Once you take an interest in the value of scrap metal, you’ll find yourself assessing all sorts of things for their scrap value. This week, we take a hypothetical approach to the business of scrap metal collecting, by assessing four iconic steel and iron structures for their scrap value.
Eiffel Tower
Known to locals as ‘La Dame de Fer’ (the Iron Lady), the Eiffel Tower has watched over the vibrant streets of Paris since 1889 when it was constructed as France’s entrance to the world fair. Architect Gustave Eiffel elected to build the tower out of wrought iron to prove that metal is just as strong as stone, just lighter. The tower is made of 7,300 tons of wrought iron and in Australia, iron fetches between $0.08 and $0.16 per kilo, so if you had the opportunity to scrap this iconic Parisian landmark, it would net you somewhere in the vicinity of $8.7 million dollars.
Golden Gate Bridge
This suspension bridge contains about 88,000 tons of steel which makes up about 10% of it’s total weight. Most of the steel was used in constructing the two main cables, which are the largest ever spun and contain enough wire to encircle the earth and the equator over three times. In Australia, the price for steel is relatively high and ranges between $0.75 and $2.00 per kilo, so the scrap value of San Francisco’s beloved Golden Gate Bridge would be about $114 million Australian dollars.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
An elegant steel landmark in our own backyard, Sydney Harbour Bridge is made up of 53,000 tons of steel, most of which was used to construct its iconic arc shape. Constructed in 1932, most of the steel (79%) had to be imported from England, with the rest being sourced locally. If we ever wanted to do away with this classic piece of Australian architecture, it would bet around $69 million Australian dollars in scrap value.
The Titanic
Indisputably the most famous maritime tragedy of the 20th century, the Titanic was the largest ship ever built at the time and was ironically proclaimed to be unsinkable. 24,000 tonnes of steel were used to build the hull of the ship, with another 1500 tonnes used to make rivets. However, the steel used in the construction of the ship was inferior by modern standards and up to 10 times more brittle than the steel used to construct modern ships. From a scrapper’s perspective, this would put the scrap value of the steel substantially lower than the standard price. Add to this the significant corrosion from spending the last 104 years at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean, and the bacteria eating away at the metal, chances are you’d get next to nothing if you bothered to dredge up the Titanic and take it to your local scrap yard. In fact, scientists predict that the Titanic will be no more that a rusty stain on the ocean floor in 15-20 years’ time.
Metal Men Recycling are established scrap metal buyers in Melbourne. We accept all grades of steel scrap and guarantee a fair price. To learn more please call 03 5941 6677.
