Purpose - The present study seeks to examine the possibilities of combined usage of friction welding and plastic forming in recycling of bar-shaped waste materials. Design/methodology/approach - if the waste materials can be reproduced using various manufacturing methods without melting, their economic values could be increased economically. For this reason, using a combination of friction welding and plastic forming was chosen as an alternative recycling method. Upsetting was chosen as the plastic forming method due to its ease of application. Findings - In the present study, dimensional changes, hardness variations in heat affected zone (HAZ), variations of torsion and tensile strengths with upsetting ratio of specimens were examined. Hardness values of test material are raised to higher levels within the HAZ by the local hardening. The maximum shear stress in torsion and the tensile strengths of specimens are closely harmonious with hardness values of test material. Research limitations/implications - Although it was observed in general that the increasing upsetting ratio increased the torsion and tensile strengths, experimental study must be improved and extended in order to obtain more precise results. Practical implications - It can be concluded that combined usage of just welded and additional cold deformation can be considered as an alternative recycling method owing to obtained positive results. Originality/value - This paper helps individuals reutilize waste materials because of the small lengths of the bars. Furthermore, it can be observed that the combination of friction welding and plastic|forming produces savings in the material and the cost in this study.