Can Filing Cabinets Be Scrap Metal?

Filing cabinets have long been staples in offices and other workplaces for storing documents and other paperwork. But what happens when those old filing cabinets have served their purpose and are ready to be discarded? Can they be recycled as scrap metal? The short answer is yes – filing cabinets can most certainly be recycled for scrap metal.

What Makes Filing Cabinets Good for Scrap Metal Recycling

Filing cabinets are excellent candidates for scrap metal recycling for a few key reasons:

Mainly Metal Construction

The majority of a standard filing cabinet is constructed using metal. The outer shell, drawers, rails, handles and hinges are almost always made from steel or aluminum. This metal content is what gives scrap metal recycling facilities the material they desire.

Minimal Non-Metal Parts

While filing cabinets do contain some non-metal components like drawer glides, rubber feet and plastic labels, these make up a very small percentage of the overall weight. The metal portion can readily be separated at the scrap yard.

Can Be Easily Dismantled

Filing cabinets are designed to come apart fairly easily. Drawers slide out, hinges unbolt, and panels unscrew with basic tools. This enables the metal sections to be quickly accessed at recycling facilities.

Contains Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals

Most filing cabinets are constructed using a mix of ferrous (iron-based) and non-ferrous (non-iron) metals. Steel makes up the bulk of the material, while aluminum is used for handles, trim and slides. This variety raises the recycling value.

Sturdy Construction

As office fixtures built to withstand years of use, filing cabinets are ruggedly constructed using thick steel panels and reinforced joints. All of this equates to more usable metal content by weight.

What Types of Metals Are Typically Found in Filing Cabinets?

When considering filing cabinets as scrap metal, it helps to understand what types of metals are commonly used in their manufacturing. Here are the key metals found in most standard vertical filing cabinets:

Steel

The outer body, drawer fronts, and interior rails and supports are predominantly made from galvannealed steel sheet metal. This type of steel has a galvanized zinc coating for corrosion resistance. Steel accounts for the largest percentage of metal in a typical 4-5 drawer filing cabinet.

Aluminum

Aluminum alloys are used for non-structural trim pieces, drawer handles, label holders, and slides. Being lightweight and corrosion resistant, aluminum works well for these moving components.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel may be used for more heavy duty or high-end filing cabinets. Compared to galvanized steel, stainless steel is more resistant to rust and corrosion but is usually only found in specialty high-capacity filing systems.

Other Metals

Small amounts of additional metals may be found in filing cabinets, such as copper wiring in motorized slides or track systems. High-security filing cabinets may contain metals like titanium for added strength. But steel and aluminum make up the majority in most standard office filing cabinets.

How Filing Cabinets Are Recycled and Processed for Scrap

Once old filing cabinets reach a scrap metal recycling facility, they undergo a process to liberate and sort the various metal components:

Removal from Site

Filing cabinets are first transported from the site where they were used to the scrap metal yard. This is often done by the metal recycling company, which will send a truck to pick up the discarded filing cabinets.

Inspection

Workers will inspect the filing cabinets upon arrival to see if any non-metal parts need to be removed. Drawers are usually emptied of contents at this point. Any plastic labels, rubber feet or other coatings are stripped off to leave only the metal structure.

Weighing

The filing cabinets are weighed to determine the gross weight entering the scrap process. This initial weight is used later to calculate the net weight of recovered metal.

Crushing and Shredding

Hydraulic crushers are used to flatten the filing cabinets into compact shapes for easier handling. Powerful shredding machines further break them into fist-sized chunks.

Magnetic Separation

The shredded filing cabinet scrap then passes under powerful magnets to separate iron and steel pieces from non-magnetic aluminum and other metals. This sorts the scrap into ferrous and non-ferrous streams.

Melting and Recycling

The segregated metal fractions are sent to downstream foundries and mills where they are melted down and recycled into new metal products. The steel and aluminum from filing cabinets gets a new life.

This standard scrap metal recycling process allows maximum recovery of the metals that originally went into manufacturing the filing cabinets. It diverts the metal content from landfills and turns the old filing cabinets into a valuable resource.

Factors That Affect Scrap Value of Used Filing Cabinets

Several factors determine how much a scrap metal recycling facility will pay per ton for used filing cabinets brought in for recycling:

Metal Commodity Prices

Like any commodity, base prices for raw steel and aluminum rise and fall with market supply and demand. The core scrap value is linked to these fluctuating metal prices.

Metal Composition

Filing cabinets with a higher ratio of non-ferrous metals like aluminum will scrap for more than mostly steel cabinets since aluminum has a higher base commodity value per pound.

Level of Non-Metal Contamination

The presence of excessive non-metal parts like plastics, paper and other trash will decrease value, since these contaminants have zero scrap value and have to be disposed of.

Level of Disassembly

Partially disassembled filing cabinets which have drawers and panels removed scrap for more than whole units, since this makes materials handling and processing easier for the recycling facility.

Geographic Location

Scrap metal recycling markets are regional, so values per ton vary based on local supply and demand factors. More competitive, high-volume metal markets may pay better scrap prices.

With commodity prices always fluctuating, it’s impossible to pin down an exact price that filing cabinets will scrap for. But checking regional scrap pricing lists can give you a ballpark figure to expect.

Are There Environmental Benefits to Recycling Old Filing Cabinets?

Beyond generating revenue from the scrap metal value, recycling end-of-life filing cabinets has some excellent environmental benefits:

Conserves Metal Ore Resources

Rather than extracting new iron ore and bauxite to manufacture metal from scratch, recycling the steel and aluminum from filing cabinets drastically reduces the need for continued mining.

Saves Energy

It takes far less energy to remelt scrap metals versus extracting and refining raw virgin ore. Recycling filing cabinet metal into new stock helps lower energy consumption.

Reduces Landfill Waste

Tons of metal filing cabinets end up crushed in landfills each year. Diverting these materials to scrap recycling keeps them out of ever-growing waste dumps.

Lowers Air and Water Pollution

Mining metals and refining them from ore creates substantial air and water pollution. Recycling eliminates much of those industrial processes and their associated pollution.

Cuts Greenhouse Gas Emission

The energy savings realized from recycling vs. virgin metal production means many tons less of greenhouse gases emitted per ton of metal produced.

Creates Green Jobs

The scrap metal recycling sector employs thousands of workers in environmentally-friendly jobs based around reuse and reclamation, rather than resource extraction.

Are There Special Considerations for Recycling Filing Cabinets?

While recycling standard office filing cabinets is a fairly straightforward process, there are some unique factors to keep in mind:

Check for Non-Metal Components

Make sure to remove any hanging file folders, rubber feet, plastic labels, or other non-metal parts attached to your filing cabinets before recycling. Especially be sure to empty all documents and paper content from drawers.

Consider Deconstruction

Partially disassembling the filing cabinets by removing drawers ahead of time can boost your scrap payout if the recycling center offers sorted vs unsorted pricing. But weigh this against your labor time.

Verify Any Potential Data Security Issues

High security filing cabinets used by government agencies, defense contractors, law firms, or other sensitive industries may require special data wiping protocols before they can leave secured facilities. Always double check any data security precautions that apply.

Be Aware of Hazards From Older Models

Very old steel filing cabinets may have been manufactured before regulations restricted the use of hazardous metals like lead and mercury. Special handling precautions may be needed with vintage cabinets.

Recycle the Wood Drawer Inserts Too

Some vertical filing cabinets have wood inserts covering the inner drawer walls rather than just exposed metal. Ensure these get diverted to wood recycling streams rather than landfill disposal.

Following these guidelines will help make filing cabinet recycling safe, profitable and environmentally responsible.

Common Questions About Recycling Filing Cabinets for Scrap

Recycling old filing cabinets is generally a straightforward process, but some common questions come up. Here are answers to some of the frequently asked questions:

Are fireproof filing cabinets able to be recycled?

Yes. Fireproof cabinets feature multiple layers of sheet metal with air gaps in between. This multi-layer construction may require some extra labor to dismantle at the scrap yard, but all the steel can still be recovered and recycled.

Can I get paid directly for dropping off filing cabinets myself?

Most larger scrap yards will only work with established business accounts, but some may be willing to pay cash for filing cabinet drop-offs from the public. Call your local yards to check if they offer public scrap buyback. Expect to show ID.

Do the casters and glides need to be removed before recycling?

It’s recommended to remove any non-metal components like plastic wheels and glides which may jam up the shredding machinery. But small amounts can usually pass through the metal separation process without issue.

What about recycled plastic or wood file cabinets – are those recyclable too?

While mainly metal filing cabinets are highly recyclable, discarded units made largely of wood, plastic or fiberboard have fewer recycling options, beyond recovery of some hardware. These usually have to be landfilled unfortunately.

Can I just leave filing cabinets at the curb for garbage pickup?

Technically yes, but this wastes the scrap value of the metal content. Contact your municipal public works department first, as some may actually collect curbside scrap metal for recycling periodically.

Conclusion

In today’s world of finite resources and overflowing landfills, it makes both environmental and economic sense to recycle obsolete filing cabinets rather than throwing them away. These ruggedly built old office workhorses are chock full of reusable steel and aluminum that scrap metal specialists can reclaim and return to production streams. Beyond keeping tons of perfectly usable metal out of the trash, filing cabinet recycling provides a host of sustainability benefits by saving energy, reducing pollution and greenhouse gases, and decreasing the need for continued virgin mining. So next time an old four-drawer vertical filing cabinet has served out its useful life, be sure to call up your local scrap metal company to have them safely disposed of and recycled. Those dented old beat-up cabinets may not hold office records anymore, but they do hold valuable scrap metal that deserves to find new purpose rather than slowly rusting away in a gloomy landfill.