Every copper grade priced in CAD per , updated daily from exchange settlements and this market's own level.
Copper scrap in Canada is worth C$2.33 to C$8.34 per lb today, depending on grade. Bare Bright Copper sits at the top of the board and communication wire at the bottom, a spread of about 3.6 times. Prices are quoted in CAD per lb and move daily with the exchange settlement.
Yards grade copper by cleanliness, coating and gauge. The spread from the top grade to the bottom runs 25 to 35 percent, so identifying what you hold matters more than the day you sell.
Converted from the exchange settlement at this market's rate and level. Indicative reference prices, not offers. Aluminium, brass and steel prices in Canada.
Canadian yards quote non-ferrous scrap in Canadian dollars per pound and ferrous scrap per metric tonne, a mix of imperial and metric habits inherited from the US market and the mills. Watch the exchange rate: a weaker Canadian dollar raises local scrap prices even when US dollar metal prices are flat.
Against the global reference: Canadian prices sit slightly below US levels after currency conversion because much of the material travels to US consumers.
Grade names travel less well than the metal does. Whatever a local merchant calls it, the specification behind each grade is the same one used on export contracts, which is why the ReMA code appears on every card above.
The board above is the national indicative level. City yards trade around it rather than exactly on it, because local competition, freight to the nearest consumer and export demand all move the spread. Two quotes in the same city can differ by several percent on the same morning.
Toronto scrap prices track the US benchmarks converted to Canadian dollars, with the Hamilton steel mills less than an hour away anchoring ferrous demand. Yards spread through Etobicoke, Scarborough and Peel. Bring photo ID; municipal salvage rules require dealers to record every purchase.
Copper that moves here: Renovation copper and wire from the condo trades.
Vancouver scrap prices lean on the Pacific: container exports to Asia give yards a second bid on copper and aluminium, keeping quotes close to converted world levels. BC's Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act applies everywhere: ID recorded, regulated metals reported, and traceable payment.
Copper that moves here: Export-grade copper, cable and aluminium in volume; Insulated wire, priced on recovery by the exporters.
Montreal scrap prices are anchored by Quebec's own steelmaking at Contrecoeur and by port exports, so ferrous and non-ferrous both clear close to converted world levels. Yards line the east end and Lachine; dealers record ID under provincial and municipal rules, and larger lots pay by cheque.
Copper that moves here: Renovation copper, brass and radiators from the plex trades.
Rules are provincial and municipal. British Columbia's Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act requires dealers to record seller identification and report purchases of regulated metals to police; Ontario and Alberta rely on municipal bylaws with similar ID and record-keeping requirements. Payment for copper wire and catalytic converters is often by cheque only.
Copper attracts more scrutiny than any other scrap metal because it is the most stolen. A yard that asks for identification is following the law; one that does not is the greater risk to you, since a load with no paper trail is the load a buyer can dispute later.
Canada's scrap trade runs on two axes: domestic demand from steelmakers in Ontario, led by the Hamilton mills, and exports through Vancouver, Montreal and the Great Lakes ports. A large share of non-ferrous scrap crosses the border to US consumers, so Canadian prices move with COMEX and the USD-CAD exchange rate almost in lockstep.
Prices are highest in southern Ontario and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, where buyers compete for material; the Prairies and Atlantic Canada see lower bids because freight to a consumer or a port is longer.
Copper sits differently in that picture from the ferrous grades. It is worth enough per kilogram to travel, so a merchant a long way from a refinery can still pay close to the reference by shipping to one. That is why the spread between the best and worst copper quote in a country is usually narrower than the spread on steel, where freight eats the margin.
Grade decides more of your payment than timing does. Four checks settle almost every load.
Sorting into separate piles before you weigh is the highest-paid work in this trade. A mixed load is graded at the lowest grade present, so one soldered joint in a clean pile can regrade the lot.
| Currency | Canadian dollar (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Price units | Per lb for non-ferrous, per tonne for ferrous |
| Benchmarks | COMEX copper, LME aluminum, Hamilton mill ferrous prices |
| Main hubs | Toronto and Hamilton, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton |
| Trade position | Net exporter, mainly to the United States |
Between C$2.33 and C$8.34 per lb depending on grade, quoted in CAD. The board above shows every grade, updated daily.
Because they have different outlets. A merchant who can sell straight to a refinery pays closer to the reference than one who has to ship material onward, and both build their freight into the quote. Local competition does the rest, which is why calling two or three merchants is worth more than picking the day.
Bare Bright Copper, at C$8.34 per lb today. It is the strictest grade on the board: clean, uncoated, unalloyed wire of heavier gauge, with no oxidation and no attachments.
Above roughly 48 percent copper recovery, usually yes. Below it, usually not. Thick building cable strips quickly and pays; thin communication cable does not. Burning insulation is never the answer: it is unlawful in most jurisdictions and it downgrades the copper rather than improving it.
Yes, though less than most sellers expect. The board on this page is the national indicative level and city yards trade around it. What moves a local quote is how many buyers can economically reach you, how far the material has to travel to a consumer, and whether there is an export outlet nearby.
Daily. Copper settles on the exchange every business day and every scrap grade moves with it, because each grade is priced as a share of the refined metal price rather than set independently.
$6.22 / lb
£9.74 / kg
A$18.08 / kg
€12.04 / kg
€11.81 / kg
€12.16 / kg
€11.81 / kg
€11.81 / kg
€11.93 / kg
CN¥90.30 / kg
¥2,077 / kg
₩18,096 / kg
₹1,193 / kg
৳1,483 / kg
Rs 3,274 / kg
AED 47.84 / kg
SAR 47.82 / kg
₺691.10 / kg
R 186.00 / kg