Cape Town scrap prices follow the LME in rand under the same price preference discount as the rest of South Africa, with fewer buyers than Gauteng but a port that matters when export permits flow. Yards cluster in Epping, Parow and Montague Gardens; ID and records are standard.
Scrap metal prices per kg in Cape Town
| Scrap type | Price (ZAR) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | R 173.74 / kg | ▲ +1.22% | $5.81 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | R 26.02 / kg | ▲ +1.16% | $0.87 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | R 105.86 / kg | ▲ +1.14% | $3.54 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | R 17.04 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | R 17.64 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | R 26.91 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | R 6.88 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | R 99.88 / kg | ▲ +1.21% | $3.34 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | R 84.03 / kg | ▲ +1.44% | $2.81 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | R 55.92 / kg | ▲ +1.08% | $1.87 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | R 23.92 / kg | ▲ +1.27% | $0.80 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | R 4,485 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | R 3,947 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | R 5,383 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | R 4,306 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap in South Africa, shown here for Cape Town. Individual yards quote around this level by grade, volume and condition; the derivation from exchange benchmarks and the exchange rate (1 USD = 15.96 ZAR) is described in the methodology section below.
Cape Town scrap price chart (ZAR)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in ZAR, the same series Cape Town yards price against. Scroll to zoom and drag to move along the timeline.
Price history could not be loaded.
- Current Price
- Daily Change
- Weekly Change
- Monthly Change
- Yearly Change
The scrap market in Cape Town
Cape Town's market is smaller and more retail than Johannesburg's: construction, marine work and the wine and food industries feed steady flows of steel, stainless and aluminium into a compact ring of yards around the N1 and N7 corridors.
The port is the wildcard. When export permits for a grade are open, harbour-side demand firms local bids; when they close, material must travel inland or wait, and prices soften first at the bottom grades. Stainless does comparatively well here thanks to the food and beverage equipment trade.
- Province
- Western Cape, South Africa
- Quoted in
- ZAR per kg (non-ferrous), per tonne (ferrous)
- Yards cluster in
- Epping, Parow, Montague Gardens, Blackheath
- Demand from
- Local industry, port exports when permitted
Where the scrap yards are in Cape Town
- Epping Industria: the city's main yard cluster.
- Parow and Bellville: the northern suburbs' full-service yards.
- Montague Gardens and Killarney Gardens: contractor-friendly buyers near the N7.
- Blackheath and the far east: heavier processing operations.
What pays well in Cape Town
- Stainless from food, beverage and marine equipment.
- Copper and cable from electrical and renovation work.
- Aluminium from glazing, boats and light industry.
Selling scrap metal in Cape Town: rules, ID and payment
The Second-Hand Goods Act applies as everywhere in South Africa: registered dealers, recorded ID, holding periods and non-cash payment on regulated metals, with proof of origin for cable. Bring ID and, for vehicles, the deregistration paperwork; the established Epping and Parow yards handle it daily.
Before any sale, check the live board above, sort by grade and get quotes from two or three buyers; the best scrap price guide covers the routine and the calculator turns a weight into a figure at today's price. To judge whether a local quote is competitive, our note on telling a well-paying yard from a headline rate sets out the benchmark test.
Cape Town scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price in Cape Town today?
As of the latest update, the indicative price for clean number 1 copper is about R 173.74 per kg in ZAR. Cape Town yards typically quote within a few percent of that figure either side, depending on grade, volume and the buyer; the live board above shows all fifteen grades.
Where can I sell scrap metal in Cape Town?
Epping Industria has the densest choice of yards, Parow and Bellville cover the northern suburbs, and Montague Gardens suits contractors coming off the N7. Fewer buyers than Johannesburg means quotes vary more, so phone two or three before loading.
Does the port make Cape Town prices higher?
Only when export permits are open for a grade; then harbour demand firms bids. Under the price preference system material must be offered locally first at a discount, so most of the time Cape Town tracks the national level, a step behind Gauteng on ferrous because the mills are inland.
Are Cape Town prices different from the national board?
The board on this page is the South Africa indicative level, and Cape Town yards trade around it rather than exactly on it. Local competition, freight to the nearest consumer and the day's export demand set the spread, which is why two quotes in the same city can differ by several percent on the same morning.
Sources and methodology
The Cape Town board uses the South Africa indicative prices: global exchange benchmarks (COMEX copper, CME aluminum and steel, NYMEX platinum and palladium, IMF monthly lead, zinc and nickel) multiplied by typical yard recovery shares, a local market factor of 0.85 and the day's exchange rate. The full method, the recovery shares and the correction policy are on our editorial policy page; local notes on this page are reviewed against published dealer information and reader corrections sent to info@scrappricetoday.com.
Prices are indicative and for information only; they are not offers to buy or sell. Yard quotes in Cape Town vary by grade, volume, condition and buyer.
Nearby and related
Scrap metal prices in South Africa · All countries · Catalytic converter prices