Brass is priced on copper content, so red brass at about 85 percent copper pays roughly $0.50 to $0.70 a pound more than yellow brass at 60 to 70 percent. The harder problem is not grading it but recognising it: the chrome fixture in your hand may be solid brass, brass-plated zinc, cupronickel or die-cast alloy, and only one of those is worth the brass price. A scratch on the underside answers it in three seconds.
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.
Most of the money lost on brass is lost before the scale, to misidentification and to steel screws nobody removed.
The grade ladder, and why it exists
| Grade | Copper content | Contained copper value | Typical market price | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 80 to 90% | About $5.09 a lb | Brass price plus $0.08 to $0.25 | Bearings, propellers, bushings, valves |
| Red brass | About 85% | About $4.91 a lb | Yellow plus $0.50 to $0.70 | Valves, pump bodies, machinery solids |
| Semi-red brass | About 80% | About $4.62 a lb | Between red and yellow | Fittings, industrial castings |
| Yellow brass solids | 60 to 70% | About $3.76 a lb | Roughly $1.90 to $2.62 | Plumbing valves, fittings, hardware |
| Irony brass | Same, with steel attached | Same | Heavily discounted | Anything not stripped |
| Brass turnings | Same | Same | Discounted, more if wet | Machine shops |
Our indicative brass board sits at $3.52 a pound, which is 61 percent of our copper grade and 53 percent of the copper exchange price. Published market rates for yellow brass solids sit below that, because our board is a reference for the alloy generally rather than a counter price for any single grade.
The copper column explains the whole ladder. Copper drives the value, zinc dilutes it, and every price difference between these grades is a difference in copper percentage.
The identification problem
This is where the money actually goes, and there are four common impostors.
Brass-plated zinc or steel. Looks like brass on the surface. Scratch the underside with a key or a coin: solid brass is the same golden yellow all the way through, while a plated item shows silver or grey underneath.
Zinc die-cast. The one that defeats the weight test. Zinc alloy has a density around 6.6 against brass at about 8.5, close enough that a chunky casting feels convincing in the hand. Faucet handles and canopy levers are very commonly die-cast even on otherwise brass fixtures, and manufacturers list them that way in their own specifications.
Cupronickel, sometimes called white brass or nickel brass. White or silver coloured, as dense as brass, non-magnetic. It is worth more than ordinary brass rather than less, so it should be separated rather than discarded. If it tarnishes with green spots like copper, that is a clue.
Chrome-plated brass mistaken for stainless. A bucket of what looks like stainless sink fittings is frequently chrome over brass. Cut or grind a piece: true stainless is uniform through the section.
The magnet helps but does not settle it. Brass is non-magnetic, and so are aluminium, zinc and copper, so a negative magnet result narrows the field without identifying anything.
What a bathroom and kitchen actually yield
A full fixture strip-out from one bathroom and kitchen is roughly 13 pounds of brass: two basin taps, a kitchen mixer body, a bath filler and shower valve, stop valves and fittings, and brass waste traps where fitted.
At a market yellow brass rate of about $2.35 that is roughly $31. Graded as irony brass because the steel screws, springs and plastic cartridges were left in, it can be half that.
So the preparation is worth about as much as the metal itself, which is unusual even by scrap standards.
Preparation that changes the grade
- Remove steel screws, springs, retaining clips and any steel stem, particularly on water meters.
- Pull plastic gaskets, rubber seals and ceramic cartridges.
- Take out aerators and any electronic sensor or LED module, which is e-waste rather than brass.
- Separate red and bronze items from yellow. This single step is worth $0.50 to $0.70 a pound on the material it applies to.
- Keep cupronickel apart; it pays above brass.
- Dry turnings thoroughly and keep cutting oil out of them.
- Do not polish. Surface tarnish costs nothing, as our note on cleaning copper explains for the copper family.
Where brass has been
Our brass series is up 49.5 percent over twelve months and 51.6 percent over five years, tracking copper closely because it is mostly copper by weight. Published national brass category averages have ranged from about $1.67 to $2.68 a pound over the past year, which is a wide band and a reason to check on the day.
Brass has been one of the better performers on our board, unlike stainless and lead, a divergence set out in our five-year price history.
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 | ₺393.33 / kg | $3.68 | 1.04 |
| Germany | €6.85 / kg | $3.61 | 1.02 |
| United States | $3.54 / lb | $3.54 | 1.00 |
| China | CN¥51.39 / kg | $3.47 | 0.98 |
| Canada | C$4.75 / lb | $3.43 | 0.97 |
| United Kingdom | £5.54 / kg | $3.40 | 0.96 |
| Australia | A$10.29 / kg | $3.36 | 0.95 |
| United Arab Emirates | AED27.23 / kg | $3.36 | 0.95 |
| Saudi Arabia | SAR27.22 / kg | $3.29 | 0.93 |
| India | ₹679 / kg | $3.26 | 0.92 |
| Bangladesh | ৳844 / kg | $3.12 | 0.88 |
| South Africa | R105.86 / kg | $3.01 | 0.85 |
Method
Grade prices are collected from published yard and aggregator listings across several states and are ranges because brass pricing varies regionally and by volume. Copper content percentages are standard published ranges for each alloy family rather than an assay of your material.
The contained copper column multiplies those percentages by our own copper board and is a calculation rather than a price; no yard pays contained value, and the difference covers melting, refining and margin. Our own board figures are documented on the editorial policy page with live levels on the board.
We do not buy brass and take no referral fees.
Questions people ask
How do I tell if a fixture is solid brass or just brass-plated?
Scratch the underside with a key or a coin. Solid brass shows the same golden yellow colour beneath the surface. A plated item shows silver or grey underneath, because the brass colour is only a thin coating over zinc, steel or plastic. Weight alone is not reliable.
Why did the yard say my faucet was zinc rather than brass?
Zinc die-cast is extremely common in faucet handles, canopy levers and decorative plates, and manufacturers list it that way in their own specifications. Zinc alloy has a density around 6.6 against brass at about 8.5, so a chunky zinc casting feels heavy enough to fool the hand test. It is worth far less than brass.
Is bronze worth more than brass?
Usually yes. Bronze runs 80 to 90 percent copper against 60 to 70 percent for yellow brass, and published rates put bronze at roughly $0.08 to $0.25 a pound above brass. Many yards group bronze with red brass and pay both at a premium over yellow.
What is the difference between red and yellow brass?
Copper content. Red brass is about 85 percent copper and yellow brass 60 to 70 percent, which is why red typically pays $0.50 to $0.70 a pound more. Red brass has a noticeably warmer, redder tone and turns up in valves, pump bodies and machinery solids rather than in decorative hardware.
Does chrome plating reduce what I get paid for brass?
At most yards chrome-plated plumbing brass is bought as its own line, often called plumbing or C-brass, and it sits below clean yellow brass solids. The plating has to be dealt with at the smelter. The bigger risk is that a heavily chromed item turns out to be zinc rather than brass underneath.
My brass looks white or silver. Is it still brass?
It may be cupronickel, also called white brass or nickel brass. It is as dense as brass, non-magnetic, and worth more rather than less, so it should be separated into its own pile rather than thrown in with steel. If it tarnishes with green spots like copper, that supports the identification.
Do I really need to remove the steel screws?
Yes. Steel inserts, bolts and springs move a lot into the irony brass grade, which is heavily discounted, and the downgrade applies to the whole bin rather than the offending piece. On a 13 pound fixture haul that difference can be half the value.
Why were my brass turnings docked at the scale?
Turnings are a lower grade to begin with, and wet or coolant-soaked turnings attract a further deduction because the buyer is paying for cutting fluid by weight. Drain and dry them, and keep pucks of mixed metals out entirely.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell if a fixture is solid brass or just brass-plated?
Scratch the underside with a key or a coin. Solid brass shows the same golden yellow colour beneath the surface. A plated item shows silver or grey underneath, because the brass colour is only a thin coating over zinc, steel or plastic. Weight alone is not reliable.
Why did the yard say my faucet was zinc rather than brass?
Zinc die-cast is extremely common in faucet handles, canopy levers and decorative plates, and manufacturers list it that way in their own specifications. Zinc alloy has a density around 6.6 against brass at about 8.5, so a chunky zinc casting feels heavy enough to fool the hand test. It is worth far less than brass.
Is bronze worth more than brass?
Usually yes. Bronze runs 80 to 90 percent copper against 60 to 70 percent for yellow brass, and published rates put bronze at roughly $0.08 to $0.25 a pound above brass. Many yards group bronze with red brass and pay both at a premium over yellow.
What is the difference between red and yellow brass?
Copper content. Red brass is about 85 percent copper and yellow brass 60 to 70 percent, which is why red typically pays $0.50 to $0.70 a pound more. Red brass has a noticeably warmer, redder tone and turns up in valves, pump bodies and machinery solids rather than in decorative hardware.
Does chrome plating reduce what I get paid for brass?
At most yards chrome-plated plumbing brass is bought as its own line, often called plumbing or C-brass, and it sits below clean yellow brass solids. The plating has to be dealt with at the smelter. The bigger risk is that a heavily chromed item turns out to be zinc rather than brass underneath.
My brass looks white or silver. Is it still brass?
It may be cupronickel, also called white brass or nickel brass. It is as dense as brass, non-magnetic, and worth more rather than less, so it should be separated into its own pile rather than thrown in with steel. If it tarnishes with green spots like copper, that supports the identification.
Do I really need to remove the steel screws?
Yes. Steel inserts, bolts and springs move a lot into the irony brass grade, which is heavily discounted, and the downgrade applies to the whole bin rather than the offending piece. On a 13 pound fixture haul that difference can be half the value.
Why were my brass turnings docked at the scale?
Turnings are a lower grade to begin with, and wet or coolant-soaked turnings attract a further deduction because the buyer is paying for cutting fluid by weight. Drain and dry them, and keep pucks of mixed metals out entirely.