Every copper grade priced in KRW per , updated daily from exchange settlements and this market's own level.
Copper scrap in South Korea is worth ₩5,062 to ₩18,096 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 KRW 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 South Korea.
Korean dealers quote non-ferrous scrap in won per kilogram and ferrous scrap in won per tonne, with mill grades such as heavy scrap A and B.
Against the global reference: Korean ferrous prices follow import bids and can run above the US reference when mills are short of material.
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.
Seoul and its surrounding province generate construction and electronics scrap, and Korean refiners compete for clean feedstock against exporters shipping to China.
Copper that moves here: Number 1 copper and bright wire from construction; Electronics copper and fine cable.
Busan is the main port of Korea and a shipbuilding centre, which puts marine alloys and export-bound mixed grades at the centre of its scrap trade.
Copper that moves here: Insulated wire in container volumes.
Dealers are registered under the recycling laws and keep purchase records; larger sellers issue tax invoices. Bring ID and business registration for commercial 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.
South Korea imports ferrous scrap to feed a large electric steel industry, buying from Japan, the United States and Russia, so domestic ferrous prices move with import bids at Incheon, Busan and Pohang. Non-ferrous scrap follows LME quotes in won and supplies domestic copper and aluminium producers.
Mill purchase prices published by the major steelmakers are the reference for yards across the country; smaller dealers price a margin below them.
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 | South Korean won (KRW) |
|---|---|
| Price units | Per kg for non-ferrous, per tonne for ferrous |
| Benchmarks | Mill purchase prices, LME in won |
| Main hubs | Incheon, Busan, Pohang, Seoul |
| Trade position | Net importer of ferrous scrap |
Between ₩5,062 and ₩18,096 per kg depending on grade, quoted in KRW. 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 ₩18,096 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
¥2,077 / 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