Katowice sits at the centre of Silesia, and Silesia buys more scrap than any other part of Poland. But the counter-intuitive part is that Katowice itself is not where most of the buying points are, and a seller who only looks at the city is looking in the wrong place.
Scrap metal prices per kg in Katowice
| Scrap type | Price (PLN) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | zl 49.64 / kg | ▲ +2.30% | $5.78 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | zl 6.96 / kg | ▲ +1.25% | $0.81 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | zl 30.23 / kg | ▲ +2.03% | $3.52 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | zl 4.90 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | zl 5.07 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | zl 7.73 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | zl 1.98 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | zl 28.51 / kg | ▲ +2.15% | $3.32 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | zl 23.96 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $2.79 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | zl 15.97 / kg | ▲ +2.20% | $1.86 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | zl 6.87 / kg | ▲ +2.56% | $0.80 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | zl 1,288 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | zl 1,134 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | zl 1,546 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | zl 1,237 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap in Poland, shown here for Katowice. Individual yards quote around this level by grade, volume and condition; the derivation from exchange benchmarks and the exchange rate (1 USD = 3.90 PLN) is described in the methodology section below.
Katowice scrap price chart (PLN)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in PLN, the same series Katowice 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 Katowice
Silesia is the Polish scrap market. The steelworks and foundries are here, which means the haulage distance from yard to furnace is short and the buying points do not have to price a long journey into their offer. That is the structural reason Silesian rates tend to be competitive.
What surprises people is how the buying points are distributed. A Polish scrap directory listing firms by town records 21 in Czestochowa, 19 in Chorzow, 15 in Gliwice and 13 in Dabrowa Gornicza, against 11 in Katowice itself. Bytom, Bedzin and Jaworzno hold seven each. The voivodeship capital is not the densest market in its own region.
That matters because a seller who searches only for Katowice sees a fraction of what is available within a short drive. The Silesian conurbation is continuous; Chorzow, Sosnowiec, Mysłowice and Bytom are minutes away, and several operators cover the whole area including collection from an address.
- Voivodeship
- Slaskie
- Currency
- Polish zloty (PLN), quoted per kilogram
- Why it matters
- Short haulage to the mills, which supports local rates
- Listed firms
- Czestochowa 21, Chorzow 19, Gliwice 15, Dabrowa Gornicza 13, Katowice 11
Where the scrap yards are in Katowice
- Katowice and the immediate conurbation, with buying points spread rather than concentrated.
- Chorzow, Gliwice and Dabrowa Gornicza, each holding more listed firms than Katowice itself.
- The Zaglebie towns of Sosnowiec, Bedzin and Czeladz, commonly served by the same operators.
What pays well in Katowice
- Zlom stalowy and zeliwo in quantity, close to the furnaces that consume it.
- Industrial and demolition material, where several Silesian operators also carry out dismantling of steel structures.
- Miedz and mosiadz from plant maintenance, priced by grade against a published cennik.
Co placa skupy na Slasku
Silesian rates recorded by sellers in zloty per kilo, with dollar equivalents. Silesia sits closest to the mills, which is the structural reason rates here tend to be competitive rather than a claim any single yard makes.
Note what the lead-acid figures show. Lead itself was recorded at 4.50 zloty a kilo, while a whole battery came in at around 0.50. The difference is everything that is not lead, and you are paying to have it carried.
- Lead: 4.50 zl per kg, about 1.19 dollars per kg
- Whole battery: around 0.50 zl per kg, roughly a ninth of the lead rate
- Steel graded ON4 and W10, where the 200 kg break lifts the rate on the entire load
- Zeliwo, cast iron: 0.85 zl per kg under 200 kg, 0.90 above it, about 237 dollars a tonne
Selling scrap metal in Katowice: rules, ID and payment
Silesian operators commonly update prices codziennie, daily, in line with the metal market, and several negotiate on larger quantities. Documentation is the Polish standard: formularz przyjecia for individuals, karta przekazania odpadu and BDO for companies. Ask which PN-85/H-15000 class your steel falls into, and if you are near 200 kilos, get past it before you sell.
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.
Katowice scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price in Katowice today?
As of the latest update, the indicative price for clean number 1 copper is about zl 49.64 per kg in PLN. Katowice 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.
Why are Silesian scrap prices competitive?
Because the mills are here. Short haulage from yard to furnace means buying points do not have to price a long journey into their offer, unlike yards in regions that have to ship material south.
Does Katowice have the most scrap yards in Silesia?
No. A Polish scrap directory listing firms by town records 21 in Czestochowa, 19 in Chorzow, 15 in Gliwice and 13 in Dabrowa Gornicza, against 11 in Katowice. Searching only for Katowice misses most of the market within a short drive.
Which towns should I also check?
Chorzow, Gliwice, Dabrowa Gornicza, Czestochowa, and the Zaglebie towns of Sosnowiec, Bedzin and Czeladz. The conurbation is continuous and several operators cover the whole area, including collection from an address.
How often do Silesian prices change?
Commonly daily. Operators in the region state that rates are updated codziennie in line with the metal market, so a price you were quoted last week is not a price.
Are Katowice prices different from the national board?
The board on this page is the Poland indicative level, and Katowice 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 Katowice board uses the Poland 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 1.00 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 Katowice vary by grade, volume, condition and buyer.
Nearby and related
Scrap metal prices in Poland · All countries · Catalytic converter prices