Swarf

Swarf is the debris left over from machining, woodworking or similar processes that remove material by cutting, taking the form of anything from fine grinding dust to long stringy chips of metal, wood or plastic. Metal swarf poses particular handling hazards, since its chips can be extremely sharp and are often thrown off with force during machining, and swarf from reactive metals is especially dangerous because its high surface area makes it prone to catching fire or even igniting spontaneously, particularly when coated in cutting oil. Metal swarf can generally be recycled, and manufacturers commonly compress it into bricks to make it easier and safer to store, transport and eventually process for reuse. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/