How to Recycle CNC Machine Tools & Cutting Tools
Worn carbide cutting tools, inserts, end mills, and drill bits from machining operations, plus the high-speed steel tooling that gets scrapped alongside them. Carbide has a genuine buy-back market; HSS is ordinary alloy scrap.
Quick answer
Carbide cutting tools have a real posted buy-back market, and it pays better than most shops assume: two dealers posted roughly $19 per pound for carbide inserts and end mills in early August 2026, while high-speed steel is worth closer to $0.15 per pound. Kennametal and Sandvik Coromant both run take-back programs with free shipping containers; keep carbide segregated from HSS and general scrap to get carbide pricing on the whole load.
- Recyclable
- Yes
- Typical value
- Two US dealers posted carbide inserts and shapes at about $19.00 per pound, end mills and larger bits at $19 to $23 per pound, and high-speed steel at about $0.15 per pound, both pages dated 07/28 to 07/29/2026 (RR Carbide; Rockaway Recycling). Cobalt content was posted the same week at $1.50 to $5.00 per pound. Prices move; confirm current numbers before shipping.
- Donate / take-back
- Available
- 1Sort by material first: carbide commands roughly a hundred times the per-pound price of high-speed steel, so mixing them drops the whole load to HSS pricing
- 2Separate carbide inserts from solid carbide tools and from brazed carbide-on-steel tooling; major buy-back programs accept brazed carbide but price it separately
- 3Keep carbide sludge, grinding swarf, and dust in their own container; several buyers price it separately from solid scrap
- 4Remove tool holders, chucks, and non-carbide hardware
- 5Don't discard coated inserts (TiN, TiAlN) as unrecyclable; both major buy-back programs accept coated carbide
- 6Set aside ceramic and cermet inserts separately; these are not accepted by carbide buyers even though they look similar
- 7Package to prevent breakage in transit; broken carbide is still accepted and doesn't need to be kept in whole pieces
- 8Request a free collection container from a manufacturer program before assuming you need your own; neither major program requires a minimum weight to get started
- Kennametal carbide recycling program (free shipping containers, US/Canada)
- Sandvik Coromant recycling program (online price calculator, free collection boxes)
- Specialty carbide scrap buyers
- Industrial metal recyclers with carbide processing capability
Cobalt, and in some grades nickel, is the binder that holds tungsten carbide grains together. Kennametal's own recovery process heats scrap with molten zinc, which diffuses into the cobalt binder, swells the material, and makes it brittle enough to crush into powder for reuse, a route that depends on clean, unmixed, single-grade scrap. Cobalt is EPCRA Section 313-listed, so high-volume users should check whether their facility crosses the reporting threshold under 40 CFR 372 with their own compliance team rather than assume it applies. Whole worn-out machine tools have a real used-equipment resale market that often exceeds scrap value; get a rigging and freight estimate before assuming a machine is scrap.
Carbide recycling is a real industrial loop, not a marketing claim. Kennametal and Sandvik Coromant both run active buy-back programs with free collection containers for US and Canada customers. Kennametal's zinc-diffusion process crushes recovered material into powder that goes back into new carbide, which is why clean, single-grade scrap earns the best price. Sandvik cites USGS 2024 figures putting global tungsten reserves around 4.6 million tons, the resource pressure the recycling market exists to relieve. Specific industry-wide recovery-rate percentages couldn't be independently verified and aren't repeated here.
Accepted
- Solid carbide cutting tools, end mills, and drill bits
- Carbide inserts, including coated grades (TiN, TiAlN)
- Brazed carbide-on-steel tooling
- Carbide sludge, grinding swarf, and dust (priced separately)
- High-speed steel tooling (low value, ordinary alloy scrap)
Not Accepted
- Ceramic and cermet inserts - these aren't carbide and most carbide buyers reject them
- Diamond-tipped inserts
- Thoriated tungsten welding electrodes - these are welding consumables, not cutting tools, and may need separate radioactive-materials handling
Estimated value: Two US dealers posted carbide inserts and shapes at about $19.00 per pound, end mills and larger bits at $19 to $23 per pound, and high-speed steel at about $0.15 per pound, both pages dated 07/28 to 07/29/2026 (RR Carbide; Rockaway Recycling). Cobalt content was posted the same week at $1.50 to $5.00 per pound. Prices move; confirm current numbers before shipping.
Manufacturer/Retail Take‑Back
- Cobalt/nickel binder in tungsten carbide (respiratory sensitizer)
- Tungsten particles in dust and grinding swarf
- Coating materials (TiN, TiAlN) in trace amounts
How much is scrap carbide actually worth?
Two US dealers posted carbide inserts around $19.00/lb and end mills at $19-23/lb in early August 2026, versus roughly $0.15/lb for high-speed steel. Prices are dated and move weekly; confirm the current rate with your buyer before shipping.
Do I need a minimum quantity to sell scrap carbide?
No. Kennametal's program states no weight minimum for US and Canada customers, and Sandvik's program accepts material through its own collection boxes. The old '10 pounds and up' rule of thumb isn't accurate for either major program.
Are coated carbide inserts accepted for recycling?
Yes. Both Kennametal and Sandvik accept coated inserts (TiN, TiAlN, and similar). Coating doesn't disqualify a tool from the carbide buy-back market.
What tools should I NOT put in the carbide scrap bin?
Ceramic and cermet inserts and diamond-tipped inserts. They resemble carbide but aren't accepted by carbide buyers and should be sorted out separately.
How does carbide recycling actually work?
Kennametal's process heats scrap with molten zinc, which diffuses into the cobalt binder, swells the material, and makes it brittle enough to crush into powder. That powder is reprocessed into new carbide, which is why clean, single-grade, unmixed scrap earns the best price.
Is it worth selling a whole worn-out CNC machine for scrap?
Often not the best option. A used-equipment resale market normally values a working machine well above its scrap weight. Get a rigging and freight estimate and compare it to a resale quote before defaulting to scrap.
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