How do you calculate carbide recovery value?

Multiply scrap quantity by the buy-back rate and the clean-yield percentage, then add fixed handling. With 100 units at $45, 80% yield, and $250 handling, the total is $3,850, or $38.50 per unit.

What is scrap carbide actually worth?

It depends on tungsten and cobalt pricing and the scrap grade, but clean sorted carbide often commands strong per-pound rates. The clean-yield factor — 80% in the example — captures how much of your lot qualifies.

Why does clean yield matter so much?

Reclaimers pay top rate only for clean, single-grade scrap. In the example, an 80% yield turns a $4,500 gross into $3,600 of captured value, so contamination directly costs you money.

Is a carbide recovery program worth the effort?

For shops consuming carbide endmills, inserts, and drills, yes. Even after a $250 handling cost, a lot can net thousands, making dedicated scrap bins and grade sorting an easy payback.

Recovery value vs disposal cost — how do they compare?

Scrapping carbide as general waste costs you disposal fees and forfeits resale. Recovery flips that waste into revenue, so the two differ by the full recovery value plus avoided disposal.

How do I increase carbide recovery value?

Segregate carbide from HSS and steel at the machine, keep grades separate where reclaimers pay a premium, and keep scrap clean and dry to raise the yield factor.

Tool Sharpening, Reconditioning & Industrial Repair Services calculator

Carbide Recovery Value Calculator

Carbide recovery value is the money reclaimed from worn and broken carbide tooling by selling scrap tungsten carbide to a reclaimer, after accounting for the clean-yield percentage that survives sorting and the fixed cost of collecting it. Reconditioning shops and machine shops with heavy carbide consumption track it because tungsten carbide scrap carries real resale value and a disciplined collection program turns waste into a revenue line. The yield factor matters because contaminated or mixed-grade scrap fetches less than clean, sorted material. This calculator returns the total recovery value and the value per unit of scrap.

What this calculator does

Carbide recovery value is the money reclaimed from worn and broken carbide tooling by selling scrap tungsten carbide to a reclaimer, after accounting for the clean-yield percentage that survives sorting and the fixed cost of collecting it.
Use it when carbide recovery value in tool sharpening, reconditioning and industrial repair services is being put through a tool sharpening, reconditioning and industrial repair services weighted-cost review.
It computes total recovery value as scrap quantity times buy-back rate times clean yield, plus a fixed handling cost, then divides by quantity for value per unit.

Formula used

Carbide Recovery Value cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost
Per-unit carbide recovery value = total cost ÷ quantity

Inputs explained

Weight or count of scrap carbide processed:
Scrap carbide buy-back rate:
Clean carbide yield after sorting:
Fixed collection and handling cost:

How to use the result

Use it to size the payback of a carbide segregation program or to value a scrap lot before shipping it to a reclaimer.
Buy-back rates track volatile tungsten and cobalt markets and vary by grade and cleanliness, so treat the rate as a quote for a specific lot, not a stable constant.

Common questions

How do you calculate carbide recovery value? Multiply scrap quantity by the buy-back rate and the clean-yield percentage, then add fixed handling. With 100 units at $45, 80% yield, and $250 handling, the total is $3,850, or $38.50 per unit.
What is scrap carbide actually worth? It depends on tungsten and cobalt pricing and the scrap grade, but clean sorted carbide often commands strong per-pound rates. The clean-yield factor — 80% in the example — captures how much of your lot qualifies.
Why does clean yield matter so much? Reclaimers pay top rate only for clean, single-grade scrap. In the example, an 80% yield turns a $4,500 gross into $3,600 of captured value, so contamination directly costs you money.
Is a carbide recovery program worth the effort? For shops consuming carbide endmills, inserts, and drills, yes. Even after a $250 handling cost, a lot can net thousands, making dedicated scrap bins and grade sorting an easy payback.
Recovery value vs disposal cost — how do they compare? Scrapping carbide as general waste costs you disposal fees and forfeits resale. Recovery flips that waste into revenue, so the two differ by the full recovery value plus avoided disposal.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.