The graphite scrap comes from pieces of unusable electrode material (in the manufacturing stage or after use) and lathe turnings, usually after crushing and sizing.

The most common way of recycling graphite occurs when synthetic graphite electrodes are either manufactured and pieces are cut off or lathe turnings are discarded, or the electrode (or other) are used all the way down to the electrode holder.

Facilities maximize the value extracted from complex materials and end-of-life products such as car batteries, computers and electronics (and other products such as spent catalysts, plating precipitates, grindings and lathe turnings, turbine blades from jet engines and power generators, coinage blanks and strips and high temperature alloys).