Gutters and Roofing Metal: $12, $70 or $481 for the Same House

The metal coming off a roof is worth checking before the skip arrives. A typical house has around 175 linear feet of guttering: in aluminium that is about 88 pounds and $70 at market rates, in copper it is about 193 pounds and roughly $481, and in galvanised steel about $12. Copper guttering is worth nearly seven times aluminium and roughly covers the entire cost of having the old gutters removed and taken away.

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.

Roofing and cladding is the one renovation category where the metal can genuinely offset the job.

The gutter comparison

Removal and disposal for a typical house runs $150 to $550 on published contractor figures, with the disposal element alone at $94 to $350. Copper guttering at market rates covers about 90 percent of the top-end removal cost. Aluminium covers a useful fraction. Steel covers almost nothing.

So the question to ask a gutter installer is not whether they will take the old material away. It is whether they are paying you for it or charging you.

The grade nobody explains: aluminium siding and gutters

Yards run a specific grade for this material, and gutters, downspouts and some roofing all fall into it as long as there is no steel or tar attached.

National listings put it at roughly $0.70 for small loads, $0.80 for standard quantities and $0.90 or above for large commercial loads, with a range over the past year of $0.53 to $0.91. Our own indicative aluminium line sits at $0.85, near the top of that band, so treat it as the large-load end rather than the walk-in end.

The grade is unusually sensitive to preparation because the material is thin and the attachments are numerous. Published guidance puts the gain from sorting aluminium properly at 15 to 40 percent against selling it mixed.

What has to come off

• Steel hangers, spikes, screws and brackets. These are what turn a clean load into an irony one.
• Plastic end caps, leaf guards and mesh.
• Rubber seals and sealant beads where they peel away.
• Tar, bitumen and roofing cement, which disqualify roofing sheet from the siding grade entirely.
• Leaves, silt and nesting material, which are moisture and weight the yard will deduct.

What else comes off a building

The pattern is the one that runs through every renovation: the copper items are worth more than everything else combined, and they are usually the smallest and lightest things on the list.

Lead flashing is the exception worth handling carefully rather than eagerly. It is soft, it is easy to roll up, and it is the one common building metal where the health precautions matter more than the money, as our lead guide sets out.

Copper roofing is a different conversation

At $5.78 a pound, 200 pounds of copper roof sheet is worth over $1,100, and that changes the economics of a strip-out entirely.

Two cautions follow from that. First, provenance: copper coming off a roof attracts questions at any licensed yard, and rightly so, because it is exactly what stolen roofing looks like. Bring the job address, the homeowner's contact and something in writing, as our copper selling rules explains.

Second, salvage: intact copper roofing, finials, hoppers and decorative rainwater goods have an architectural market well above scrap. The same test applies as for cast iron, which we cover in salvage or scrap.

Ductwork and the galvanised problem

Heating and ventilation ductwork is galvanised steel, and it is bulky, awkward and worth very little: 150 pounds is about $20 at our board.

Two practical points. It takes up enormous space for its weight, so it fills a vehicle without filling a ticket. And never cut it with a torch indoors, because zinc coating produces fume when heated, which our safety article covers.

For a contractor it is worth putting in a container with other ferrous. For a homeowner it is rarely worth a trip on its own.

Working with the trades

Roofing, guttering and cladding contractors handle this material constantly and most treat it as waste to be disposed of rather than as material to be sold.

That is the opening. A standing arrangement to take a contractor's aluminium and copper, cleanly and reliably, is one of the better permissioned sources described in where scrap metal comes from. Their problem is disposal cost and skip space, not metal price, which is why the conversation usually goes well.

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.

Method

Weights per linear foot and typical item weights are published figures for common residential specifications and vary with profile, gauge and building size. Measure or weigh your own before relying on a total.

Market rates for the aluminium siding and gutters grade and for copper and steel guttering are from published yard listings and contractor cost guides, and the removal cost figures are from published contractor estimates. Our own board prices are documented on the editorial policy page with live figures on the board.

We do not buy scrap, quote for removal or take referral fees.

Questions people ask

Are old gutters worth anything as scrap?

It depends entirely on the material. A typical 175 foot house yields about $70 of aluminium, roughly $481 of copper, or about $12 of galvanised steel at market rates. Copper is worth nearly seven times aluminium and roughly covers the cost of having the gutters removed.

What grade do aluminium gutters sell as?

Yards run a specific aluminium siding and gutters grade, which also covers downspouts and some roofing provided there is no steel or tar attached. National listings put it at about $0.70 for small loads up to $0.90 or more for large commercial quantities.

What has to be removed before selling aluminium gutters?

Steel hangers, spikes, screws and brackets, plastic end caps and leaf guards, rubber seals, and any tar or roofing cement. Published guidance puts the gain from sorting aluminium properly at 15 to 40 percent against selling it mixed, and steel attachments are what create an irony grade.

Is copper roofing worth removing carefully?

Yes. At $5.78 a pound, 200 pounds of copper roof sheet is worth over $1,100. Intact decorative rainwater goods and finials often sell for more again through architectural salvage, so check before anything is folded or cut.

Will a yard question copper that came off a roof?

Almost certainly, and reasonably so, because roof copper is exactly what stolen material looks like. Bring the job address, the property owner's contact details and something in writing. A licensed yard that does not ask is one to avoid.

Is ductwork worth taking to a yard?

Rarely on its own. Galvanised ductwork is bulky and light, so 150 pounds is only about $20 at our board and it fills a vehicle without filling a ticket. It makes sense in a contractor's container with other ferrous material.

Can I cut galvanised roofing or ducting with a torch?

Not indoors and not without protection. Heating zinc coating produces zinc oxide fume, which causes an acute illness with fever, chills and aches. Cut outdoors, stay upwind and wear a respirator, or use mechanical cutting instead.

Should I ask my roofer for the old metal?

Yes, and ask specifically whether they are charging you for disposal of material they then sell. Most contractors treat it as waste, so a standing arrangement to take their aluminium and copper cleanly is usually welcomed because their problem is skip space rather than metal price.

Frequently asked questions