35 Fun Facts (Metal Edition) - Metal Men Recycling (2024)

Asscrap metal buyers, we love learning about our trade – which is why we’ve prepared 35 mind-blowing facts for you to enjoy!

1. Tungstenis the metal with the highest melting point, melting at 3422°C.
   
2. The word metal comes from theAncient Greek word‘metallon’ which means quarry or to mine or excavate.
   
3. The most abundant metal in the universe isiron, followed by magnesium.
   
4. The tallest free-standing structures in the world are made of metals, primarily the alloy steel. They include theBurj Khalifaskyscraper in Dubai, Tokyo’s television towerSkytree, and theShanghai Towerskyscraper.
   
5. The metalGalliumwill melt in the palm of your hand.
   
6. Boeing created a new metal calledMicrolatticethat is 100 times lighter than Styrofoam and 99.9% air.
   
7. Itsnows metalon Venus.
   
8. Steel is the worldsmost recycledmaterial – with half of the world’s steel production using recycled steel.
   
9. Roughly30%of all metals arerecycled.
   
10. Water pollution isreduced by 40%when a steel mill uses recycled metal scraps.
    
11. Recyclingone aluminium cansave enough energy to run a 60-watt light bulb for 20 hours, a computer for three hours and a TV for two hours.
    
12. Aluminium reflects92% of visible lightand approximately 98% of infrared light.
    
13. Becausemetal was scarceduring World War II – theOscars given out were made of plasterfor three years. The recipients were called back after the war to exchange them for gold-plated metal ones.
    
14. Brass doorknobs and handrails are most commonly used in public buildings because brass, a copper alloy, isnaturally antibacterial.
    
15. If two pieces ofuncoated metaltouch in space, they become permanently stuck together. It doesn’t happen on Earth because the atmosphere puts a thin layer of oxidation between the surfaces – preventing adherence. This process is known as cold welding.
    
16. Silver cankill bacteriapreviously thought immune to antibacterial agents.
    
17. Gold cangrow on trees; this happens when the gold particles below the ground are absorbed through a biochemical process. The mineral is then deposited into the tree’s bark and leaves.
    
18. A 14-karatgold LEGO brickwas given out in the early 80s to employees who had worked at the Germany LEGO factory for over 25 years. They are valued at nearly $15,000 USD.
    
19. Aluminium can be recycledover and over againwithout any loss of quality.
    
20. Touchingstainless steelwill remove the odour of garlic and onion from your hands.
    
21. 95% of all copper ever minedwas extracted after 1900. More than half of that has been extracted in the last 24 years.
    
22. Exposure toplatinumcan turn snails into slugs.
    
23. All of thetinproduced in the US is recycled. The United States has neither mined tin since 1993 nor smelted it since 1989 – but currently import it.
    
24. There ismore gold in a ton of mobile phones than a ton of gold ore. It takes a ton of ore to get one gram of gold, but you can get the same amount from recycling 41 mobile phones.
    
25. Until 1735no new metalshad been discovered since prehistoric times; iron, copper, silver, gold, zinc, mercury, tin, lead, and bismuth.
    
26. Pure goldis too soft for most applications so it is combined with other metals to become stronger.
    
27. A 15cm x 15cm cube ofiridium or osmiumwould weigh as much as an average adult human.
    
28. Aluminiumused to be one of the most expensive metals in the world. Only the wealthiest ate with aluminium utensils, whilst the lesser nobility ate with gold.
    
29. Beryllium, the 4th element on the periodic table, is highly toxic and just 0.25 milligrams (the mass of a grain of salt) can kill a rat.
    
30. There is enoughgoldin the Earth’s core to coat the Earth 1.5 feet tall.
    
31. Californium-252costs about $2.7 billion AUD per 100 grams, making it one of the most expensive elements known to man.
    
32. In Australia,steelmakes up about 2.5% of the waste that goes to landfill.
    
33. Making new steel from recycled cans uses75% less energythan making steel from raw materials.
    
34. Approximately 98% of all materials in a battery are recycled.
    
35. An average city bus contains75,000 cansworth of steel.

Looking for scrap metal buyers in Melbourne?

If you’re looking for scrap metal buyers in Melbourne, then look no further than Metal Men Recycling.We buy all types of scrap metaland even offerpickup and drop-off servicesfor larger loads.

Why not give our scrap metal buyers a call on 03 5941 6677 to see how we can help you. Alternatively, you may alsocontact usvia the enquiry form found on our website.