So, what is the price of cast iron per pound right now?

If you’ve ever priced a gearbox housing or a batch of counterweights, you’ve asked it: what is the price of cast iron per pound? The honest answer: it depends—on alloy grade, machining, volume, and where you buy. As of this quarter, U.S. yard prices for mixed cast iron scrap hover around $0.06–$0.15/lb, while foundry-grade finished gray/ductile iron castings generally land around $1.20–$3.50/lb FOB factory; fully machined assemblies can run $3.00–$6.00/lb. Europe trends a bit higher. Asia can be sharper on volume. Markets breathe.

Why such a wide range?

Three levers dominate: material grade (ASTM A48 gray vs. ASTM A536 ductile), complexity (cores, thin walls), and finishing (heat treatment, machining, coatings). Freight, energy, and scrap inputs add noise. To be honest, buyers often forget that tight CTQs and PPAP documentation add real cost—but also reduce headaches down the line.

Product spotlight: MRS100.LS.201 Castings

From Jichangzhuang Village, Ningjin County, Xingtai City, Hebei, China, the MRS100.LS.201 line is a steady performer for automotive and pump housings. Minimum order is 100 pieces; capacity ≈10,000 pcs/month. In the real world, that’s enough to support mid-volume OEM campaigns without putting a dent in the calendar.

Process flow (what drives cost)

• Materials: pig iron, return scrap, alloying (Si, Mn); MgFeSi nodularization for ductile iron.
• Melting: medium-frequency induction; in-melt spectrometer checks (CE, C, Si) per ISO 9556.
• Molding: green sand + resin cores; riser/feeding by simulation (MAGMASOFT/ProCAST).
• Heat treat: normalize or stress relieve as needed.
• Machining: CNC turning/milling, GD&T to drawing; 100% critical features gauged.
• Testing: Brinell (ASTM E10), tensile (ASTM A370), microstructure per ISO 945, NDT MT/UT where specified.
• Certs: material mill certs; ISO 9001, IATF 16949 available for automotive programs.

Industry trends that nudge price

Energy costs and pig iron imports remain the big swings. Many customers say freight volatility surprised them more than metallurgy. Also, tighter sustainability reporting (PCR/EPD) is nudging foundries to track scrap yield and sand reclamation—good for the planet, slightly pricier up front, cheaper over program life.

Vendor comparison (real-world factors)

Applications, customization, and a quick case

Use cases include pump/valve bodies, brake drums, gear housings, tractor components, and compressor frames. Customization covers alloy tweaks (Si/Mn for damping), wall thickness optimization, and coating (e-coat, phosphate). One automotive customer shifted a brake component to ductile 65-45-12 with targeted riser redesign; scrap fell from 6.8% to 2.1%. Tensile averaged 470 MPa, BHN 185–205, and warranty returns dropped to near-zero in 12 months.

If you’re benchmarking what is the price of cast iron per pound for budgetary RFQs, request both as-cast and machined quotes; in many programs, machining dwarfs melt cost.

Bottom line price pointers

• Scrap/mixed cast iron: $0.06–$0.15/lb (location-sensitive).
• Foundry castings (as-cast): $1.20–$2.20/lb for gray; $1.60–$3.50/lb for ductile.
• Machined castings: add $0.80–$2.50/lb depending features and tolerances.

Prices move. Always tie quotes to alloy, drawing rev, test plan, and delivery terms. That’s the only reliable way to nail down what is the price of cast iron per pound for your part—not just a textbook number.

Standards referenced

ASTM A48, ASTM A536, EN 1561/1563, ISO 1083, ISO 8062-3, ASTM E10, ASTM A370, ISO 945.

Authoritative citations

1. USGS, Mineral Commodity Summaries: Iron and Steel Scrap – pricing and flow data. https://www.usgs.gov
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Producer Price Indexes: Iron/steel foundries and scrap. https://www.bls.gov/ppi/
3. ASTM International – A48, A536, E10, A370 standards. https://www.astm.org
4. ISO Standards – ISO 1083, ISO 8062-3, ISO 945 guidance. https://www.iso.org
5. EUROFER/World Steel Association market outlooks for raw material trends. https://worldsteel.org