Corrugated Iron

Corrugated iron is now made from steel, which is one of the worlds most recycled metals. Recycled steel is of the same quality as the virgin metal and recycling steel uses less energy and water compared to production from raw iron ore.

material
Corrugated Iron

Why Recycle

Corrugated galvanised iron commonly called corrugated iron is used to describe two different materials; galvanised wrought iron and galvanised mild steel. Originally made from wrought iron, corrugated iron is now made from light gauge high tensile steel. Steel has one of the highest recycling rates in the world and as it does not degrade in the process it can be recycled indefinitely. Recycling scrap steel uses only 75% of the energy required to smelt iron ore. The quantity of water required in recycling steel is also greatly reduced, as washing and enrichment of the iron ore is not required

Recycling Options

Steel and iron are cost-effective materials to recycle and there are a numerous commercial metal recyclers in Australia that will purchase scrap for market price. Scrap metal recyclers may offer drop-off, pick-up and on-site collection bin services. Some on-site bin and collection services may incur a fee.

What Happens When It’s Recycled?

The scrap is fed into large shredders or crushers, which break the scrap into smaller pieces. Steel and iron is then easily separated from non-ferrous scrap because it’s highly magnetic. Steel is an alloy of iron plus a variety of other ingredients such as coke, limestone, manganese, aluminium and nickel, depending on the alloy's use. Pieces of steel scrap are chemically analysed to determine their alloy composition, and sorted by type. Scraps are then melted down for reuse in the production of new iron and steel production.

More Info & Sources

NSW Heritage Office – Corrugated Iron Information Sheet