always assumed they were stolen or for sale for a reason where the owner could not get a legitimate deposite/scrap for it.

 

[jay4e]

i suspect you will likely get around $20 bucks for the keg. the problem is finding a place you can bring it to and getting a decent deal. assuming a keg weights 25-30 lbs empty, and you can get 70-80cents a lbs you are likely to breaking even at the moment. if you stockpile and wait for aluminum to break a $1 per lbs again (salvage prices not raw metal), you can likely make some decent money. also you might get lucky and get a few stainless for that price. problem is storing all the kegs.

 

[Bobby_M]

Most kegs are stainless. Even if you could make $10 a keg, deliberately sending them to the crusher is an utter blaspheme of the homebrewer code.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Most kegs are stainless. Even if you could make $10 a keg, deliberately sending them to the crusher is an utter blaspheme of the homebrewer code.

I was gonna say the same thing. I don't know if they even make aluminum kegs. Do they?

And you are correct about the blaspheme of causing the kegs to be crushed, chopped, and melted down.

To the OP, here's what you could do to make even more money, and help the homebrew community at the same time:

Buy all the kegs that you come across, cut the tops off, weld in a nipple, attach a ball valve, and sell them as keggles, HLTs, and MLTs. Heck, you could even sell them as fermenters without doing anything to them. Both ideas will net you more profit than sending them to the scrap yard, and you'll be contributing to the delinquency of homebrewers.

 

[Germelli1]

Sorry If I gave the wrong impression...the last thing I would ever do would be to send one of these to the scrapyard. I was just wondering if there was any threat of stolen kegs being sold that would get me in trouble if I ever used one for a deposit on a full one.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I have never heard of anyone being arrested for that, but I suppose it could happen. I have heard though, that a lot of places wont take them back without a receipt, so that could be the reason why you see so many on craigslist. I'd be willing to bet you a bottle of homebrew that if you tried to use one as a deposit, you'll be fine. Whether or not you'll be successful using it as a deposit, that could be a different matter.

 

[Dwain]

I just talked with the local AB distributor. They will buy back their kegs for the going deposit rate, $30 around San Antonio. I have "rescued" several just because I didn't want to see them scrapped. I have them around the shop, so I might sell them back. Most people around here on CL want $35 -$40 for the kegs and scrap is about $12 - $15 depending on stainless prices. By the way, the lady at the AB place said Miller and Coors had buy back policies also. - Dwain