Scrap metal prices per kg in Chile
| Scrap type | Price (CLP) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | CLP 11,021 / kg | ▲ +1.77% | $5.75 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | CLP 1,553 / kg | ▲ +1.25% | $0.81 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | CLP 6,709 / kg | ▲ +1.45% | $3.50 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | CLP 1,093 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | CLP 1,131 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | CLP 1,725 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | CLP 441 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | CLP 6,345 / kg | ▲ +1.85% | $3.31 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | CLP 5,329 / kg | ▲ +1.83% | $2.78 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | CLP 3,546 / kg | ▲ +1.65% | $1.85 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | CLP 1,514 / kg | ▲ +1.28% | $0.79 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | CLP 287,516 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | CLP 253,014 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | CLP 345,019 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | CLP 276,015 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap. Global reference is the US board in US dollars; the Chile figure applies the exchange rate (1 USD = 987.99 CLP) and a local market factor of 0.88.
Chilean yards quote in pesos per kilogram, and the numbers are large because the currency is. Prices here are derived from the exchange settlement, converted to pesos, and adjusted by a market factor of 0.88, our assessment of a market whose scrap sector is modest relative to its mining sector, with limited domestic secondary processing capacity competing for material. The factor is published on the editorial policy page and is open to challenge.
Chile scrap price chart (CLP)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in CLP per kg or per tonne. Scroll to zoom and drag to move along the timeline.
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Copper scrap prices by grade in Chile
Copper is not one price. Yards grade it by cleanliness, coating and gauge, and the spread from the top grade to the bottom runs 25 to 35 percent. These are the same grades used on export contracts, converted to CLP.
The scrap market in Chile
Every scrap price on this site is derived from an exchange settlement. That settlement is driven by how much copper the world's mines produce, and no country produces more of it than Chile. If you want to know why your copper price moved, the answer is more often found in the Atacama desert than in any yard.
Right now the answer is unwelcome for buyers and good for anyone holding metal. Cochilco, Chile's state copper commission, cut its 2026 national forecast to 5.27 million tonnes, a 2.6 percent decline on 2025 and the second consecutive annual fall, after first-half output dropped 6.6 percent to 2.481 million tonnes. The second quarter of 2026 was the weakest second quarter since at least 2007.
The monthly figures are worse than the annual ones. National output fell 9.04 percent year on year in March 2026, to 434,314 tonnes, and 13.8 percent in April, to 399,954 tonnes. Escondida, the largest copper mine in the world, fell 15.75 percent in March and 17.6 percent in May. Codelco produced 110,900 tonnes in March, 10 percent down, and 272,000 tonnes across the first quarter, down 8 percent.
- Currency
- Chilean peso (CLP)
- Units
- Kilogram
- Market factor
- 0.88 (our assessment, published on the editorial policy page)
- 2026 forecast
- 5.27 million tonnes, down 2.6 percent, second consecutive annual decline
- Largest mine
- Escondida, the largest copper mine in the world
- State producer
- Codelco, around 1.33 million tonnes
The most valuable scrap by weight in Chile today: Copper at CLP 11,021 per kg, Brass at CLP 6,709 per kg, Radiator at CLP 6,345 per kg, Wire at CLP 5,329 per kg, Cable at CLP 3,546 per kg.
What scrap metal pays per kg in Chile
Buyers in Chile work in CLP and price by the kilogram. Typical ranges are Copper: CLP 9,700 to CLP 12,345 per kg; Brass: CLP 5,905 to CLP 7,515 per kg; Aluminium: CLP 1,365 to CLP 1,740 per kg; Zinc: CLP 1,520 to CLP 1,930 per kg; Lead: CLP 995 to CLP 1,265 per kg; Stainless steel: CLP 960 to CLP 1,225 per kg. Across common non-ferrous grades that puts most material between CLP 960 and CLP 12,345 per kg, with copper at the top of the range and stainless steel near the bottom.
These are ranges rather than quotes. The band reflects day-to-day movement in the metal market and the spread between one yard and another, which our own research has found can reach 40 percent or more for the same metal in the same city. The midpoint is derived from the international exchange settlement converted to CLP and adjusted by our published market factor of 0.88. Expect a local buyer to sit toward the lower end, because they carry collection, sorting, processing and their own margin. Always confirm the rate per kilo for your specific grade before anything is weighed.
- Copper: CLP 9,700 to CLP 12,345 per kg
- Brass: CLP 5,905 to CLP 7,515 per kg
- Aluminium: CLP 1,365 to CLP 1,740 per kg
- Zinc: CLP 1,520 to CLP 1,930 per kg
- Lead: CLP 995 to CLP 1,265 per kg
- Stainless steel: CLP 960 to CLP 1,225 per kg
Selling chatarra in Santiago, not mining it
The mining figures above explain the world price. They do not tell you what a chatarreria in Santiago will pay you for a load of cable, which is a different question with a different answer.
Indicative levels advertised by Santiago area buyers in 2026 put copper at up to 8,000 pesos a kilo, bronce at around 6,000, aluminium at around 1,700 and fierro at around 195. The spread between copper and iron is roughly forty to one, which is why sorting matters more than anything else you can do before you arrive.
Chilean buyers typically update weekly against the metal exchange, weigh on a certified balance and pay on the spot, and most deal with both companies and private individuals. Volume rates exist for industrial quantities.
The grades Chilean yards actually name
Copper is not quoted as one thing. Chilean yards distinguish cobre de tercera, third grade copper, cobre esmaltado, enamelled copper from windings and motors, and cobre de calefont, the copper recovered from water heaters. Each carries its own rate.
Knowing which of those you have before you go is the difference between accepting a number and checking one.
Ask in more than one place
Chilean consumer guidance on this is consistent and worth repeating: scrap prices vary considerably by quality and type, so it is always better to ask what you could receive at several different yards, and where possible in different areas.
In a market where the metal itself is a national industry, it is easy to assume the price is fixed and known. For refined copper it broadly is. For the cable in your garage it is not.
Selling scrap metal in Chile: rules, ID and payment
For a domestic seller in Chile the trade is ordinary. Sort your metal, agree a price per kilogram before weighing, and prefer an established yard. Chile does not operate the kind of import gate that shapes the Asian markets on this site, because it is a net exporter of copper rather than an importer of scrap.
What matters here instead is the mining sector, and the single most important fact about it is that the decline is structural. Grade deterioration is the primary driver behind falling output at Escondida, Collahuasi, El Abra and Spence, and it reflects the natural depletion curve of deposits that have been among the most intensively mined on the planet. It is not a problem that better management or more capital resolves.
Codelco confirmed as much in July 2026 congressional testimony, when the state miner said it expects production to stay near its 2025 level of 1.33 million tonnes and walked away from a previous target of 1.7 million tonnes by 2030. Any supply model that assumed Codelco climbing toward that figure now needs revising downward, which removes the largest single expected source of Chilean supply growth.
Before you sell
- If you sell scrap anywhere in the world, watch Cochilco monthly production bulletins. They move the reference price your yard quotes from.
- Distinguish structural decline from temporary disruption. Grade deterioration does not reverse when the weather improves.
- Note that falling mine supply supports scrap value. Less primary metal means more competition for secondary units.
- For a domestic Chilean sale, treat it as an ordinary transaction. The mining story is context, not procedure.
- Watch the 2027 price forecast alongside the 2026 one. Cochilco raised its 2026 average to 5.95 dollars a pound while holding 2027 at 5.10.
Scrap prices by city in Chile
City pages carry local yard prices and directories for the main scrap markets. Pages that are not live yet are shown without a link.
Scrap yards in Chile
Find a yard by region or city, or use your location to see the nearest. Every listing shows where its details came from and when they were checked.
Yard listings for Chile are being added from official dealer registers and trade directories. Nothing is published until it has been verified against a named source, which is why this section is not yet populated.
Chile scrap price FAQ
Why does Chile matter to scrap prices elsewhere?
Because scrap prices are derived from exchange settlements, and those settlements reflect global copper supply. Chile is the world's largest copper producer, so its output is one of the most direct influences on the reference price your local yard quotes from.
How much copper will Chile produce in 2026?
Cochilco, the state copper commission, forecasts 5.27 million tonnes, a 2.6 percent decline on 2025 and the second consecutive annual fall. First-half output was down 6.6 percent to 2.481 million tonnes.
Which mines are falling and by how much?
Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, fell 15.75 percent year on year in March 2026 and 17.6 percent in May. Collahuasi fell 10.8 percent in March and 19.3 percent in May. Spence fell 34.4 percent in the first quarter and El Teniente 26.5 percent.
What is causing the decline?
Four things at once: structural ore grade deterioration at mature deposits, scheduled maintenance downtime, storm disruption to open-pit operations, and rising input costs including sulphuric acid tightness. Grade decline is the largest and the only one that does not reverse.
Can better management fix it?
Not the grade problem. It reflects the natural depletion curve of deposits that have been among the most intensively mined on the planet, and it is described as not resolvable through improved management practices or capital investment alone.
What did Codelco say in 2026?
In July 2026 congressional testimony, Codelco said it expects production to stay near its 2025 level of around 1.33 million tonnes, abandoning a previous target of 1.7 million tonnes by 2030. That removes the largest single expected source of Chilean supply growth.
What does this mean for copper prices?
Cochilco raised its 2026 average price forecast to 5.95 dollars a pound, up from 5.55 in May, while maintaining its 2027 estimate at 5.10. Copper has traded above 10,000 dollars a tonne against a tightening supply picture.
Is falling Chilean output good or bad for a scrap seller?
Good, in general. When primary supply is constrained and cannot easily be expanded, secondary units become more valuable. The same news that troubles a wire mill supports the price of a pile of copper.
Does Chile restrict scrap imports or exports?
It does not operate the kind of import gate that shapes the Asian markets covered on this site. Chile is a net exporter of primary copper rather than an importer of scrap, so the regulatory story here is about mining rather than about trade in secondary material.
Where should I watch for updates?
Cochilco publishes monthly production statistics and periodic forecasts, and Chile's National Institute of Statistics publishes monthly output figures. Those are the authoritative sources for tracking individual mine performance.
Sources and methodology
Prices on this page start from the global reference board (US dollars per pound or per ton), are multiplied by a Chile market factor of 0.88 that reflects local demand, freight and trade rules, and are converted to CLP at 1 USD = 987.99 and to metric units (kilograms and tonnes). The board refreshes daily, with the time of the latest update shown at the top of the page.
Reference sources
- Cochilco, Comision Chilena del Cobre, monthly production statistics and annual forecasts
- Chile National Institute of Statistics monthly output figures
- Codelco congressional testimony, July 2026, on revised production expectations
- Reuters reporting on Cochilco data for Escondida, Collahuasi and Codelco
Prices are indicative and for information only; they are not offers to buy or sell. Actual yard prices depend on grade, quantity, location and the buyer. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will check it against our sources.