Porto Alegre keeps the older shape of the Brazilian recycling trade visible. Carrinheiros with handcarts and carroceiros with horse-drawn carts collect across the city and sell to ferro velhos clustered on the industrial streets, and neighbourhoods built around the trade still function as informal warehousing.
Scrap metal prices per kg in Porto Alegre
| Scrap type | Price (BRL) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | R$59.23 / kg | ▲ +2.30% | $5.78 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | R$8.30 / kg | ▲ +1.25% | $0.81 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | R$35.87 / kg | ▲ +1.45% | $3.50 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | R$5.84 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | R$6.05 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | R$9.22 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | R$2.36 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | R$34.02 / kg | ▲ +2.15% | $3.32 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | R$28.59 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $2.79 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | R$19.06 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $1.86 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | R$8.20 / kg | ▲ +2.56% | $0.80 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | R$1,537 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | R$1,353 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | R$1,844 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | R$1,476 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap in Brazil, shown here for Porto Alegre. Individual yards quote around this level by grade, volume and condition; the derivation from exchange benchmarks and the exchange rate (1 USD = 5.22 BRL) is described in the methodology section below.
Porto Alegre scrap price chart (BRL)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in BRL, the same series Porto Alegre 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 Porto Alegre
In Porto Alegre the collector layer is unusually visible. Alongside catadores working on foot, the city has carrinheiros, cart pushers, and carroceiros using horse-drawn carts, both terms in everyday use. Neighbourhoods associated with the trade, notably Vila dos Papeleiros, have functioned as distributed storage: front porches and small yards used as miniature recycling warehouses, with carts lined along the streets between rounds.
The buyers sit close by. Middleman purchasers, the ferro velhos, cluster on the industrial streets around the neighbourhoods that supply them, and they in turn combine volumes to sell to larger middlemen or directly to industry. It is the classic Brazilian chain in a compact and observable form, and the practical lesson for a seller is the same as everywhere: the further up that chain you can reach, the fewer margins sit between you and the mill price.
- State
- Rio Grande do Sul
- Currency
- Brazilian real (BRL), per kilogram
- Local terms
- Carrinheiro for a cart pusher, carroceiro for a horse-drawn cart, ferro velho for the yard
- Character
- A compact, visible version of the national collection chain
Where the scrap yards are in Porto Alegre
- Vila dos Papeleiros and the neighbourhoods historically built around the collection trade.
- The industrial streets where ferro velhos cluster, close to the collectors who supply them.
- The wider metropolitan area, where consolidators aggregate for industry.
What pays well in Porto Alegre
- Separated non-ferrous, especially aluminium, the material that organised this trade nationally.
- Consolidated ferrous, where reaching a larger buyer avoids a layer.
- Clean copper from renovation and electrical work.
Selling scrap metal in Porto Alegre: rules, ID and payment
No dealer licence applies. Ask for the Nota Fiscal beyond household quantities. If you are selling regularly, it is worth identifying which ferro velhos sell directly to industry rather than to another middleman, because that is where a layer of margin disappears.
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.
Porto Alegre scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price in Porto Alegre today?
As of the latest update, the indicative price for clean number 1 copper is about R$59.23 per kg in BRL. Porto Alegre 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.
What are carrinheiros and carroceiros?
Local terms for collectors by the transport they use: a carrinheiro pushes a handcart, a carroceiro uses a horse-drawn cart. Both are in everyday use in Porto Alegre alongside the national term catador.
Where do collectors sell in Porto Alegre?
To ferro velhos clustered on the industrial streets near the neighbourhoods that supply them. Those buyers then combine volumes and sell either to larger middlemen or directly to industry.
How do I get a better price here?
By reaching further up the chain. Find out which ferro velhos sell directly to industry rather than to another middleman, because dealing with them removes a margin. Separating metals properly before you go does the rest.
Are Porto Alegre prices different from the national board?
The board on this page is the Brazil indicative level, and Porto Alegre 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 Porto Alegre board uses the Brazil 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 0.89 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 Porto Alegre vary by grade, volume, condition and buyer.
Nearby and related
Scrap metal prices in Brazil · All countries · Catalytic converter prices