Across everything we have measured, the decisions that change what you are paid rank in a consistent order: cutting ferrous to charge size is worth about 75 percent, stripping heavy wire about 25 to 30 percent, sorting a mixed load 15 to 25 percent, choosing the right yard 10 to 20 percent, reaching a volume tier 5 to 12 percent, and timing the sale about 3 to 5 percent. Timing is last, and it is the one most people think about first.
Scrap Price Today market analysis, written from exchange settlement data, mill and refiner pricing practice and published policy documents. Figures are examples; today’s numbers are on the live scrap price board.
This page pulls the arithmetic from everything else on the site into one order of operations.
The levers, ranked by size
| Decision | Typical gain | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Cut ferrous to charge size | About 75% | $0.06 to $0.105 a pound on published counter rates |
| Strip heavy wire above the break-even | 25 to 30% | $0.80 a pound on THHN at today’s board |
| Sort a mixed load by grade | 15 to 25% | Each grade paid at its own price |
| Choose a yard on benchmark share | 10 to 20% | Walk-in at 70% of exchange against 87% on formula |
| Reach a volume tier | 5 to 12% | Published tier structures |
| Wait a month for a better price | 3 to 5% | Median of 253 sessions on our own series |
Every one of those is larger than the last only in percentage terms. What matters on your actual load is the percentage applied to the material you have, which is why the order changes with the metal.
The same ranking in dollars
From the worked examples across this site:
- An electrical job sorted rather than skipped: $1,112 against $338, a gain of $774.
- A roll-off of ferrous cut to size: $840 against $480, a gain of $360.
- A junk car with parts removed first: $907 against $612, a gain of $295.
- A tractor sorted rather than weighed whole: $851 against $565, a gain of $286.
- 100 pounds of THHN stripped: $445 against $365, a gain of $80.
- A 300 pound mixed load worth $400, sorted: a gain of $60 to $100.
- A push mower sorted rather than handed over whole: $17 against $7, a gain of $10.
- A month of waiting on copper: a median of 4.2 percent, and negative on three days in ten.
The pattern is that preparation and classification dominate, and market timing barely registers.
The errors, ranked by cost
The other half of the ledger is what goes wrong, and these are larger than most of the gains.
| Error | Cost |
|---|---|
| Brass or cupronickel graded as shred, 100 lb | $339 |
| Chrome-plated brass sold as stainless, 100 lb | $295 |
| Yellow brass booked as irony, 200 lb | $282 |
| A 40 pound tare error on a copper load | $231 |
| One clad wheel in a clean 356 pile, 350 lb | $165 |
| Copper pipe joints left on, one bathroom | $10 |
Five of those six are identification or classification failures rather than market events. That is the case for spending four minutes with a magnet and a key before a trip, which our identification guide sets out in sequence.
Before you load: does this justify a trip?
At roughly $30 for fuel and an hour of your time, the weight needed to clear a trip varies enormously by metal.
| Metal | Pounds needed |
|---|---|
| Copper | 5.2 |
| Brass | 8.5 |
| Aluminium | 35 |
| Light iron | 227 |
That table explains most of what looks like inconsistent advice across this site. A bag of copper fittings is worth a special trip. A washing machine is not. Everything in between belongs in a load that was going anyway.
The order of operations
1. Identify before anything else. Magnet, scratch, weight, and water displacement where zinc or brass is in question. Identification errors are the most expensive thing on the ledger.
2. Separate non-ferrous from ferrous immediately. A pound of copper is worth 44 pounds of light iron, and mixing them means the whole container is priced as the worst material in it.
3. Remove attachments. Steel screws out of aluminium, brass fittings off copper pipe, plastic and rubber off everything. This is what separates clean grades from irony ones.
4. Cut ferrous to size where the section is thick enough to qualify, and not otherwise. Thin sheet gains nothing from cutting.
5. Strip wire above the break-even and sell everything below it as it is. Today that line is about 48 percent copper content.
6. Handle the mandatory items. Refrigerant recovery, fluid draining, battery removal, cylinder purging, vehicle paperwork. None of these are optional and all of them cause refused loads.
7. Agree grades before weighing, using standard grade names, and take a printed ticket that names each one.
8. Watch the weighing and check the tare method.
9. Sell when the load is ready, not when a forecast says so.
Where each step is explained
- Identification: four tests, no equipment
- Grades and preparation: copper grades, preparing scrap for sale
- Ferrous sizing: prepared versus unprepared
- Wire stripping: the break-even is 48 percent
- Choosing a buyer: telling a well-paying yard from a headline rate
- At the scale: reading a scale ticket and where sellers lose money
- Timing: we tested whether waiting pays
What this ranking does not cover
Two things sit outside the arithmetic entirely, and both outrank it.
Safety. The protective equipment that addresses the three most common injury causes costs about $252, which is roughly one good pickup load. Against a published average injury cost of $43,000, that is the cheapest decision in scrapping, and our safety article sets out why a lifting aid matters more than the gloves everyone buys first.
Resale. For working machinery, usable cast iron, quality cookware, vintage tractors, architectural metal and anything with a maker’s name, resale beats melt by multiples rather than percentages. Scrap is the right answer for material that is genuinely finished, and the wrong answer for anything that still works.
What this metal pays around the world
Scrap is a global market priced in US dollars, but what reaches a seller depends on trade position, freight to the nearest consumer and how many buyers compete locally. The table below converts the same grade into each market’s own currency and units at the day’s exchange rate, and shows the factor we apply.
| Market | Local price | USD per lb | Market factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ₺640.99 / kg | $5.91 | 1.04 |
| Germany | €11.41 / kg | $5.79 | 1.02 |
| United States | $5.68 / lb | $5.68 | 1.00 |
| China | CN¥82.37 / kg | $5.57 | 0.98 |
| Canada | C$7.85 / lb | $5.51 | 0.97 |
| United Kingdom | £9.09 / kg | $5.45 | 0.96 |
| Australia | A$17.09 / kg | $5.40 | 0.95 |
| United Arab Emirates | AED43.69 / kg | $5.40 | 0.95 |
| Saudi Arabia | SAR43.67 / kg | $5.28 | 0.93 |
| India | ₹1,116 / kg | $5.23 | 0.92 |
| Bangladesh | ৳1,356 / kg | $5.00 | 0.88 |
| South Africa | R177.11 / kg | $4.83 | 0.85 |
Method
Every percentage and dollar figure in this article is drawn from the worked examples published elsewhere on this site, each of which states its own sources and assumptions. The board prices behind them are documented on the editorial policy page with live figures on the board.
The ranking is our own synthesis rather than a measured hierarchy, and the order shifts with what you are selling: on a pure copper load, sorting and yard choice dominate and ferrous cutting is irrelevant. Treat it as a default sequence rather than a rule.
We do not buy scrap, rank yards or take referral fees.
Questions people ask
What single decision changes my scrap payout the most?
On ferrous, cutting to charge size, which is worth about 75 percent on published counter rates. On mixed loads, sorting by grade at 15 to 25 percent. On wire, stripping above the break-even at 25 to 30 percent. Timing the sale is last at about 3 to 5 percent.
Is waiting for a better price worth it?
Rarely. Across 253 trading sessions of our own series, waiting a month on copper produced a median gain of 4.2 percent and a loss on roughly three days in ten. Sorting the same load is worth 15 to 25 percent and works in any market.
How much material do I need before a trip is worth it?
At roughly $30 for fuel and an hour, about 5.2 pounds of copper, 8.5 pounds of brass, 35 pounds of aluminium or 227 pounds of light iron. That range explains why a bag of fittings justifies a special trip and a single appliance does not.
What is the most expensive mistake sellers make?
Identification and classification failures rather than market timing. Brass or cupronickel graded as shred costs about $339 on 100 pounds, chrome-plated brass sold as stainless about $295, and yellow brass booked as irony about $282 on 200 pounds.
In what order should I prepare a load?
Identify first, separate non-ferrous from ferrous, remove attachments, cut ferrous to size where it qualifies, strip wire above the break-even, handle mandatory items like refrigerant and fluids, agree grades before weighing, then watch the weighing.
Does choosing a different yard really matter?
Yes, by roughly 10 to 20 percent. A walk-in price at 70 percent of the exchange settlement against a formula contract at 87 percent is worth over $1,100 per thousand pounds of copper. Judge a yard on its share of the benchmark rather than its headline number.
When is scrapping the wrong answer entirely?
When the item still works or has a resale market. Working machinery, usable cast iron, quality cookware, vintage tractors and architectural metal beat melt value by multiples rather than percentages. Scrap is for material that is genuinely finished.
What matters more than any of this?
Safety. Protective equipment covering the three most common injury causes costs about $252, roughly one good pickup load, against a published average injury cost of $43,000. A lifting aid matters more than the gloves most people buy first.
Frequently asked questions
What single decision changes my scrap payout the most?
On ferrous, cutting to charge size, which is worth about 75 percent on published counter rates. On mixed loads, sorting by grade at 15 to 25 percent. On wire, stripping above the break-even at 25 to 30 percent. Timing the sale is last at about 3 to 5 percent.
Is waiting for a better price worth it?
Rarely. Across 253 trading sessions of our own series, waiting a month on copper produced a median gain of 4.2 percent and a loss on roughly three days in ten. Sorting the same load is worth 15 to 25 percent and works in any market.
How much material do I need before a trip is worth it?
At roughly $30 for fuel and an hour, about 5.2 pounds of copper, 8.5 pounds of brass, 35 pounds of aluminium or 227 pounds of light iron. That range explains why a bag of fittings justifies a special trip and a single appliance does not.
What is the most expensive mistake sellers make?
Identification and classification failures rather than market timing. Brass or cupronickel graded as shred costs about $339 on 100 pounds, chrome-plated brass sold as stainless about $295, and yellow brass booked as irony about $282 on 200 pounds.
In what order should I prepare a load?
Identify first, separate non-ferrous from ferrous, remove attachments, cut ferrous to size where it qualifies, strip wire above the break-even, handle mandatory items like refrigerant and fluids, agree grades before weighing, then watch the weighing.
Does choosing a different yard really matter?
Yes, by roughly 10 to 20 percent. A walk-in price at 70 percent of the exchange settlement against a formula contract at 87 percent is worth over $1,100 per thousand pounds of copper. Judge a yard on its share of the benchmark rather than its headline number.
When is scrapping the wrong answer entirely?
When the item still works or has a resale market. Working machinery, usable cast iron, quality cookware, vintage tractors and architectural metal beat melt value by multiples rather than percentages. Scrap is for material that is genuinely finished.
What matters more than any of this?
Safety. Protective equipment covering the three most common injury causes costs about $252, roughly one good pickup load, against a published average injury cost of $43,000. A lifting aid matters more than the gloves most people buy first.