Foiled by the cost of aluminum

March 26, 2011 10:54 AM

I've got this aluminum alley door (28" x 70" avec mounting door post), that I don't want. I'm told solid aluminum doors like this are expensive, which made me wonder if I could sell it. Which, because I can't seem to find anything comparable on the net, brings me in turn to my question: what should I ask for it when I post it on Craig's List? And if there's a better way to sell it than Craig's List (such as selling it to a scrap dealer), please enlighten me.
posted by orange swan to grab bag (5 answers total)

How much does it weigh? Scrap aluminum is worth from 50 to 80 cents per pound these days, more or less.

If somebody wants it as a door and is going to buy it off you, they will likely pay more than the scrap value.

I'd list it for $50 or best offer.
posted by davey_darling at 1:33 PM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

Are you certain that is aluminum? Keep in mind that stainless steel can also be non-magnetic and, while I am looking only on my tiny phone screen, it appears to be stainless ste from here.
posted by Dick Paris at 6:18 PM on March 26, 2011

Aluminum welds tend to look more like beads of caulk or a toothpaste ?stream? along where two parts meet. Aluminum also tends to oxydize or get a dusty appearance after time.

The pic looks more like NMSS (Non-magnetic stainless steel).

Aluminum is easy to scratch, NMSS not so. The aluminum extrusions would be thicker too.

Looks like aluminum extrusions and NMSS panels to me.
posted by buzzman at 8:03 PM on March 26, 2011

Hmm, you probably are right, it's stainless steel. I had always thought of it as a steel door, actually, and don't know why I described it as aluminum here. Is stainless steel worth more or less than aluminum in terms of scrap deals?
posted by orange swan at 6:18 AM on March 28, 2011

I'm not certain about the scrap value of S/S v. Aluminum but I do know that at the scrap yard where I take my metals, brass, copper and aluminum, when sorted fetch higher prices. No one has ever mentioned the same for S/S. Maybe someone would be interested in repurposing those panels for a kitchen back splash though — behind a stove in particular? I know I would.
posted by Dick Paris at 7:34 PM on March 30, 2011