What Metal Conversions does

Metal Conversions is a U.S. private scrap metal recycling and tolling operator founded in 1997 by Steve Senser (owner of Cousins Inc.) and aluminum industry veteran Robert Carey, with Carl Roark joining as a partner in 1999. The company merged with Cousins Inc. in 2001 and is headquartered in Mansfield, Ohio, with a separate trading office in Westerville, Ohio. It positions itself as one of the nation's leading scrap metal recycling and tolling operators, specializing in non-ferrous metals (aluminum, copper, brass, zinc, lead, stainless steel), and also buys steel and iron.

The company's core operations span B2B scrap metal trading (buying and selling aluminum, copper, brass, zinc, iron and steel on both spot and long-term formula truckload contracts), tolling services at multiple U.S. smelting facilities (where it melts aluminum scrap on behalf of suppliers, minimizing their freight costs), and downstream production and marketing of aluminum products including deoxidation products (cone, pyramid, notchbar), primary alloys in sow, secondary alloys in sow and ingot, and various scrap materials. It also operates a full-service retail scrap yard in Mansfield, Ohio, buying scrap directly from the public and local industrial accounts. Its proprietary technical differentiators are the development of methods for producing secondary aluminum foundry alloys from rotary furnaces and for removing lithium from aluminum lithium alloys, both of which are described as innovative industry concepts.

Metal Conversions earns revenue through commodity spread on scrap trading, tolling service fees on third-party aluminum smelting, and product sales of processed aluminum alloys, with pricing handled directly through its trading office rather than publicly disclosed. Its customer base is split between industrial business partners (companies and local industrial accounts supplying scrap for recycling and smelting) and the general public selling material at the Crawford Road scrap yard. The company is led by CEO Steve Senser, President Andy Senser, and a leadership team including multiple Vice Presidents (Carl Roark, Andy Cohen, Drew Gilbert, Brad Roark), with no external institutional investors disclosed.

Name

Metal Conversions

Legal name

Metal Conversions

Website

https://metalconversions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Secondary Smelting and Alloying of Aluminum (331314)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)

akta.pro primary industry

Aluminum Scrap Collection, Sorting & Processing (IMAKACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Secondary Aluminum Smelting & Recycling (Remelt) (IMAKACAD), Metals Recycling & Processing (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) (BPALADAF)

Keywords

• Scrap metal recycling
• Non-ferrous metal trading
• Aluminum tolling services
• Secondary aluminum smelting
• Scrap metal brokerage

Headquarters

HQ city

Mansfield

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. Scrap Metal Trading: Metal Conversions buys and sells all types of scrap metal including aluminum, copper, brass, zinc, iron and steel. They sell aluminum products by truckload quantity on a spot basis or on a long-term formula basis.
2. Tolling Services: Operates tolling arrangements with multiple smelting locations around the United States, processing aluminum scrap for customers while minimizing freight costs for suppliers.
3. Aluminum Product Sales: Produces and markets aluminum products including deoxidation-cone, pyramid, notchbar; primary alloys in sow; secondary alloys in sow and ingot; and various scrap materials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Metal Conversions is a scrap metal recycling and tolling operator that buys and sells non-ferrous scrap (primarily aluminum, plus copper, brass, zinc) and iron and steel from business partners and the public. Through tolling arrangements with multiple smelting facilities around the United States, the company processes aluminum scrap into secondary aluminum foundry alloys, primary alloys in sow, and secondary alloys in sow and ingot, and sells those products by truckload on a spot or long-term formula basis.

Product overview

Metal Conversions operates as a single unified scrap metal recycling and tolling business with two primary operational components: a trading office that facilitates buying and selling of scrap metals nationwide, and an on-site scrap yard in Mansfield, Ohio that purchases material directly from the public and industrial accounts. Their core offering centers on aluminum recycling, purchasing various forms of aluminum scrap and selling processed aluminum products including primary and secondary alloys in sow and ingot form, deoxidation products, and scrap materials. The company differentiates through tolling arrangements with multiple domestic melting facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Carl RoarkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Carl Roark, another aluminum industry veteran, joined the Metal Conversions team as a partner in 1999 and later became Executive Vice President.
• Robert CareycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Robert Carey, an aluminum industry veteran, partnered with Steve Senser in 1997 to form Metal Conversions with the goal of using innovative concepts to modernize aluminum trading and smelting.
• Cousins Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Metal Conversions was formed in 1997 when Steve Senser, the owner of Cousins Inc., began his partnership. In 2001, Metal Conversions and Cousins Inc. merged into one company.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Alter Trading: Alter Trading is a privately held scrap metal processor and broker operating yards primarily in the Midwest and South. Similar to Metal Conversions as a Midwestern private recycler serving both industrial and public scrap sellers.
• Real Alloy: Real Alloy is a leading global secondary aluminum smelter producing foundry alloys, deoxidation products, and specialty alloys from scrap. It is the most direct peer to Metal Conversions, operating in the same secondary aluminum foundry alloy and deoxidation segments.
• SA Recycling: SA Recycling is one of the largest U.S. non-ferrous and ferrous scrap metal recyclers, operating scrap yards across multiple states. It directly competes with Metal Conversions for industrial and public scrap supply in overlapping Midwestern and national markets.
• Metalico: Metalico is a scrap metal recycler with yard operations across the U.S. Northeast and Midwest, focused on non-ferrous and ferrous scrap collection and processing. Comparable to Metal Conversions in scrap yard footprint and non-ferrous focus.
• Ferrous Processing & Trading: Ferrous Processing & Trading (FPT) is a major U.S. scrap metal processor with yards in the Midwest and Southeast, including significant non-ferrous operations. Comparable as a competing regional recycler and merchant with similar customer mix.
• OmniSource (a Metallus / Steel Dynamics company): OmniSource is a large U.S. scrap metal processor and merchandiser handling ferrous and non-ferrous metals with multiple processing facilities. It competes with Metal Conversions for both scrap supply (industrial accounts, public) and downstream non-ferrous sales channels.

Emerging players

• Cohen Recycling: Cohen Recycling is a Midwestern-based non-ferrous scrap metal recycler operating yards and processing facilities. Overlaps with Metal Conversions in non-ferrous scrap procurement from industrial and public sources, particularly in Ohio and adjacent states.

Broad incumbents

• European Metal Recycling (EMR): EMR is one of the world's largest metal recyclers with U.S. operations following its Metalco acquisition. Operates a broad portfolio of scrap yards and processing facilities, overlapping with Metal Conversions' non-ferrous collection and processing scope at much larger scale.
• Schnitzer Steel / Radius Recycling: Radius Recycling (formerly Schnitzer Steel Industries) is a large publicly traded U.S. ferrous and non-ferrous recycler with deep-water port facilities, shredders, and global sales. Competes with Metal Conversions in non-ferrous scrap trading and downstream sales, but at far greater scale and capital intensity.

Others

• Norsk Hydro (Hydro Aluminium Metal): Norsk Hydro is a global aluminum producer with significant secondary aluminum and remelting operations. Competes in the broader secondary aluminum market but at vastly greater scale and vertical integration, including primary production Metal Conversions does not undertake.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Metal Conversions