How to Sell Scrap Metal in Indianapolis: 2026 Scrap Yard Guide

To sell scrap metal in Indianapolis, sort it at home, call a scrap yard that buys from the public for that day’s price, and bring a government-issued photo ID. At the scale, the yard weighs your metal, records who you are and photographs you with the load, because Indiana law requires that for nearly any metal you sell.

Each yard turns away different things, from propane tanks to refrigerators with the compressor still attached, so the phone call before you load is what saves a wasted trip.

We don’t buy scrap or run a scrap yard. We haul junk, metal included, and our page on appliance removal explains how a crew pickup works. The yard hours, rules and refusals below are each yard’s own, as posted when we checked on October 27, 2026.

Which Indianapolis Scrap Yards Buy Metal From the Public?

Six yards with Indianapolis addresses say on their own websites that they buy scrap from the public, and all six take copper, aluminum, brass and stainless steel:

Call before you load, since hours change. For example, only Farnsworth, Saul Goode and Zore’s post Saturday hours: OmniSource’s three sites close on weekends, J. Solotken takes scrap on weekdays only, and Recycle Pros Indy posts no hours on its site.

What Should You Bring to Sell Scrap Metal in Indianapolis?

Bring a government-issued photo ID, such as your driver’s license. When you sell household scrap to an Indiana dealer, Indiana Code 25-37.5-1-2 sets the routine for each purchase, with no exception for a seller who forgot the ID, so check your wallet before you load. Beverage cans are not covered, and used jewelry and precious metals fall under other laws.

• The yard checks your identity against a government-issued photo ID and records the ID type, the agency that issued it and its number.
• The form also takes your name, address, age and driver’s license or Social Security number, the plate number of the vehicle that delivered the metal, a description and the weight of the metal, where it came from, and the price paid.
• The yard photographs you and the metal, and has you sign the form to confirm it is accurate.
• The form and photos stay on file for two years, open to any law enforcement official at any time.

The rule covers each purchase, so one bed frame goes through the same steps as a full trailer. Farnsworth and Recycle Pros Indy also ask you to bring a valid ID for payment, and Saul Goode requires one to scrap any material at its yard.

Some loads need paperwork too. Say an old central air condenser is still sitting beside the house after a replacement. An Indiana dealer can buy a condenser or evaporator coil from you only if you provide a bill of sale or other written documentation for that unit, or for the unit that replaced it, showing it lawfully came into your possession (IC 25-37.5-1-8). A window air conditioner carries no such restriction. And if a load looks like it came from a business, expect questions: Farnsworth’s recycling guidelines ask for documentation with restaurant, hospital and telecommunications equipment, and with industrial equipment you could not buy at a local store, such as a receipt of purchase or a typed letter from the company it came from.

Will an Indianapolis Scrap Yard Take a Refrigerator or Washer?

A washer, usually. A refrigerator, only at some yards. A washer has no refrigerant, so the yards that take appliances treat it as ordinary metal scrap. A fridge or freezer comes down to its compressor and refrigerant, and each yard draws its own line:

• Zore’s Recycling takes refrigerators, freezers, washing machines and dryers, and its appliance recyclers remove the CFCs and HCFCs themselves.
• OmniSource takes appliances as ferrous scrap and handles appliance fluids at most locations, but it does not accept items containing CFCs, so call the site before you bring a fridge or freezer.
• Farnsworth does not buy refrigerators or freezers with the compressor attached, and it does not buy dishwashers. Washers and dryers are not on that list, but confirm by phone.
• Saul Goode takes appliances and asks that the Freon be drained first.
• Recycle Pros Indy requires all materials to be free of refrigerants, oil and mercury switches.

Before anyone takes refrigerant out of a fridge, read our refrigerator disposal guide, which covers the federal recovery rule and the other ways to retire an old fridge. For a washer or dryer, our washer and dryer guide walks through donating, selling and haul-away in Indianapolis.

How Do You Sort Scrap Metal Into Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Before Selling?

With a magnet. Ferrous metal, meaning steel and iron, contains iron and sticks to a magnet; non-ferrous metal such as aluminum, copper and brass does not. Sort into two bins at home, and strip off plastic, wood and other non-metal parts as you go, since clean metal with the non-metal parts removed is worth more.

Indianapolis yards work along the same line:

• Farnsworth asks you not to sort on its property, and after 4:10 p.m. on weekdays or 11:40 a.m. on Saturdays it sends ferrous items to Door 1 and non-ferrous to Door 4.
• Saul Goode starts you at its main scale and sends non-ferrous metal to its warehouse through Door 5.
• OmniSource’s location finder tags its Holt Road site for ferrous processing, South West Street for non-ferrous and East 25th Street for both, so name your metal when you call.
• J. Solotken’s buy list is mostly non-ferrous, with insulated copper and aluminum wire as a category of its own; its only plain-steel entry is production-grade scrap steel.

Stainless steel is the one to watch. OmniSource groups it with its non-ferrous metals, so give it a pile of its own.

Which Items Do Scrap Yards Refuse From Indianapolis Homeowners?

Tanks, kegs, most batteries and anything still holding fluid top the refused lists, and some yards add electronics. Each Indianapolis yard draws its own line, so check the list for the yard you plan to use:

• Tanks and aerosol cans. Farnsworth and Zore’s do not accept pressure-sealed containers such as propane tanks, gas cylinders, fire extinguishers and aerosol cans. Recycle Pros Indy turns away propane and oxygen tanks, and OmniSource refuses pressurized tanks.
• Batteries. Farnsworth does not buy batteries, and OmniSource refuses all but lead-acid ones. Recycle Pros Indy buys lead-acid batteries from cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles and RVs.
• Electronics. Farnsworth does not take e-waste such as TVs, computers, printers and phones, and Saul Goode does not accept CRT monitors.
• Kegs. Indiana Code 25-37.5-1-2 also bars a scrap dealer from accepting a metal beer keg that is clearly marked as a brewery’s property or whose markings have been made illegible, and Farnsworth, OmniSource and Recycle Pros Indy refuse kegs outright.
• Fluids, glass and wood. Farnsworth will not buy anything containing glass, wood, mercury or oil, or containers with liquids in them.
• Bulky items. Farnsworth’s do-not-buy list also names couches, mattresses and safes, and Recycle Pros Indy does not take tires.

Say your garage pile includes a grill’s propane tank and an old car battery. Farnsworth takes neither, while Recycle Pros Indy buys the battery but not the tank, so the same load can need two different answers.

How Do You Find Out What Scrap Metal Pays in Indianapolis Before You Load Up?

Call the yard. Metal prices move daily, so ask each yard for that day’s number. OmniSource sends you to your nearest location for current pricing, and Farnsworth, Saul Goode and Zore’s all quote by phone.

Before you call, know what the metal is (copper pipe, aluminum siding, a steel bed frame), roughly how much you have, and whether it is sorted and clean. Type, weight and cleanliness set the number along with a market that moves: OmniSource prices on demand, quality or purity, and weight, and Recycle Pros Indy on current market value and demand.

Treat a figure over the phone as an estimate. An accurate quote takes an assessment, and what you get paid comes from what the yard weighs and grades at the scale. At Saul Goode, the scale issues a ticket, and you pick up payment at the yard or have it mailed. If the load is worth the drive, call around the same morning and compare offers.

When Is Hauling Mixed Metal Junk Easier Than Selling Scrap in Indianapolis?

When the metal is only part of the pile. A scrap yard buys metal, not the couch beside it. Say a garage holds a rusted grill and metal shelving next to a couch, a mattress and an old fridge: selling means sorting, a trip to the scrap yard for the metal, a separate answer for the fridge and another trip for everything else. Hauling also wins when you have no truck or trailer, or when the heaviest pieces sit in a basement.

That is the job we do: the metal goes out with the rest of the junk. Our crew sizes up the load on site and gives you the price there, with no obligation, and you pay when the job is done. Freon items, tires and stairs cost extra, and we offer same-day and next-day service. You get a booking confirmation right away, a reminder two days out, another two hours out, and a text from the crew when they are on the way. If the metal is an old shed, we own a skid steer, so we can take the shed down too.

We cover the south side of the metro as well, and our page on hauling old appliances from Greenwood homes has the details. If you want to know where a hauled load ends up, our post on what happens to junk after pickup walks through it. And if you would rather give the metal away than sell it or pay to haul it, our guide to what is free in Indianapolis junk removal covers the curbside route.

Your Next Step

Start with the phone, before you load anything: pick the yard from the table that is open when you can go, and ask for that day’s price and whether it takes everything on your list. Then sort the metal at home, and bring your government-issued photo ID.