Every copper grade priced in JPY per , updated daily from exchange settlements and this market's own level.
Copper scrap in Japan is worth ¥581 to ¥2,077 per kg 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 JPY per kg 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 Japan.
Japanese dealers quote non-ferrous scrap in yen per kilogram and ferrous scrap in yen per tonne, with ferrous grades such as H2 (heavy) and shredded quoted separately. The yen exchange rate strongly influences export bids.
Against the global reference: Japanese prices are quoted in a low-decimal currency and track export demand for ferrous scrap.
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.
Tokyo and the Kanto region generate demolition and electronics scrap on a large scale. Japanese dealers quote non-ferrous in yen per kilogram, and the yen rate moves local prices as much as the metal does.
Copper that moves here: Building wire and plumbing copper from demolition; Electronics copper and fine cable.
Osaka anchors the Kansai industrial region, with a longer manufacturing tradition than Tokyo and a scrap flow weighted toward machinery and plant rather than offices.
Copper that moves here: Copper tube from process and HVAC pipework.
Nagoya is the automotive centre of Japan, so the copper moving through the region reflects vehicle manufacture and dismantling: harness wire, radiators and motors.
Copper that moves here: Wiring harness copper and automotive cable; Copper and brass radiators.
Dealers operate under recycling and secondhand dealer regulations, and recent measures against metal theft require dealers to verify seller identity for copper and cable scrap. Bring ID for anything beyond small household lots.
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.
Japan is a mature market with a large surplus of ferrous scrap, exported mainly to South Korea, Vietnam and Bangladesh from Tokyo Bay, Osaka and Nagoya. The buying prices announced by the country's largest electric arc furnace steelmaker are watched as a benchmark for the whole ferrous market.
Non-ferrous scrap is priced off LME quotes converted at the yen rate, and Japan's secondary aluminium and copper industries keep domestic demand steady. Prices are highest in the Kanto region around Tokyo.
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 | Japanese yen (JPY) |
|---|---|
| Price units | Per kg for non-ferrous, per tonne for ferrous |
| Benchmarks | Tokyo Steel buying prices, LME in yen |
| Main hubs | Tokyo and Kanto, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka |
| Trade position | Net exporter of ferrous scrap |
Between ¥581 and ¥2,077 per kg depending on grade, quoted in JPY. 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 ¥2,077 per kg 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
C$8.34 / 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
₩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