Curitiba runs Cambio Verde, a city programme that swaps recyclable material for fresh produce at a fixed rate: four kilos of recyclables, explicitly including ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, for one kilo of fruit and vegetables. It has run for decades and it is a genuine alternative to selling to a ferro velho.
Scrap metal prices per kg in Curitiba
| Scrap type | Price (BRL) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | R$59.23 / kg | ▲ +2.30% | $5.78 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | R$8.30 / kg | ▲ +1.25% | $0.81 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | R$35.87 / kg | ▲ +1.45% | $3.50 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | R$5.84 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | R$6.05 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | R$9.22 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | R$2.36 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | R$34.02 / kg | ▲ +2.15% | $3.32 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | R$28.59 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $2.79 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | R$19.06 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $1.86 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | R$8.20 / kg | ▲ +2.56% | $0.80 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | R$1,537 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | R$1,353 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | R$1,844 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | R$1,476 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap in Brazil, shown here for Curitiba. Individual yards quote around this level by grade, volume and condition; the derivation from exchange benchmarks and the exchange rate (1 USD = 5.22 BRL) is described in the methodology section below.
Curitiba scrap price chart (BRL)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in BRL, the same series Curitiba yards price against. Scroll to zoom and drag to move along the timeline.
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The scrap market in Curitiba
Cambio Verde, the green exchange, is a Curitiba city programme under the municipal environment secretariat. Residents bring four kilos of recyclable material to a designated exchange point on a published date and time and receive one kilo of fruit and vegetables. The eligible list names paper, cardboard, glass and sucata ferrosa e nao ferrosa, ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, explicitly. Used cooking oil is also accepted, at four litres in two-litre PET bottles for the same one kilo of produce. Trucks generally return to each point about every fifteen days, and the schedule is published by the prefecture.
The programme is not a curiosity. It has been running long enough that residents describe using it for three decades, and the city frames it as serving several purposes at once: proper disposal of the material, food for households, income for family farming that supplies the produce, and support for the catador associations. For a household with a small quantity of metal, the arithmetic is worth doing: four kilos of mixed light scrap sold to a ferro velho may fetch less than a kilo of fresh produce is worth. For anything of real weight or clean non-ferrous, the yard remains the better route.
- State
- Parana
- Currency
- Brazilian real (BRL), per kilogram
- Cambio Verde rate
- 4 kg of recyclables, including ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, for 1 kg of fruit and vegetables
- Frequency
- Exchange trucks generally return to each point about every fifteen days
Where the scrap yards are in Curitiba
- Cambio Verde exchange points across the city, on a published rotating schedule.
- Ferro velhos serving the city for quantities beyond the programme.
- Catador associations, which the programme is designed to support alongside the exchange.
What pays well in Curitiba
- Clean copper and brass, which are worth taking to a yard rather than exchanging by weight.
- Bulk ferrous from renovation or demolition, beyond what an exchange point handles.
- Small mixed household lots, where the produce exchange can beat the scrap price.
Selling scrap metal in Curitiba: rules, ID and payment
Cambio Verde is a municipal programme with published points, dates and times; the prefecture site carries the calendar and the city information line answers queries. Outside it the national position applies: no dealer licence, and a Nota Fiscal for anything beyond household quantities.
Before any sale, check the live board above, sort by grade and get quotes from two or three buyers; the best scrap price guide covers the routine and the calculator turns a weight into a figure at today's price. To judge whether a local quote is competitive, our note on telling a well-paying yard from a headline rate sets out the benchmark test.
Curitiba scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price in Curitiba today?
As of the latest update, the indicative price for clean number 1 copper is about R$59.23 per kg in BRL. Curitiba yards typically quote within a few percent of that figure either side, depending on grade, volume and the buyer; the live board above shows all fifteen grades.
Can I really exchange scrap metal for food in Curitiba?
Yes. Cambio Verde accepts four kilos of recyclable material for one kilo of fruit and vegetables, and the eligible list explicitly includes ferrous and non-ferrous scrap alongside paper, cardboard and glass. Exchange points operate on a published schedule.
Is the exchange better than selling to a ferro velho?
For a small mixed household lot it can be, because four kilos of light mixed scrap may be worth less than a kilo of fresh produce. For clean copper or brass, or for any real weight of ferrous, a yard will pay more.
How often do the exchange points operate?
The trucks generally return to each point roughly every fifteen days, though the schedule can shift around holidays. The prefecture publishes the calendar of points, dates and times.
Are Curitiba prices different from the national board?
The board on this page is the Brazil indicative level, and Curitiba yards trade around it rather than exactly on it. Local competition, freight to the nearest consumer and the day's export demand set the spread, which is why two quotes in the same city can differ by several percent on the same morning.
Sources and methodology
The Curitiba board uses the Brazil indicative prices: global exchange benchmarks (COMEX copper, CME aluminum and steel, NYMEX platinum and palladium, IMF monthly lead, zinc and nickel) multiplied by typical yard recovery shares, a local market factor of 0.89 and the day's exchange rate. The full method, the recovery shares and the correction policy are on our editorial policy page; local notes on this page are reviewed against published dealer information and reader corrections sent to info@scrappricetoday.com.
Prices are indicative and for information only; they are not offers to buy or sell. Yard quotes in Curitiba vary by grade, volume, condition and buyer.
Nearby and related
Scrap metal prices in Brazil · All countries · Catalytic converter prices