Metal Recycling, Scrap Processing & Salvage calculator

Scrap freight burden Calculator

Scrap freight burden is the total loader and labor time a yard must budget to stage, load, tarp, and dispatch outbound scrap before it leaves the gate. Yard managers and logistics coordinators at ferrous and non-ferrous recyclers use it to size loader crews against a haul schedule and to keep trucks from sitting on demurrage. Because loading a 22-ton gondola of shred is not the same as topping off a roll-off of clean copper, the rate per minute matters as much as the tonnage. Adding a realistic delay allowance for weigh-ins, tarping, and grade segregation is what turns a clean base figure into a number you can actually staff to.

What this calculator does

  • Estimate scrap freight burden for metal recycling, scrap processing and salvage using production-ready inputs so teams can plan labor hours, schedule the work, or check whether the job fits the available shift time.
  • Use it when scrap freight burden in metal recycling, scrap processing and salvage is being added to next week's schedule and you need an honest hours estimate.
  • It computes the loader and labor hours needed to move a given scrap tonnage at a stated loading rate, then inflates that base time by a setup and delay allowance.

Formula used

  • Base scrap freight burden time = scrap freight burden workload ÷ scrap freight burden completion rate
  • Required scrap freight burden time = base scrap freight burden time × allowance factor

Inputs explained

  • Tonnage of scrap to haul this shift:
  • Loading throughput per loader-minute:
  • Setup, tarping, and weigh-in delay allowance:

How to use the result

  • Use it when scheduling outbound haulers, sizing a loading crew for a peak buying day, or quoting how long a dedicated trailer will be tied up at your yard.
  • It assumes a single steady loading rate; in practice grade segregation, magnet downtime, and scale congestion can swing real throughput far more than the flat allowance captures.

Current U.S. benchmarks

  • The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
  • U.S. iron and steel imports ran $2.1B in May 2026 (Census International Trade). The U.S. ran a trade deficit of $0.4B in the category that month. Import volumes are the pressure gauge behind tariff and reshoring decisions.

Common questions

  • How do you calculate scrap freight burden time? Divide the tonnage by your loading rate to get base time, then multiply by the allowance factor. With 120 units at 12 units/min and a 10% allowance, base time is 10 hr and required time is 11 hr.
  • Why use units per minute instead of tons per hour? Loader cycle data is usually captured per bucket or per minute on the yard. Working in units per minute keeps the math aligned with how loaders and shears are actually clocked, then the calculator rolls it up to hours for you.
  • What is a realistic delay allowance for loading scrap? Most yards land between 8 and 20 percent depending on tarping requirements, scale traffic, and how much grade segregation each load needs. The 10% default here is a lean, well-run mixed-ferrous yard.
  • Does this include the truck's drive time? No. This is gate-to-gate loading burden only. It covers staging, loading, tarping, and dispatch, not over-the-road transit or unloading at the mill.
  • How is base time different from required time? Base time is the raw loading math (10 hr in the example). Required time (11 hr) adds the allowance so your schedule reflects real-world weigh-ins and handling, not an idealized loader running nonstop.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.