Iligan once held what was described as the largest steel mill in Asia. It closed in 2009, and the local scrap trade that had grown up to feed it was among the businesses that lost most. Iligan is the clearest illustration on this site of what happens to a scrap market when its consumer disappears.
Scrap metal prices per kg in Iligan City
| Scrap type | Price (PHP) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | ₱686 / kg | ▲ +2.30% | $5.78 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | ₱96 / kg | ▲ +1.25% | $0.81 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | ₱416 / kg | ▲ +1.45% | $3.50 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | ₱68 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | ₱70 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | ₱107 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | ₱27 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | ₱394 / kg | ▲ +2.15% | $3.32 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | ₱331 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $2.79 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | ₱221 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $1.86 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | ₱95 / kg | ▲ +2.56% | $0.80 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | ₱17,812 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | ₱15,675 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | ₱21,375 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | ₱17,100 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap in Philippines, shown here for Iligan City. Individual yards quote around this level by grade, volume and condition; the derivation from exchange benchmarks and the exchange rate (1 USD = 62.63 PHP) is described in the methodology section below.
Iligan City scrap price chart (PHP)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in PHP, the same series Iligan City 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 Iligan City
The Iligan steel mill was established in 1952 by the National Shipyards and Steel Corporation, occupied around 400 hectares, and at one point was considered the largest in Asia. It passed through Iligan Integrated Steel Mills, then National Steel Corporation, then Global Steel, and ceased operating in 2009 before the site passed to the city government in 2016. Reporting on the collapse put losses to supporting businesses at over a billion pesos a year, and named local scrap metal collectors among those hit.
That history is the market. A scrap trade grows around a consumer, and when the consumer stops buying, the collectors, haulers and small yards that supplied it do not simply relocate. Ferrous collected in Iligan today has to travel to reach a working mill, and the price reflects that journey. It is a useful corrective to the assumption that a city with industrial heritage is a good place to sell heavy metal: what matters is not what was built there, but what is melting today.
- Region
- Northern Mindanao
- Currency
- Philippine peso (PHP), quoted per kilogram
- Former mill
- Iligan steel mill, established 1952, ceased operating 2009
- Site
- Around 400 hectares, transferred to the city government in 2016
Where the scrap yards are in Iligan City
- The former steel mill site, around 400 hectares, transferred to the city government in 2016.
- Junk shops serving the city and the surrounding Lanao del Norte area.
- The route toward working Mindanao capacity, which is what heavy ferrous now has to travel.
What pays well in Iligan City
- Non-ferrous, which travels well and is not affected by the loss of local melting capacity.
- Consolidated ferrous volume, where a single longer journey is worth making.
- Small household lots to local junk shops, where the freight question does not arise.
Selling scrap metal in Iligan City: rules, ID and payment
The national position applies: no scrap dealer licence, so a junk shop carries ordinary business registration and a barangay clearance. Given the distance to working capacity, ask a buyer of heavy material where it is going before agreeing a price; the answer explains the number better than negotiation will.
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.
Iligan City scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price in Iligan City today?
As of the latest update, the indicative price for clean number 1 copper is about ₱686 per kg in PHP. Iligan City 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.
Is there still a steel mill in Iligan?
Not a working one. The Iligan steel mill was established in 1952, was at one point considered the largest in Asia, and ceased operating in 2009. The site, around 400 hectares, passed to the city government in 2016.
How did the mill closing affect scrap prices in Iligan?
It removed the local consumer. Reporting on the collapse put annual losses to supporting businesses above a billion pesos and named local scrap collectors among those affected. Heavy ferrous now has to travel to reach working capacity, and that journey is inside every quote.
Is it still worth selling scrap in Iligan?
Non-ferrous, yes, because copper and aluminium travel well and are not affected by the loss of local melting. Heavy ferrous is worth consolidating so that one longer journey carries real weight, and worth asking a buyer where the material is actually going.
Are Iligan City prices different from the national board?
The board on this page is the Philippines indicative level, and Iligan City 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 Iligan City board uses the Philippines 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 0.86 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 Iligan City vary by grade, volume, condition and buyer.
Nearby and related
Scrap metal prices in Philippines · All countries · Catalytic converter prices