Santiago is where Chilean scrap actually comes from in the everyday sense: construction, vehicles, appliances and commercial refurbishment. The mining story belongs to the north. The capital is a collection market, and the practical rules here are the ordinary ones.
Scrap metal prices per kg in Santiago
| Scrap type | Price (CLP) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | CLP 11,079 / kg | ▲ +2.30% | $5.78 / 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 6,364 / kg | ▲ +2.15% | $3.32 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | CLP 5,348 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $2.79 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | CLP 3,565 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $1.86 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | CLP 1,533 / kg | ▲ +2.56% | $0.80 / 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 in Chile, shown here for Santiago. Individual yards quote around this level by grade, volume and condition; the derivation from exchange benchmarks and the exchange rate (1 USD = 987.99 CLP) is described in the methodology section below.
Santiago scrap price chart (CLP)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in CLP, the same series Santiago yards price against. Scroll to zoom and drag to move along the timeline.
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The scrap market in Santiago
Chile is discussed internationally as a mining country, and for good reason, but a household in Santiago does not sell to a mine. The metal generated here is the same as anywhere else: construction offcut, plumbing, vehicles, appliances, cable and commercial fit-out waste, collected by yards and dealers across the metropolitan region.
The capital does sit next to serious mining. Los Bronces, one of the largest copper reserves in Chile and the world with estimated reserves of 3.13 billion tonnes grading 0.32 percent copper, lies on the border of the Santiago Metropolitan Region and the Valparaiso Region, with its processing plant at 3,300 metres. That is a different economy from the one a local yard operates in, but it is close enough that mining supply chains and their maintenance contractors generate material into the city.
For an ordinary seller the useful point is that Santiago has depth of buyers. Where there are many yards competing, the difference between the first price offered and the best one available is usually worth a phone call or two.
- Region
- Santiago Metropolitan Region
- Currency
- Chilean peso (CLP), quoted per kilogram
- Role
- Chile's main generator of ordinary, non-mining scrap
- Nearby
- Los Bronces, on the regional border, 3.13 billion tonnes of reserves
Where the scrap yards are in Santiago
- Yards and dealers across the metropolitan region, serving construction and household material.
- Industrial areas on the city edges, handling commercial and contractor volume.
- The corridor toward Valparaiso, where mining supply chains and the port both pull material.
What pays well in Santiago
- Copper pipe and cable from plumbing, electrical and construction work.
- Aluminium from window frames, doors and vehicle parts.
- Brass fittings, taps and valves, worth several times steel by weight.
Selling scrap metal in Santiago: rules, ID and payment
A domestic sale in Chile is an ordinary transaction. Agree a price per kilogram before anything is weighed, separate copper and brass from steel beforehand, and use a yard with a fixed site. The mining data that dominates coverage of Chilean copper affects the reference price your yard quotes from, but it does not change how the sale itself works.
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.
Santiago scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price in Santiago today?
As of the latest update, the indicative price for clean number 1 copper is about CLP 11,079 per kg in CLP. Santiago 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.
Is Santiago a mining city?
Not in the sense that matters for scrap. Los Bronces sits on the border of the Santiago Metropolitan Region and the Valparaiso Region, but the metal a household or contractor sells in the capital is ordinary construction, vehicle and appliance material.
What pays best in Santiago?
Copper pipe and cable, then brass fittings, then aluminium. All of them are worth several times steel by weight, which is why separating them before you go matters more than anything else you can do.
Does Chilean mining news affect what I get paid?
Indirectly. Mine output influences the exchange price that your yard's quote derives from, so falling Chilean production tends to support copper values. It does not change the mechanics of a local sale.
Are Santiago prices different from the national board?
The board on this page is the Chile indicative level, and Santiago 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 Santiago board uses the Chile 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 0.88 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 Santiago vary by grade, volume, condition and buyer.
Nearby and related
Scrap metal prices in Chile · All countries · Catalytic converter prices