Scrap metal prices per kg in Nepal
| Scrap type | Price (NPR) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | Rs 1,635 / kg | ▼ -2.11% | $5.57 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | Rs 226 / kg | ▼ -1.28% | $0.77 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | Rs 1,001 / kg | ▼ -1.73% | $3.41 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | Rs 167 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | Rs 173 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | Rs 264 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | Rs 68 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | Rs 940 / kg | ▼ -2.14% | $3.20 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | Rs 790 / kg | ▼ -2.18% | $2.69 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | Rs 526 / kg | ▼ -2.19% | $1.79 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | Rs 226 / kg | ▼ -2.53% | $0.77 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | Rs 44,041 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | Rs 38,756 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | Rs 52,850 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | Rs 42,280 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap. Global reference is the US board in US dollars; the Nepal figure applies the exchange rate (1 USD = 151.34 NPR) and a local market factor of 0.88.
Yards quote in Nepali rupees per kilogram. Prices here are derived from the exchange settlement, converted to rupees, and adjusted by a market factor of 0.88, our assessment of a market where proximity to Indian buyers supports prices even as duty and shortage pull the other way. The factor is published on the editorial policy page and is open to challenge.
Nepal scrap price chart (NPR)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in NPR per kg or per tonne. Scroll to zoom and drag to move along the timeline.
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Copper scrap prices by grade in Nepal
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 NPR.
The scrap market in Nepal
Nepal is the inverse of almost every market on this site. Elsewhere the question is whether a government will let scrap leave. Here scrap leaves anyway, and the government is trying to make it leave legally.
Scrap exports carry a customs duty of 5 to 10 rupees a kilogram. Traders avoid the customs post and send material across informally. Iron scrap largely stays, but used paper, plastic, batteries and aluminium move the other way, and more than a hundred factories between Bhairahawa and Dhangadhi that depend on scrap as raw material are reported to be short of it.
The reason iron behaves differently is the most useful sentence in Nepali reporting on this. A trader explained that a local steel plant buys iron scrap at the same price as Indian traders, so it is not exported. When a domestic buyer matches the cross-border price, the metal stays. When it does not, the border decides.
That is worth holding onto, because it is the clearest illustration anywhere on this site that an open border acts as a floor under scrap prices whether or not a government intends it to.
- Currency
- Nepali rupee (NPR)
- Units
- Kilogram
- Market factor
- 0.88 (our assessment, published on the editorial policy page)
- Export duty
- 5 to 10 rupees a kilogram on scrap
- Import duty
- 1 percent on scrap and pig iron, 2.5 percent on sponge iron, from the 2024 budget
- The border
- Banke district alone has 65 km of open border with India
- Steel exports to India
- About 145,932 tonnes a year, worth roughly 16.35 billion rupees
The most valuable scrap by weight in Nepal today: Copper at Rs 1,635 per kg, Brass at Rs 1,001 per kg, Radiator at Rs 940 per kg, Wire at Rs 790 per kg, Cable at Rs 526 per kg.
How much is scrap metal worth in Nepal?
Scrap metal in Nepal is bought per kilogram and quoted in NPR. Typical ranges are Copper: Rs 1,440 to Rs 1,830 per kg; Brass: Rs 880 to Rs 1,120 per kg; Aluminium: Rs 200 to Rs 255 per kg; Zinc: Rs 230 to Rs 295 per kg; Lead: Rs 150 to Rs 195 per kg; Stainless steel: Rs 145 to Rs 185 per kg. Across common non-ferrous grades that puts most material between Rs 145 and Rs 1,830 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 NPR and adjusted by our published market factor of 0.88. 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: Rs 1,440 to Rs 1,830 per kg
- Brass: Rs 880 to Rs 1,120 per kg
- Aluminium: Rs 200 to Rs 255 per kg
- Zinc: Rs 230 to Rs 295 per kg
- Lead: Rs 150 to Rs 195 per kg
- Stainless steel: Rs 145 to Rs 185 per kg
Selling scrap metal in Nepal: rules, ID and payment
On the export side, the duty is 5 to 10 rupees a kilogram depending on material. Enforcement is the problem rather than the rate. The chief of one border customs office put the difficulty plainly: if the office went all in on stopping illegal scrap export, it would turn into a scrap yard, because seized material has to be bought by Nepali industry or it piles up and is eventually bought again by Indian traders.
Geography makes this hard. Banke district alone shares a 65 kilometre open border with India, and the revenue loss from informal movement is a stated concern.
On the import side, Nepal's 2024 budget raised the duty on sponge iron from 1 to 2.5 percent and introduced a 1 percent duty on scrap and pig iron, which had previously entered free, while waiving excise on imported billet.
Anyone trading here should also understand what has happened to Nepali steel in the other direction, because it shapes how much scrap domestic mills can afford to buy.
Before you sell
- Ask whether the buyer is a mill or a trader. A mill that matches Indian prices keeps material in Nepal; a trader may not.
- If you are exporting, do it through customs. The duty is 5 to 10 rupees a kilo and the alternative is smuggling.
- Separate aluminium, batteries and paper carefully. Those are the streams reported as leaving the country, which means they are the ones being competed for.
- For imports, note the 2024 changes: 2.5 percent on sponge iron, 1 percent on scrap and pig iron.
- If you supply mills, follow the Indian safeguard duty. It determines what Nepali steelmakers can earn and therefore what they can pay you.
Scrap prices by city in Nepal
City pages for Nepal are being added; the country board above already reflects prices in its main hubs: Nepal.
Scrap yards in Nepal
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 Nepal 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.
Nepal scrap price FAQ
Can scrap be exported from Nepal?
Yes, with a customs duty of 5 to 10 rupees a kilogram depending on the material. The reported problem is not the rate but that traders avoid the customs post and move material informally across the open border.
Why does iron scrap stay in Nepal when other materials leave?
Because domestic buyers match the price. A trader explained that a local steel plant buys iron scrap at the same price as Indian traders, so it is not exported. Used paper, plastic, batteries and aluminium are reported as leaving.
How open is the border?
Banke district alone shares 65 kilometres of open border with India. A customs chief there said that going all in on stopping informal scrap export would turn the customs office into a scrap yard, because seized material must be bought by Nepali industry or it accumulates and is eventually bought again by Indian traders.
Who is hurt by the outflow?
Manufacturers. More than a hundred factories between Bhairahawa and Dhangadhi rely on scrap as raw material, and producers of items such as egg cartons and plastic goods have reported shortages, with one saying that in some months they barely receive a single truck.
What are Nepal's import duties on scrap?
The 2024 budget introduced a 1 percent duty on scrap and pig iron, which had previously been zero, raised sponge iron from 1 to 2.5 percent, and waived excise duty on imported billet.
What happened to Nepali steel exports to India?
They fell by nearly two thirds after India imposed a three-year safeguard duty of 11 to 12 percent on certain steel imports and made BIS certification mandatory. Reported losses were around 10.59 billion rupees in under a year.
Why did India do that?
Indian authorities have argued that Chinese steel was being routed into the Indian market through Nepal and Vietnam. The requirement was extended to raw materials, which Nepali manufacturers said effectively requires the raw material to be Indian while the manufacturing happens in Nepal.
How much steel does Nepal normally send to India?
Customs data put it at roughly 145,932 tonnes of iron and steel products a year, worth about 16.35 billion rupees, with India the primary market.
Does any of this help a Nepali scrap seller?
On price, yes. Competition from across the border puts a floor under offers that sellers in closed markets do not have. The pressure falls on domestic mills, which must match Indian prices for feedstock while facing Indian duties on their output.
What should I check before selling?
Whether your buyer is a mill or a trader, what the current Indian safeguard position is if you supply mills, and if you are exporting, that the material goes through customs rather than around it.
Sources and methodology
Prices on this page start from the global reference board (US dollars per pound or per ton), are multiplied by a Nepal market factor of 0.88 that reflects local demand, freight and trade rules, and are converted to NPR at 1 USD = 151.34 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
- Nepali press reporting on informal scrap exports, customs duty and raw material shortages, 2026
- Nepal budget 2024 changes to import duties on scrap, sponge iron, pig iron and billet
- Nepali and regional reporting on India's safeguard duty, BIS certification and the Steel Import Monitoring System
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.
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