Tool Holder Exchange buys indexable carbide inserts from machine shops across the U.S. Turning, milling, drilling, grooving, and threading inserts, sealed boxes or loose, current grades or discontinued, single brand or a mixed pile of leftovers. If it is an indexable insert and it is taking up space in your tool crib, we want to see it. We pay based on resale value, not tungsten weight, which is why a specialist buyer almost always beats the scrap yard.

The reason is simple. A scrap recycler pays you for the tungsten and cobalt in the carbide by weight. We pay you for what the insert is still worth to the next shop that needs it. Those are two very different numbers for any insert that still has a usable edge or is still in the box.

Get a Quote on Your Inserts

Send a parts list or a few photos of the boxes. We review brand, grade, condition, and quantity, then send back a firm number. Call (517) 420-5401 or use the form.

Call (517) 420-5401 or fill out the quote form below.

What Carbide Inserts We Buy

We buy indexable inserts in every common operation type and condition. Part numbers help, but they are not required. Clear photos of the boxes and a rough count are enough to start.

  • Turning inserts (negative and positive: CNMG, DNMG, WNMG, TNMG, SNMG, VNMG, and more)
  • Milling inserts (face mill, shoulder mill, high-feed, and button inserts)
  • Drilling inserts (indexable drill tips, center and peripheral)
  • Grooving and parting inserts (single and double ended)
  • Threading inserts (full profile, partial profile, laydown)
  • Boring and ID inserts plus cartridges and small-tool inserts

Brands we buy most include Sandvik Coromant, Kennametal, Iscar, Mitsubishi, Walter, Tungaloy, Seco, Korloy, Sumitomo, and Kyocera, along with private-label and house brands. We have bought inserts from makers most shops have never heard of. Brand and condition set the price, not whether the name is on a list. If you also have holders and bodies, see our broader page on selling carbide tooling and our page on selling carbide tool holders.

Sealed Boxes, Used Inserts, and Discontinued Grades

Three kinds of inserts come across our bench every week, and all three are worth money.

Sealed and unopened boxes of current production grades are worth the most. The grade and coating are known, the edges are factory fresh, and the next buyer can run them with confidence. These are the closest thing to cash in your tool crib.

Used but serviceable inserts still carry value as long as one or more corners have usable edge left. Many inserts get pulled long before every corner is spent because a job ended or a process changed. A lightly indexed insert is not scrap.

Discontinued and obsolete grades surprise people. A grade your supplier stopped stocking is often exactly what a shop running an older machine or a legacy job still needs and cannot buy new. Obsolete does not mean worthless. It can mean in demand.

How to Read an Insert Code Before You Sell

You do not need to decode anything to sell to us, but knowing the basics helps you describe a lot. Most inserts use the ISO designation system, a string of letters and numbers stamped on the box and often laser marked on the insert. The first few characters tell the story.

Position What it describes Example
1st letter Shape C is an 80 degree rhombic, D is a 55 degree rhombic, W is a trigon, T is a triangle
2nd letter Clearance angle N is a neutral 0 degree clearance
3rd letter Tolerance class M is a common general tolerance
4th letter Type, hole and chipbreaker G is a common hole with chipbreaker code
Numbers Size, thickness, corner radius 432 encodes size, thickness, and a 1/32 inch radius in the ANSI form

So a CNMG-432 is an 80 degree rhombic turning insert with neutral clearance and a standard tolerance. Coatings matter too. CVD coatings are thicker and built for high-heat, abrasive cutting, while PVD coatings are thinner, tougher, and favored for sharp edges and interrupted cuts. We sort by all of this so your lot lands in the highest-value bucket.

Your Options Compared: Specialist Buyer vs eBay vs Auction vs Scrap

There is more than one way to move surplus inserts. Here is an honest comparison for a typical mixed lot.

Option What you get Effort and risk
Specialist buyer (Tool Holder Exchange) Resale value across the whole lot, sealed and used and obsolete sorted for best price Low. One list or photos, one firm quote, one payment
eBay or marketplace Can be strong on single hot grades High. Listing, photos, fees, shipping, and returns on every box
Industrial auction Whole lot moves at once Variable. Final price is unknown until the hammer falls, plus buyer fees
Scrap recycler Tungsten carbide value by weight only Low effort, but lowest payout for anything with remaining life

The scrap math is the part most shops underestimate. A scrap recycler pays only for the tungsten and cobalt content by weight, which is a fraction of what a usable insert resells for to another shop. By weight, a small box of 10 turning inserts might fetch only a few dollars. The same box, if the grade is current and the edges are usable, can be worth far more as resalable tooling. We sort everything we receive: what can be resold gets resold, and what is truly spent we still recycle at competitive rates. You get the best use of every piece.

How Selling Your Inserts Works

Selling inserts to Tool Holder Exchange is four steps and most deals close in a few days.

  1. Send your list or photos. Box labels and part numbers are ideal, but photos and a rough count work. Use the form on this page, email, or call.
  2. We review and quote. We evaluate brand, grade, coating, condition, and current demand, then send a firm number, not a range.
  3. Ship or we pick up. Smaller lots ship with a prepaid label we provide. For a pallet or many boxes we arrange pickup. Michigan shops usually get same-week pickup.
  4. Get paid. Payment goes out once we receive and verify the inserts. No 60-day wait.

We prefer larger lots, a pallet or many boxes rather than a handful of inserts, because we can quote and process them faster and pay better per piece. If you are clearing a whole tool crib, see how we handle tool crib liquidation or read how to sell used tooling for a full walkthrough. Buyers can also browse what we have for sale on our buy carbide tooling page.

Ready to Sell Your Carbide Inserts?

Pallet of mixed brands, a few sealed boxes, or a coffee can of used inserts. Send it over and get a firm quote. Call (517) 420-5401 or fill out the form.

Call (517) 420-5401 or fill out the form below for a quote.


Common Questions About Selling Carbide Inserts

Do you buy used carbide inserts or only sealed boxes?
Both. Sealed boxes of current grades are worth the most because the grade is known and the edges are factory fresh. Used inserts still carry resale value as long as one or more corners have usable edge left. Inserts that are completely spent still hold scrap carbide value, and we pay more than most recyclers because we sort before scrapping.
How is selling inserts to you different from scrap recycling?
A scrap recycler pays for the tungsten and cobalt in the carbide by weight, which is only a fraction of what a usable insert resells for to another shop. We pay for what the insert is worth to the next shop, which is almost always higher for anything with a usable edge or still in the box. We resell what can be resold and recycle the rest, so you get the best price for the whole lot.
Will you buy discontinued or obsolete insert grades?
Yes. A grade your supplier stopped stocking is often exactly what a shop running an older machine or a legacy job still needs and cannot buy new. Obsolete does not mean worthless. We regularly find buyers for discontinued grades, so include them in your lot.
Do you take mixed brands and mixed grades?
Yes. A mixed pile of Sandvik, Kennametal, Iscar, Mitsubishi, Walter, and house brands is normal for us. You do not need to sort by brand or grade before sending. We do the sorting and price the lot accordingly.
How big does a lot need to be?
We prefer larger lots, a pallet or many boxes rather than a single insert, because we can quote and process them faster and pay better per piece. If you are clearing an entire tool crib we can buy the whole thing at once, including holders and bodies. Call (517) 420-5401 to talk through your lot.
How fast do I get paid?
Most deals close in a few days. Send a list or photos, get a firm quote, then ship with a prepaid label or schedule a pickup for larger lots. Payment goes out once we receive and verify the inserts. There is no 60-day wait.