Sell Your Carbide Tool Holders

Tool Holder Exchange buys used carbide tooling from machine shops across the U.S. Carbide inserts, solid carbide end mills, carbide-tipped holders, boring bars: if it’s carbide and it came off a CNC, we want to see it. We pay based on resale value, not scrap weight. Looking to buy instead? You can buy used carbide tooling from us at a discount to new.

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


What Carbide Tooling Does Tool Holder Exchange Buy?

We buy carbide in any condition, from new-in-box surplus to used but serviceable. We accept all standard tapers: CAT40, CAT50, BT40, HSK, and NMTB. Here is what we are looking for:

  • Carbide inserts (turning, milling, drilling, threading, grooving, all grades and geometries)
  • Solid carbide tooling (end mills, drills, reamers, burrs)
  • Carbide-tipped tool holders (boring bars, face mills with brazed or inserted carbide)
  • Indexable carbide tooling (insert holders, cartridges, cassettes)

Whether you are clearing out a single drawer or liquidating an entire tool room, we buy it all. See all the tooling we buy or call (517) 420-5401 for a quote.

Brands We Buy: Kennametal, Sandvik, Iscar, and More

Tool Holder Exchange buys carbide tooling from every major manufacturer, including Kennametal, Sandvik Coromant, Iscar, Parlec, Lyndex-Nikken, Seco Tools, Walter, and Mitsubishi. Brand and condition determine price, not whether your brand is on a list.

Brand What We Buy Most
Kennametal KM modular, inserts, boring bars, solid carbide
Sandvik Coromant Capto, CoroMill, CoroTurn, CoroDrill, inserts
Iscar TagTurn, TangMill, HeliMill, inserts, holders
Parlec Tool holders, ER collet chucks
Lyndex-Nikken Holders, boring heads, live tooling
Seco Tools Inserts, holders, solid carbide
Walter Inserts, solid carbide end mills
Mitsubishi Inserts, solid carbide drills

Don’t see your brand? Call (517) 420-5401. We have bought carbide tooling from manufacturers most people have never heard of. If it’s carbide, we’re interested.

How Selling Your Carbide Tooling Works

Selling carbide tooling to Tool Holder Exchange takes four steps: send us a list or photos, receive a firm quote, ship or schedule a pickup, and get paid. Most deals close in a few days.

Step-by-step process:

  1. Send your list or photos. Part numbers help, but clear photos work just as well. Use the form on this page, email, or call.
  2. We review and quote. Our team evaluates brand, condition, quantity, and current market demand. You receive a firm number, not a range.
  3. Ship or we pick up. Smaller lots ship with a prepaid label we provide. For larger lots, we arrange pickup at your shop. Michigan shops get same-week pickup in most cases.
  4. Get paid. Payment goes out once we receive and verify the tooling. No 60-day waits.

Call (517) 420-5401 or submit the form above to start.

What Your Carbide Tooling Is Worth

The value of used carbide tooling depends on brand, condition, quantity, and current market demand. Premium brands like Kennametal and Sandvik command higher prices, and larger lots typically receive better per-piece pricing from Tool Holder Exchange.

Most shops default to carbide recycling when they have surplus tooling. Recyclers pay by the pound based on raw tungsten carbide weight. That works for completely spent inserts, but for anything with remaining life, you are leaving money on the table.

Resale vs. scrap comparison:

Factor Scrap Recycler Tool Holder Exchange
Pricing basis Tungsten carbide weight Resale market value
New-in-box inserts Paid as scrap weight Paid near retail value
Used but serviceable Paid as scrap weight Paid based on remaining utility
Completely spent Scrap price We recycle too, at competitive rates

A box of 10 Kennametal CNMG inserts might fetch $5 to $10 at a recycler by weight. The same box with usable edges is worth $40 to $80 as resalable tooling. We sort everything we receive and optimize for the highest-value use of each piece.

Not sure what yours is worth? Call (517) 420-5401 and we will give you a ballpark in minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you buy carbide inserts that have been used?
Yes. We buy used carbide inserts as long as they still have usable cutting edges. Even partially worn inserts have resale value. Inserts that are completely spent still carry scrap carbide value, and we pay more than most recyclers because we sort before scrapping.
How is selling different from carbide recycling?
Carbide recycling pays based on the weight of raw tungsten carbide material. Selling to Tool Holder Exchange pays based on the resale value of the tooling, which is almost always higher for anything with remaining life. We sort everything: what can be resold gets resold at a premium, and what cannot gets recycled. Either way, you get the best possible price.
I am closing a shop. Can you buy everything at once?
Yes. We regularly buy full tool room inventories from shop closings, retooling projects, and surplus cleanouts. We come to your location, assess the tooling on site, and make a single offer for the entire lot. Call (517) 420-5401 to set up a walkthrough.

Ready to Sell Your Carbide Tooling?

Contact Tool Holder Exchange today.

Phone: (517) 420-5401
Location: Michigan (we buy from shops nationwide and pick up locally)