Mombasa is where Kenyan scrap meets the sea. The port is the country's export gateway, and the coastal roads run to border crossings the Scrap Metal Council names as smuggling routes into Tanzania. That makes documentation, not distance, the thing that shapes trade here.
Scrap metal prices per kg in Mombasa
| Scrap type | Price (KES) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | KSh 1,392 / kg | ▲ +1.22% | $5.81 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | KSh 208 / kg | ▲ +1.16% | $0.87 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | KSh 848 / kg | ▲ +1.14% | $3.54 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | KSh 137 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | KSh 141 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | KSh 216 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | KSh 55 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | KSh 800 / kg | ▲ +1.21% | $3.34 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | KSh 673 / kg | ▲ +1.44% | $2.81 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | KSh 448 / kg | ▲ +1.08% | $1.87 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | KSh 192 / kg | ▲ +1.27% | $0.80 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | KSh 35,941 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | KSh 31,628 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | KSh 43,129 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | KSh 34,503 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap in Kenya, shown here for Mombasa. Individual yards quote around this level by grade, volume and condition; the derivation from exchange benchmarks and the exchange rate (1 USD = 129.38 KES) is described in the methodology section below.
Mombasa scrap price chart (KES)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in KES, the same series Mombasa yards price against. Scroll to zoom and drag to move along the timeline.
Price history could not be loaded.
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The scrap market in Mombasa
Mombasa handles Kenya's international freight, and for scrap that makes it the city where the export question stops being theoretical. A seller in Nairobi is almost always selling into the domestic chain. A seller in Mombasa may be dealing with a buyer whose economics depend on getting a container onto a ship, and the legal position on scrap exports is the one genuinely unsettled point in Kenyan scrap regulation. Some accounts of the April 2022 decision describe the export prohibition as lifted along with the domestic ban; others report the domestic trade reopening with the export ban left in place. Anyone here trading for export rather than for a local mill should confirm the current position with the Scrap Metal Council rather than rely on secondary reporting.
The coast also sits on the routes the Scrap Metal Council has identified as smuggling corridors. Lunga Lunga and Taveta, both within reach of Mombasa by road, are named alongside Busia and Namanga as crossings through which scrap moves into Tanzania and Uganda. That is why documentation matters more here than a few kilometres of freight ever will: a load moving toward the coast with incomplete paperwork attracts attention for reasons that have nothing to do with its value.
- County
- Mombasa County
- Currency
- Kenyan shilling (KES), quoted per kilogram
- Why it differs
- Port access, and the export question that follows from it
- Border note
- Lunga Lunga and Taveta are named by the Scrap Metal Council among smuggling hotspots
Where the scrap yards are in Mombasa
- Changamwe and the mainland west, closest to the port and the industrial corridor.
- Mombasa Island and the older commercial areas, where smaller dealers operate.
- The Mombasa to Nairobi road corridor, along which consolidated loads move inland to processors.
What pays well in Mombasa
- Heavy ferrous consolidated for industrial buyers rather than sold piecemeal.
- Non-ferrous kept separate and clean, which travels better and holds its grade.
- Marine and industrial scrap from port-adjacent operations, where volume justifies a direct buyer.
Selling scrap metal in Mombasa: rules, ID and payment
The national rules apply in full: a Scrap Metal Council licence for any buyer, certified copies of both licences carried in the transporting vehicle, prescribed transport hours reported as 6.30am to 6pm, and an absolute prohibition on trading metal taken from critical national infrastructure. What is specific to the coast is that proximity to the Lunga Lunga and Taveta crossings makes enforcement attention higher, so incomplete paperwork on a load heading toward a border is a serious problem rather than an administrative one.
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.
Mombasa scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price in Mombasa today?
As of the latest update, the indicative price for clean number 1 copper is about KSh 1,392 per kg in KES. Mombasa 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.
Can scrap metal be exported through Mombasa?
The public record is not consistent. Some accounts of the April 2022 decision describe the export prohibition as ended with the domestic ban; others report local trade reopening while the export ban remained. Confirm the current position with the Scrap Metal Council before arranging a shipment, rather than relying on any secondary source including this page.
Why is enforcement stricter near the coast?
Because Lunga Lunga and Taveta, both reachable from Mombasa by road, are named by the Scrap Metal Council among the crossings through which scrap is smuggled into Tanzania. A load moving toward a border with incomplete documentation is treated accordingly.
Are Mombasa scrap prices better than Nairobi?
Not in a way the board can show. Both track the same national reference, and the difference between two buyers in the same city is usually larger than the difference between the two cities. What changes in Mombasa is the buyer's options rather than the published price.
Are Mombasa prices different from the national board?
The board on this page is the Kenya indicative level, and Mombasa 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 Mombasa board uses the Kenya 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 0.84 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 Mombasa vary by grade, volume, condition and buyer.
Nearby and related
Scrap metal prices in Kenya · All countries · Catalytic converter prices