Scrap Metal Prices in Singapore Today

Scrap metal prices per kg in Singapore

Dealers quote in Singapore dollars per kilogram across the board, including ferrous, because tonne-scale household loads are rare in a city of high-rise housing. Prices here are derived from the exchange settlement, converted to Singapore dollars, and adjusted by a market factor of 0.95, our assessment of a compact, export-oriented market with several competing licensed processors and short internal freight distances. That factor is published on the editorial policy page and is open to challenge. Larger operators publish collection thresholds rather than a price list, so a business generating regular volume will often be quoted differently from a walk-in seller.

Singapore scrap price chart (SGD)

Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in SGD per kg or per tonne. Scroll to zoom and drag to move along the timeline.

Copper scrap prices by grade in Singapore

Copper is not one price. Yards grade it by cleanliness, coating and gauge, and the spread from the top grade to the bottom runs 25 to 35 percent. These are the same grades used on export contracts, converted to SGD.

The scrap market in Singapore

Singapore is the only market on this site where selling scrap metal touches three regulators at once. The National Environment Agency licenses the collection and processing of waste under the Environmental Public Health Act, and a buyer collecting metal from third parties needs a General Waste Collector licence. The Singapore Police Force regulates the same buyer separately under the Secondhand Goods Dealers Act 2007, because scrap bought from the public is second-hand goods and the concern there is stolen property rather than the environment. The Land Transport Authority governs end-of-life vehicles. Most countries load all of this onto one licence; Singapore splits it three ways, and the practical effect for a seller is that a dealer can be genuinely licensed for one purpose and not for another.

The second thing that shapes this market is that there is no hinterland. Singapore is a single city with no domestic steel mill and no mining sector, so scrap here is generated by construction, shipyards, precision manufacturing and offices, and almost all of it is destined for export or for a handful of local processors. Household volumes are small, and the traditional route for them was never a scrap yard at all but the karang guni, the door-to-door rag-and-bone collector who bought newspapers, bottles and metal from flats. That trade still exists and is shrinking, squeezed by island-wide recycling collection and by e-waste rules that an informal collector cannot satisfy.

Currency

Singapore dollar (SGD)

Units

Kilogram, including for ferrous

Market factor

0.95 (our assessment, published on the editorial policy page)

Regulators

National Environment Agency, Singapore Police Force Secondhand Goods Dealer Unit, Land Transport Authority for vehicles

Local term

Karang guni, the traditional door-to-door collector

The most valuable scrap by weight in Singapore today: Copper at S$15.42 per kg, Brass at S$9.39 per kg, Radiator at S$8.86 per kg, Wire at S$7.46 per kg, Cable at S$4.96 per kg.

Selling scrap metal in Singapore: rules, ID and payment

Expect to show identification: an NRIC for citizens and permanent residents, or a Work Permit or Employment Pass for foreign nationals. This applies to individuals and to anyone selling on behalf of a company, and it follows from the Secondhand Goods Dealers Act 2007 rather than from environmental law. That Act also imposes a holding period before purchased goods may be resold or processed, so that the police can make checks; a seller will not see this, but it explains why a compliant dealer keeps records and does not turn material around immediately. Hazardous material is separated out again: transformers, drums and anything containing toxic industrial waste require a specific NEA Toxic Industrial Waste Collector licence, and a dealer who quietly accepts them at ordinary scrap rate without asking is telling you something about their compliance. Licences can be checked. NEA publishes a searchable register of licensed waste collectors on its e-services portal, and company details can be confirmed through ACRA BizFile.

Before you sell

• Check the NEA General Waste Collector licence register before selling anything of real value; if the name is not there, the buyer is not licensed.
• Bring NRIC, or Work Permit or Employment Pass. A dealer who does not ask for identification is not following the Secondhand Goods Dealers Act.
• Do not hand transformers, drums or anything with oil or hazardous content to a dealer without a Toxic Industrial Waste Collector licence, however good the price sounds.
• For business volumes, ask about scheduled collection rather than ad-hoc pickup; thresholds and terms differ sharply between the two.
• E-waste from a business is covered by Extended Producer Responsibility obligations, and passing it to an informal collector does not discharge them.

Scrap prices by city in Singapore

City pages for Singapore are being added; the country board above already reflects prices in its main hubs: Singapore.

Scrap yards in Singapore

Find a yard by region or city, or use your location to see the nearest. Every listing shows where its details came from and when they were checked.

Singapore scrap price FAQ

Sources and methodology

Prices on this page start from the global reference board (US dollars per pound or per ton), are multiplied by a Singapore market factor of 0.95 that reflects local demand, freight and trade rules, and are converted to SGD at 1 USD = 1.27 and to metric units (kilograms and tonnes). The board refreshes daily, with the time of the latest update shown at the top of the page.

Reference sources

• Environmental Public Health Act and NEA General Waste Collector licensing, National Environment Agency
• Secondhand Goods Dealers Act 2007, Singapore Police Force Secondhand Goods Dealer Unit
• NEA licensed waste collector register, accessible through the NEA e-services portal
• ACRA BizFile for company registration checks

Prices are indicative and for information only; they are not offers to buy or sell. Actual yard prices depend on grade, quantity, location and the buyer. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will check it against our sources.

Scrap prices in other countries

• United States
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All countries · Global scrap price board