Scrap metal prices per kg in Thailand
| Scrap type | Price (THB) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | THB 397.78 / kg | ▲ +2.30% | $5.78 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | THB 55.74 / kg | ▲ +1.25% | $0.81 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | THB 240.87 / kg | ▲ +1.45% | $3.50 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | THB 39.23 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | THB 40.60 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | THB 61.94 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | THB 15.83 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | THB 228.48 / kg | ▲ +2.15% | $3.32 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | THB 192.01 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $2.79 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | THB 128.01 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $1.86 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | THB 55.06 / kg | ▲ +2.56% | $0.80 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | THB 10,323 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | THB 9,084 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | THB 12,388 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | THB 9,910 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap. Global reference is the US board in US dollars; the Thailand figure applies the exchange rate (1 USD = 33.57 THB) and a local market factor of 0.93.
Yards quote in baht per kilogram. Prices here are derived from the exchange settlement, converted to baht, and adjusted by a market factor of 0.93, our assessment of a market with genuine industrial demand and good infrastructure, discounted for the inspection burden that now attaches to imported material. The factor is published on the editorial policy page and is open to challenge.
Thailand scrap price chart (THB)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in THB per kg or per tonne. 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
Copper scrap prices by grade in Thailand
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 THB.
The scrap market in Thailand
Thailand's position on metal is straightforward and has been consistent: scrap metals are still allowed, but aluminium, copper and steel must be separated and cleaned in their countries of origin before they are shipped to Thailand for industrial use. Clean, sorted metal is welcome. Mixed material that needs work on arrival is not.
What has changed is the atmosphere around it. Thailand banned plastic waste imports in January 2025 and tightened its electronic waste rules the following June, and enforcement has become aggressive in a way that touches legitimate metal shippers even though metal is not the target.
The reason is a specific pattern. Between April 2025 and March 2026 Thai authorities detected hundreds of suspicious cargo containers. The first twelve examined, declared as containing scrap metal from Haiti, were found to hold undeclared mixed electronic waste. If you ship genuine scrap metal to Thailand, you are now shipping under a declaration that has been used as cover, and your paperwork carries the weight of that.
- Currency
- Thai baht (THB)
- Units
- Kilogram
- Market factor
- 0.93 (our assessment, published on the editorial policy page)
- Metal status
- Permitted, if separated and cleaned in the country of origin
- E-waste status
- Prohibited, 463 items since 24 June 2025
- Main port
- Laem Chabang, around 10,000 containers a day
The most valuable scrap by weight in Thailand today: Copper at THB 397.78 per kg, Brass at THB 240.87 per kg, Radiator at THB 228.48 per kg, Wire at THB 192.01 per kg, Cable at THB 128.01 per kg.
What scrap metal pays per kg in Thailand
Buyers in Thailand work in THB and price by the kilogram. Typical ranges are Copper: THB 350 to THB 445 per kg; Brass: THB 210 to THB 270 per kg; Aluminium: THB 49 to THB 62 per kg; Zinc: THB 55 to THB 69 per kg; Lead: THB 36 to THB 45 per kg; Stainless steel: THB 35 to THB 44 per kg. Across common non-ferrous grades that puts most material between THB 35 and THB 445 per kg, with copper at the top of the range and stainless steel near the bottom.
These are ranges rather than quotes. The band reflects day-to-day movement in the metal market and the spread between one yard and another, which our own research has found can reach 40 percent or more for the same metal in the same city. The midpoint is derived from the international exchange settlement converted to THB and adjusted by our published market factor of 0.93. Expect a local buyer to sit toward the lower end, because they carry collection, sorting, processing and their own margin. Always confirm the rate per kilo for your specific grade before anything is weighed.
- Copper: THB 350 to THB 445 per kg
- Brass: THB 210 to THB 270 per kg
- Aluminium: THB 49 to THB 62 per kg
- Zinc: THB 55 to THB 69 per kg
- Lead: THB 36 to THB 45 per kg
- Stainless steel: THB 35 to THB 44 per kg
Selling to a Thai buyer, and what they will refuse
Everything above concerns material arriving from abroad. Selling scrap you generated in Thailand is a different transaction, and Thai buyers publish their rates in a way that makes the grading unusually visible.
A price board from a branch of one of the large Thai recycling chains, dated February 2026, quoted copper in baht per kilo across six grades in a single list. Large stripped copper from new wire was at the top, followed by small stripped copper described as clean and bright, then stripped copper that is blackened or shorted, then motor copper and air conditioning pipe, then white-plated copper, and finally plated needle copper at the bottom. The spread from top to bottom of that one list was roughly 85 baht a kilo.
The lesson in that structure is that Thai yards do not pay for copper. They pay for a specific grade of copper, and the difference between the best and worst grade on a single board is around a quarter of the price.
Two things that board refused outright
The same notice carried a warning, and it named two categories the branch would not buy at any price.
Burnt copper. Burning the insulation off is the fastest way to strip cable and the fastest way to make it unsellable at a serious yard.
Copper wound into round lumps. A coiled ball hides what is inside it, and a buyer who cannot see what they are weighing will not price it. If you have wound material, unwind it before you go.
The instruction on the board itself
Printed on the same notice: always ask the buying price before bringing goods in to sell.
That is worth following anywhere, but it is worth following particularly where boards are updated daily and the grade you think you have may not be the grade the yard assigns.
Selling scrap metal in Thailand: rules, ID and payment
The electronic waste rules are the ones that have moved. On 23 June 2025 the Ministry of Commerce issued a notification classifying e-waste as illegal for admission into the Kingdom, effective the following day, superseding the 2020 notification. The number of prohibited items rose from 428 to 463, covering customs tariff chapters 84 and 85 under statistical code 899. Crucially, the tariff codes were revised to align with the Harmonized System 2022 specifically to prevent false declarations and disguised shipments.
The definition is broad. E-waste covers electrical and electronic assemblies or scrap containing items such as accumulators and other batteries, mercury switches, cathode ray tube glass and other activated glasses, and PCB capacitors, or material contaminated with cadmium, mercury, lead or polychlorinated biphenyls. Faulty circuit boards, used lithium batteries, non-functional mobile phones and small appliances with hazardous residues are explicitly within scope. If your load contains any of that, it is not scrap metal for Thai purposes regardless of how much metal is in it.
Where imports of controlled material are permitted, approval sits with the Department of Industrial Works under the Ministry of Industry, and the conditions are narrow: approval is granted to factories intending to use the material as raw material rather than for reselling, in quantities appropriate to the factory's manufacturing capacity, with approval from the country of origin under the Basel Convention where that applies. A trader cannot obtain the permission a manufacturer can.
Before you sell
- Separate and clean aluminium, copper and steel in the country of origin. That is the stated condition on which metal remains importable.
- Remove anything electronic. Batteries, circuit boards, capacitors and CRT glass turn a metal cargo into a prohibited one.
- Expect scrutiny of a scrap metal declaration. The description has been used to cover e-waste, and Thai authorities know it.
- Photograph and document the load before it is sealed. If a container is opened at Laem Chabang, your own record is the evidence you control.
- Check whether your buyer is a manufacturer using the material or a trader reselling it. Approvals favour the former.
- Confirm whether Basel Convention notification applies to your specific material and route.
Scrap prices by city in Thailand
City pages carry local yard prices and directories for the main scrap markets. Pages that are not live yet are shown without a link.
Scrap yards in Thailand
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.
Yard listings for Thailand are being added from official dealer registers and trade directories. Nothing is published until it has been verified against a named source, which is why this section is not yet populated.
Thailand scrap price FAQ
Can you still import scrap metal into Thailand?
Yes. Scrap metals remain permitted, on the stated condition that aluminium, copper and steel are separated and cleaned in their countries of origin before shipment for industrial use. The restriction is on condition, not on metal as such.
What did Thailand ban in June 2025?
Electronic waste. The Ministry of Commerce notification of 23 June 2025, effective the next day, classified e-waste as illegal for admission into the Kingdom and raised the number of prohibited items from 428 to 463, superseding the 2020 notification.
What counts as e-waste under the Thai rules?
Electrical and electronic assemblies or scrap containing accumulators and other batteries, mercury switches, cathode ray tube glass and other activated glasses, and PCB capacitors, or material contaminated with cadmium, mercury, lead or polychlorinated biphenyls. Faulty circuit boards, used lithium batteries and non-functional phones are explicitly covered.
Why were the tariff codes changed?
To make false declarations harder. The codes were revised to align with the Harmonized System 2022 specifically to prevent mis-declaration and the smuggling of e-waste in disguised forms.
Is a scrap metal declaration treated with suspicion in Thailand?
It is checked. Between April 2025 and March 2026 Thai authorities detected hundreds of suspicious containers, and the first twelve examined, declared as scrap metal from Haiti, held undeclared mixed e-waste. Legitimate shippers now carry the consequences of that pattern.
Where does inspection happen?
Laem Chabang is Thailand's busiest port, handling around 10,000 containers a day, and it is where the high-profile joint inspections have taken place, involving the Department of Special Investigation, the Customs Department and international partners.
Who can get an import approval?
Factories intending to use the material as raw material rather than for reselling, in quantities appropriate to their manufacturing capacity. The Department of Industrial Works has stated the approval is granted on that basis, so a trader is not in the same position as a manufacturer.
Does the Basel Convention apply?
For controlled material, approval from the country of origin under the Basel Convention has been required as part of the import approval process. Confirm whether your specific material and route fall within it.
Has Thailand banned plastic waste too?
Yes. Thailand banned the import of plastic waste in January 2025, and strengthened its e-waste rules in June of the same year. Metal was not included in either measure.
How does Thailand compare with Malaysia and Indonesia?
Three different models. Malaysia inspects through SIRIM and requires arrival by sea. Indonesia verifies in the country of origin and refuses transshipped material. Thailand permits metal on condition it is cleaned and separated before shipment, and polices the declaration itself because that declaration has been abused.
Sources and methodology
Prices on this page start from the global reference board (US dollars per pound or per ton), are multiplied by a Thailand market factor of 0.93 that reflects local demand, freight and trade rules, and are converted to THB at 1 USD = 33.57 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
- Ministry of Commerce Notification on Classifying E-waste as Illegal for Admission into the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2568 (2025), effective 24 June 2025
- The superseded Ministry of Commerce Notification B.E. 2563 (2020)
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reporting on the April 2026 Laem Chabang inspection with the Department of Special Investigation, Customs Department, EARTH and the Basel Action Network
- Department of Industrial Works statements on import approval conditions
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.