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Lead Shot/Bullet - Material Specifications, How to Sell & Current Price


What Is Lead Shot?

Lead shots are the small round pellets of lead used as projectiles in shotguns. Lead is the primary material for shots and bullets. Alloying with antimony makes them hard. For instance, premium lead shots normally contain up to 6% antimony, while others contain about 1-2%. In Bullets, lead is almost entirely sheathed in a copper alloy jacket. This prevents the release of lead to the environment. However, when target is struck, this covering may be destroyed either fully or partially, thereby leading to release of lead components.

Lead shots and bullets are often considered as scrap material and are recovered for making useful products. The reclaimed scrap is often used to make lead ingots.

Lead acid batteries are the most common type of lead scrap. Lead shots, bullets, weights etc, comes only next to lead acid batteries.

Lead Shot Price

The actual lead content in Bullets is very minimal. For instance, a 12-gauge shotgun shell contains approximately 28 grams of lead per shell. It essentially means that 16 shells are required to recover a pound of lead. By scrapping lead shots and bullets, one may not make big money. However, by ensuring that they are collected and transported to responsible recyclers, one could contribute immensely to environment protection.

The prices listed below are country averages paid by recycling centers in the United States

Scrap MaterialNational AverageHigh PriceLow PriceUnitUpdated
Industrial Batteries Scrap$0.130.130.13USD/LB2023-08-22
Hard Lead Scrap$0.230.230.23USD/LB2021-08-06
Lead Batteries Scrap$13.3415.2811.4USD/LB2020-12-29
Lead Wheel Weights Scrap$0.10.10.1USD/LB2019-08-29
Auto Batteries Scrap$0.260.260.26USD/LB2018-04-04

Where can we sell Lead Shot?

One must be extremely careful while getting involved in reclamation activities of lead shots and bullets as they contain leachable lead. Some state EPAs classify them as toxic hazardous waste, thereby requiring scrap yards to adhere to hazardous waste regulations. Prolonged exposure to lead may cause health problems, if proper precautions are not taken. Dumping these scrap may lead to emission of lead particles, which in turn may cause soil and air contamination.

In addition to scrap yards, lead shots/bullet scrap can also be sold to merchants who often post huge requirement of the same for casting bullets or fishing weights.

Lead Shot/Bullet - Material Specifications, How to Sell & Current Price accepting recycling centers in the United States

Are you having large quantities of Lead Shot?

Shooting ranges and clubs are main sources from where bulk quantities of spent lead shots can be recovered for recycling. Reclamation companies often arranges for bulk pickup of these scrap materials. The collected materials are then sold to smelters, where they are processed to be used in making wide range of products including radiation-shielding equipment, car batteries etc.,