Lagos is where Nigerian scrap is priced. Owode-Onirin is the trade's best-known market and the place where grading expertise actually lives, and the city's ports are where export enforcement happens. Both facts shape what a Lagos seller is offered.
Scrap metal prices per kg in Lagos
| Scrap type | Price (NGN) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | ₦13,911 / kg | ▲ +2.30% | $5.78 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | ₦1,949 / kg | ▲ +1.25% | $0.81 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | ₦8,423 / kg | ▲ +1.45% | $3.50 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | ₦1,372 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | ₦1,420 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | ₦2,166 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | ₦554 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | ₦7,990 / kg | ▲ +2.15% | $3.32 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | ₦6,715 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $2.79 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | ₦4,476 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $1.86 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | ₦1,925 / kg | ▲ +2.56% | $0.80 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | ₦361,001 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | ₦317,681 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | ₦433,201 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | ₦346,561 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap in Nigeria, shown here for Lagos. Individual yards quote around this level by grade, volume and condition; the derivation from exchange benchmarks and the exchange rate (1 USD = 1,331.28 NGN) is described in the methodology section below.
Lagos scrap price chart (NGN)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in NGN, the same series Lagos yards price against. Scroll to zoom and drag to move along the timeline.
Price history could not be loaded.
- Current Price
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The scrap market in Lagos
Owode-Onirin is the reference point for the Nigerian scrap trade, and what makes it matter is not its size but the expertise concentrated there. Dealers who have spent years learning to identify what is actually in a lot, including silver hidden inside ordinary-looking brass, are operating at a level no formal training produced. That knowledge is why a seller who arrives sorted and informed is treated differently from one who does not, and it is a good argument for understanding your own material before you go.
Lagos is also Nigeria's export gate, and that cuts both ways. Non-ferrous scrap exports require permits and documentation, and enforcement against undocumented containers moving through the Lagos ports has produced arrests and prosecutions, in one reported case involving containers whose contents had been deliberately disguised. For a domestic seller none of this applies directly, but it is the reason buyers here ask more questions about provenance than the size of a load would suggest. Locally, rolling mills including works at Ikorodu take scrap as feedstock, so there is real demand inside the state as well as beyond it.
- State
- Lagos State
- Currency
- Nigerian naira (NGN), quoted per kilogram
- Main market
- Owode-Onirin
- Local term
- Iron condemn
Where the scrap yards are in Lagos
- Owode-Onirin, the best-known scrap market in the country and the centre of the trade's grading expertise.
- Ikorodu and the industrial corridors, where rolling capacity and larger operators sit.
- The port areas, where export documentation and enforcement concentrate.
What pays well in Lagos
- Correctly identified non-ferrous, where knowing what you actually have changes the price by multiples rather than percentages.
- Sorted ferrous delivered in volume rather than sold piecemeal to a collector.
- Vehicle and industrial scrap, a steady Lagos supply.
Selling scrap metal in Lagos: rules, ID and payment
There is no federal scrap licence, so the checks are practical rather than administrative. Sort before you sell, know what your material is, and expect questions about where it came from, because buyers here operate under export scrutiny even when the metal is staying in the country. Exporting is a separate exercise requiring permits and documentation.
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.
Lagos scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price in Lagos today?
As of the latest update, the indicative price for clean number 1 copper is about ₦13,911 per kg in NGN. Lagos 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.
Where is the main scrap market in Lagos?
Owode-Onirin, which functions as a trading centre as much as a market and is the best-known scrap location in Nigeria. The grading expertise there is the real asset: dealers who can identify silver inside a brass lot are working knowledge that no formal programme taught.
Why do Lagos buyers ask about provenance?
Because the city is Nigeria's export gate and enforcement against undocumented scrap exports through the ports has produced arrests and prosecutions. Buyers operating in that environment ask questions even about material that will never leave the country.
Is there anywhere in Lagos that melts scrap?
Yes. Rolling mills in the state, including works at Ikorodu, take scrap as feedstock. Domestic billet has been in short supply nationally, which is why mills turned to scrap and why local demand is genuine.
Are Lagos prices different from the national board?
The board on this page is the Nigeria indicative level, and Lagos 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 Lagos board uses the Nigeria 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 0.82 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 Lagos vary by grade, volume, condition and buyer.
Nearby and related
Scrap metal prices in Nigeria · All countries · Catalytic converter prices