To get the best scrap price, sort every load by grade, remove attachments that downgrade it, sell non-ferrous metal in lots large enough to reach the yard’s price tiers, check the benchmark price the morning you sell, and get quotes from two or three yards before you unload. Sorted, well-timed loads typically pay 15 to 25 percent more than mixed ones.
Scrap Price Today editorial guide, checked against current exchange settlements, recycler grade specifications and mill buying programs. Figures are examples; today’s prices are on the live scrap price board.
None of this needs equipment beyond a magnet, cutters and a phone. Most of the gain is made before the truck is loaded.
Sort by grade, not by metal
A yard pays a mixed container at its lowest grade. Copper pipe with brass fittings is paid as brass or number 2 copper; aluminum frames with steel screws become irony aluminum at a fraction of the clean price.
Ten minutes with cutters and a magnet turns one mixed load into three or four clean ones. The grade names are in the copper and aluminum guides.
Check the benchmark before you leave
Yards do not reprint boards in real time. A seller who knows copper rose three percent overnight is in a different conversation from one who does not.
Look at the live board and the price chart in your currency and unit the morning you sell. If a yard’s price sits well under the indicative level for your grade, ask whether a sorted load changes the number; it often does, because sorting saves the yard labour.
Strip wire when the arithmetic says so
Insulated wire is bought on the share of its weight that is copper, and buyers are conservative. Heavy building wire is often worth stripping: the copper inside sells as bare bright at roughly double the per-pound price of the wire.
Thin cord and communication wire are not worth the time. Weigh a metre, strip it, weigh the copper and compare the two prices on the board; the answer is usually obvious.
Use the tiers
Most yards pay better above a few hundred pounds and better again above a thousand, because a truckload of sorted copper is close to what they sell on. If you sell regularly, hold copper and brass for bigger lots.
Ferrous is different: cheap to store, heavy to move. Sell it when you have a full load rather than paying twice for fuel.
Sorted versus unsorted, on the same day
| Unsorted load | Sorted load | |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Paid at the lowest grade present | Paid per grade, per line on the ticket |
| 60 kg copper pipe with fittings | Number 2 copper or brass | 50 kg number 1 copper plus 10 kg brass |
| 40 kg aluminum frames with screws | Irony aluminum | 35 kg clean extrusion plus 5 kg steel |
| 300 kg mixed steel | Light iron | Heavy melt, with light iron separated |
| Typical difference | Baseline | 15 to 25 percent more for about 30 minutes of work |
Get more than one quote
Prices between yards in one city differ more than most sellers expect, and the gap is widest on grades that need sorting. Call two or three yards, describe the material by grade and weight, and ask whether the price is tiered.
A yard that will not quote over the phone is telling you something. For catalytic converters, motors and stainless, a specialist buyer usually beats a general yard.
Watch the scale and the ticket
Check the scale reads zero before your material goes on and that the tare weight is measured, not estimated. Every grade should appear on the ticket as its own line with weight, price and any deduction.
If the yard photographs the load, so should you.
Time it without becoming a trader
Sell into a rise rather than after a fall; boards drop faster than they climb. Avoid selling the morning after a sharp fall, because boards often recover part of it within a week.
In markets with volatile currencies such as Turkey or Pakistan, a weak week for the currency is usually a strong week for scrap. The why prices change daily guide explains which moves tend to stick.
Bring the paperwork
Photo ID is required in most countries, and vehicles, converters and copper cable need proof of origin. Cashless markets such as the United Kingdom and France pay by transfer only, so bring bank details.
Key numbers
- Number 1 insulated wire is typically 75 percent copper or more by weight; household cable is around 50 to 65 percent, which is why stripping pays on the first and not the second (published buyer recovery bands).
- Bare bright copper recovers roughly 95 to 98 percent of the exchange price at the refinery, the highest of any common scrap grade (Recycled Materials Association specifications).
- Licensed dealers in England and Wales must verify ID and cannot pay cash for any scrap, under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 (UK government guidance).
- Most US states require dealers to record seller identification, and many delay or restrict payment for theft-prone items such as converters and copper wire (state scrap metal statutes).
Questions people ask
Is it worth stripping wire before I sell it?
Heavy building wire, yes: the bare copper sells for roughly double the per-pound price of the insulated wire. Thin cord and telephone wire, no: the copper is a small share of the weight and stripping is slow.
How much more will I get for a sorted load?
Typically 15 to 25 percent for a mixed household or renovation load, because each grade is paid at its own price instead of the lowest one present. Loads with a lot of copper or brass gain the most.
Should I wait for prices to go up?
Only for a few days after a sharp drop, when boards usually recover part of the fall. Holding non-ferrous for weeks to time the market rarely beats simply selling sorted material in larger lots.
Common mistakes
- Tipping copper, brass and aluminum into one container.
- Leaving fittings, screws and clamps attached to save time.
- Selling a bucket of copper every week instead of a tier-sized lot every month.
- Accepting a single weight and a single price for a mixed load.
- Arriving without ID or proof of ownership for a vehicle or converter.
Sources and further reading
- Recycled Materials Association: scrap grade specifications
- UK government scrap metal dealer guidance: licensing and cashless payment rules
- London Metal Exchange: daily settlement prices behind non-ferrous boards
Related guides
- How to Prepare Scrap Metal for Sale: Cleaning, separating and loading scrap so it grades higher at the scale.
- Copper Scrap Grades Explained: Bare bright, number 1, number 2, insulated wire and mixed copper, and why each pays differently.
- How Scrap Yards Calculate Prices: Margins, contamination deductions, moisture and tare between the market price and your receipt.
Check today’s numbers before you sell: the scrap price board, the price charts, the scrap value calculator and local rates on our scrap prices by country pages.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth stripping wire before I sell it?
Heavy building wire, yes: the bare copper sells for roughly double the per-pound price of the insulated wire. Thin cord and telephone wire, no: the copper is a small share of the weight and stripping is slow.
How much more will I get for a sorted load?
Typically 15 to 25 percent for a mixed household or renovation load, because each grade is paid at its own price instead of the lowest one present. Loads with a lot of copper or brass gain the most.
Should I wait for prices to go up?
Only for a few days after a sharp drop, when boards usually recover part of the fall. Holding non-ferrous for weeks to time the market rarely beats simply selling sorted material in larger lots.