Aaron Metals

What Aaron Metals does

Aaron Metals Company is a privately held, family-owned non-ferrous metal recycler founded in 1976 by Paul Forkash and continuously operated by the Forkash family since inception. The company purchases, processes, and sells non-ferrous scrap metals — copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, nickel, titanium, lead, radiators, and insulated wire — for industrial and commercial accounts in the Greater Bay Area of California. It runs two physical yards, an original facility at 750 105th Avenue in Oakland and a newer facility at 25101 Clawiter Road in Hayward, both operating Monday through Friday. Aaron Metals positions itself as the only regional recycler exclusively focused on non-ferrous metals, and the firm deploys X-ray fluorescence (XRF) metal analyzing equipment to accurately grade and purchase high-temperature and exotic alloys.

The company's service model centers on free container delivery, pickup, exchange, and transportation for industrial accounts, with live load same-day service for large-volume clients with urgent turnaround needs. On the outbound side, Aaron Metals sells full truck or container loads of scrap that meet or exceed Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) standards, using a buyer pricing form and FAS Port of Oakland shipping terms, with international buyers concentrated in Central & South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. An affiliate division, Intercambio Comercial de Metales (ICM), extends sourcing into the southern hemisphere. A complementary Recyclables Audit Service helps businesses identify missed revenue from metal, e-waste, cardboard, and plastic recyclables.

Revenue is generated primarily through transactional spreads on scrap purchase and resale (transaction fee model), with container and bin logistics provided at no additional charge and metal sorting included. The go-to-market is sales-led enterprise field sales targeting manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and project sites, supported by a website, a careers page, and light organic social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The company holds a California Weighmaster License, complies with California Recycling Laws, and displays the California Metals Coalition (CMC) medallion as a member in good standing. No external funding, M&A, or public-listing signals are present; ownership remains with the founding family.

Name

Aaron Metals

Legal name

Aaron Metals Company

Website

https://aaronmetals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Aaron Metals is a family-owned, Oakland-based non-ferrous metal recycler serving industrial and commercial accounts across the Greater Bay Area since 1976, operating two yards and exporting container loads of scrap to international buyers in the Americas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scrap Metal Recycling

NAICS

Metal Service Centers and Other Metal Merchant Wholesalers (423510), Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing (3314)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050), Wholesale-Metals Service Centers & Offices (5051)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Brokerage (Aluminum, Copper, Brass/Bronze, Lead, Zinc, Nickel) (IMAKAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scrap Metal Collection, Logistics & Aggregation (Yards, Roll-off, Container Programs) (IMAKAMAK), Metal Scrap Trading & Brokerage (Ferrous & Non-Ferrous) (IMAKAJAI)

Keywords

• Non-ferrous metal recycling
• Scrap metal purchasing
• Industrial metal recycling
• Metal recycling services
• Scrap metal processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Non-ferrous Scrap Metal Purchasing: Purchasing bulk volumes of non-ferrous scrap metals including copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, nickel, titanium, lead, radiators, and insulated wire from industrial and commercial accounts. The company pays competitive rates and offers free pickup services.
2. Scrap Metal Sales: Selling full truck or container loads of scrap metal to buyers who submit pricing offers. Operates on FAS Port of Oakland terms with payment required 7 days prior to loading against Pro-Forma invoice.
3. Recyclables Audit Services: Consulting service to help businesses identify missed revenue streams from recyclable materials including metal, e-waste, cardboard, and plastic.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aaron Metals purchases, processes, and resells non-ferrous scrap metals (copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, nickel, titanium, lead, radiators, and insulated wire) from industrial and commercial accounts in the Greater Bay Area. The company provides free container delivery, pickup, exchange, and transportation, plus live load service and on-site metal sorting. It also offers a recyclables audit consulting service and operates an affiliate division, ICM, which sources non-ferrous scrap from Central & South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Product overview

Aaron Metals operates as a non-ferrous metal recycling company offering a unified service portfolio centered on metal purchasing, processing, and sales. The core offerings include Non-Ferrous Metal Recycling services for materials such as Copper, Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel, and Specialty Metals, supported by Industrial Account Services providing free container and bin solutions for commercial accounts. Additional offerings include a Recyclables Audit Service for identifying missed revenue streams, XRF Metal Analysis technology for alloy verification, and ICM as an affiliate division serving the Southern Hemisphere market. The company sells scrap in full-container quantities through a buyer pricing form system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICM (Intercambio Comercial de Metales): Affiliate division specializing in purchasing non-ferrous scrap from Central & South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Products and services

• Non-Ferrous Metal Recycling Core recycling service purchasing and reselling non-ferrous scrap metals (Copper, Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel, Nickel, Titanium, Lead, Radiators, Insulated Wire) for industrial and commercial accounts in the Greater Bay Area.
• Industrial Account Services Free container service providing roll-off containers and bins in various sizes (starting at 4'x4'x5') for manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and project sites, including delivery, pickup, exchange, transportation, and on-site metal sorting.
• Recyclables Audit Service
• Container Scrap Metal Sales Sale of full truck or container loads of non-ferrous scrap metal meeting or exceeding Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) standards, with FAS Port of Oakland shipping terms and Pro-Forma invoice-based 7-day prepayment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free container service saves industrial accounts on disposal costs

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Intercambio Comercial de Metales (ICM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICM is an affiliated division of Aaron Metals that specializes in purchasing non-ferrous scrap from the southern hemisphere (Central & South America, Mexico, and Caribbean). Aaron Metals refers scrap metal businesses from these regions to ICM for container sales of non-ferrous scrap.
• Recycled Materials Association (ReMA)coreOthersIndustry association formerly known as ISRI (Institute of Scrap Metal Recycling Industries). Aaron Metals sells scrap according to ReMA standards and practices.
• Metals Coalition (CMC)minorOthersCalifornia-based metals industry coalition. Aaron Metals displays the CMC medallion logo indicating membership in good standing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SA Recycling: Largest U.S. non-ferrous scrap recycler with multi-yard operations across California and the Southwest, operating the same recycler-broker model serving industrial and commercial accounts. Most direct comparable in non-ferrous focus and yard-based aggregation.
• Cohen Brothers Metal Recycling: Multi-yard regional scrap metal recycler on the U.S. West Coast handling non-ferrous materials. Directly comparable in customer type, yard operation, and metals mix, competing for the same Bay Area–adjacent industrial accounts.
• OmniSource Corporation: Non-ferrous scrap processor and broker (subsidiary of Steel Dynamics). Operates yards focused on copper, aluminum, and brass sourcing and brokerage — same commodity mix and customer base as Aaron Metals but at greater scale.
• Trademark Metals Recycling: Florida-based non-ferrous metals recycler serving manufacturing, demolition, and industrial accounts with XRF-equipped yards. Directly comparable in non-ferrous specialty positioning, container logistics, and account-based service model.
• Metalico: Multi-yard non-ferrous scrap dealer operating in the Northeast and Midwest (acquired by Radius/Schnitzer). Directly comparable yard-based, non-ferrous-focused service model for industrial accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Commercial Metals Company: Vertically integrated metals manufacturer and recycler with scrap sourcing as part of broader steel and rebar production. A broad incumbent that competes on the supply side for industrial scrap and is a member of the same California Metals Coalition referenced by Aaron Metals.
• Radius Recycling: Formerly Schnitzer Steel, one of the largest publicly traded U.S. scrap metal recyclers. Operates diversified ferrous and non-ferrous yards (including West Coast presence) — a scaled incumbent whose non-ferrous segment is the closest functional benchmark.
• Sims Metal Management: Global scrap metal recycler with significant U.S. non-ferrous operations and end-markets including foundry, smelter, and mill customers. A broad incumbent that competes with regional yards on industrial accounts and broker flow.
• EMR Group: Global recycling conglomerate with deep metals recovery operations across North America and Europe. A broad incumbent whose scale, logistics, and international end-markets shape the competitive backdrop Aaron Metals operates in for container shipments.

Regional players

• Pacific Metal Recycling: California-based scrap metal buyer focused on non-ferrous materials serving Northern and Southern California accounts. Closest geographic comparable to Aaron Metals in the same state market with overlapping material focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aaronmetals
• Facebookfacebook.com/AaronMetalsHayward
• Instagraminstagram.com/aaronmetals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aaron-metals-company

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aaron Metals