If you work on cars, run a panel shop or just have a stack of old alloys taking up space in the shed, those wheels are worth more than you might think. Aluminium is one of the most useful and valuable metals to bring in for recycling, and aluminium wheel rims sit near the top of the list. This post is a quick guide for mechanics, panel beaters, smash repairers and home garage tinkerers wondering how to turn a pile of old rims into honest cash.
Why Aluminium Wheels and Rims Are One of the Most Valuable Scrap Metals
Aluminium holds its value well at scrap yards because it can be melted down and reused over and over without losing quality. Wheel rims are made from a clean, heavy grade of aluminium, which means even a small stack adds up to a useful weight on the scales. For a quick refresher on aluminium scrap in general, take a look at our guide on how to recycle aluminium.
What Aluminium Wheels and Rims We Buy at Action Metal Recyclers
We accept aluminium wheels and rims from cars, light trucks and 4WDs. Most aftermarket alloys, factory mag wheels and aluminium truck rims fit the bill. Our aluminium recycling page lists rims alongside the other common forms of aluminium scrap we buy, including cans, extrusions, sheet, pure aluminium wire and engines.
Why You Need to Strip the Tyres Off Aluminium Rims Before Scrapping
To get the best return, the rubber tyre needs to come off. A rim with the tyre still on counts as a contaminated load, which drops the grade and the price. If you have a tyre changer in the workshop, do it on site. If not, your local tyre shop will usually pop them off for a small fee. Once the rims are bare, stack them somewhere flat so they’re easy to load.
How to Tell Aluminium Rims from Steel Wheels (The Magnet Test)
Plenty of older cars and work utes still run steel wheels, which are a different metal altogether. A magnet is the easy test: it sticks to steel and not to aluminium. Sort them into two piles before you load up. Steel wheels are still worth recycling, just under our steel scrap category rather than aluminium.
Where to Drop Off Aluminium Rims Across Queensland
For a small load, drop straight into one of our yards. Our head office is at Oxley (2145 Ipswich Road), and we have yards at Coopers Plains, Kingston, Toowoomba, Burleigh Heads, Banyo, Gladstone, Townsville, Warwick and the Sunshine Coast. Yards are open Monday to Friday 7:00am to 4:30pm and Saturday 7:00am to 11:30am.
For a bigger workshop clean-out, our Weigh and Pay service brings the scales to you. We weigh the load on the spot and pay cash, which suits mechanics, panel shops and anyone with more rims than will fit in the back of the ute.
Turn Your Old Aluminium Wheels Into Cash Today
A pile of old rims is one of the easiest scrap loads to turn into cash for scrap. Strip the tyres, sort the alloys from the steel, and either drop into your nearest yard or call our team to book Weigh and Pay. Get in touch through our contact page if you’d like to talk a bigger load through first.
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