2X scrap is what i am prepared to pay for scrap material... I get hundreds of pounds of steel and aluminum from 2 shops in my area for free or nearly free by not being too much of a bother, and asking politely.
That seems about right, a good deal for both parties. If not a credible vendor with mill certs, who are they going to sell to? Basically guys like us which is a very small market.
It is amazing how much gets scrapped, I'm sending a 40 yard about every week if not more. But the shop gets so plugged up with off cuts and small bits sheet, you can't just let it accumulate. Storing it takes space and time and time cost me money. Not just a wage but the opportunity cost of not having the man and forklift working on the something billable.
Even on a personal level, I've got crap I've literally been toting around for 40 years, since a teenager, thinking that'll come in handing one day. If I started pulling out of the scrap bin every piece of steel that might be useful and brought it home, I'd be 1) on a hoarding show episode and 2) divorced