Scrap metal prices per kg in Tanzania
| Scrap type | Price (TZS) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | TSh 25,962 / kg | ▼ -2.28% | $5.56 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | TSh 3,595 / kg | ▼ -1.28% | $0.77 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | TSh 15,923 / kg | ▼ -1.73% | $3.41 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | TSh 2,662 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | TSh 2,755 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | TSh 4,203 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | TSh 1,074 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | TSh 14,896 / kg | ▼ -2.45% | $3.19 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | TSh 12,514 / kg | ▼ -2.55% | $2.68 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | TSh 8,358 / kg | ▼ -2.19% | $1.79 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | TSh 3,595 / kg | ▼ -2.53% | $0.77 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | TSh 700,421 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | TSh 616,370 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | TSh 840,505 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | TSh 672,404 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap. Global reference is the US board in US dollars; the Tanzania figure applies the exchange rate (1 USD = 2,647.55 TZS) and a local market factor of 0.80.
Yards quote in Tanzanian shillings per kilogram. Prices here are derived from the exchange settlement, converted to shillings, and adjusted by a market factor of 0.80, among the lowest on this site, reflecting a market closed to legal scrap export for over two decades with a domestic penalty regime widely described as too weak to enforce it. The factor is published on the editorial policy page and is open to challenge.
Tanzania scrap price chart (TZS)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in TZS 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 Tanzania
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 TZS.
The scrap market in Tanzania
Tanzania's scrap export ban is one of the oldest on this site. Iron and steel exports were restricted in June 2003. Dealers responded by carrying lead, copper and zinc instead, which the government had still permitted. When that permission was abused, the ban was widened to cover all types of scrap metal from September 2004, pending review.
The review never arrived in the form of a reversal. Trade across the region treats the Tanzanian ban as current fact rather than history, which means a restriction announced as provisional in 2004 has been the operating reality for more than two decades.
What makes Tanzania worth reading rather than simply listing is a specific number from regional reporting: dealers caught exporting scrap metal without a licence face a fine of roughly 4,000 US dollars. Industry sources describe that figure as too low to deter the trade, because seized trucks keep running and intercepted dealers keep their licences.
Regional analysts have identified Tanzania and Uganda as destination markets for scrap smuggled out of Kenya, where the ban on exports is similarly in force. Porous border crossings are named specifically as the route.
- Currency
- Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
- Units
- Kilogram
- Market factor
- 0.80 (our assessment, published on the editorial policy page)
- Export rule
- Ban on all scrap metal exports, in force since September 2004
- Earlier step
- Iron and steel export restricted June 2003; ban widened after lead, copper and zinc permission was abused
- Unlicensed export fine
- Roughly 4,000 US dollars, described by industry as too low to deter the trade
- Domestic trade
- Permitted; only export is restricted
The most valuable scrap by weight in Tanzania today: Copper at TSh 25,962 per kg, Brass at TSh 15,923 per kg, Radiator at TSh 14,896 per kg, Wire at TSh 12,514 per kg, Cable at TSh 8,358 per kg.
Scrap metal rates in Tanzania, by grade
Rates in Tanzania are quoted per kilogram in TZS. Typical ranges are Copper: TSh 22,845 to TSh 29,075 per kg; Brass: TSh 14,010 to TSh 17,835 per kg; Aluminium: TSh 3,165 to TSh 4,025 per kg; Zinc: TSh 3,700 to TSh 4,705 per kg; Lead: TSh 2,425 to TSh 3,085 per kg; Stainless steel: TSh 2,345 to TSh 2,980 per kg. Across common non-ferrous grades that puts most material between TSh 2,345 and TSh 29,075 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 TZS and adjusted by our published market factor of 0.80. 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: TSh 22,845 to TSh 29,075 per kg
- Brass: TSh 14,010 to TSh 17,835 per kg
- Aluminium: TSh 3,165 to TSh 4,025 per kg
- Zinc: TSh 3,700 to TSh 4,705 per kg
- Lead: TSh 2,425 to TSh 3,085 per kg
- Stainless steel: TSh 2,345 to TSh 2,980 per kg
Selling scrap metal in Tanzania: rules, ID and payment
The domestic trade is not banned, only export. A 2022 regional review notes that the local trade in scrap metals was explicitly permitted after scrap metal regulations were developed, while the export ban itself remained in place. Selling to a domestic buyer is lawful; moving the same material across a border is not.
The penalty structure is the detail to understand before assuming the ban functions as written. A roughly 4,000 dollar fine for unlicensed export, with no consistent record of licence revocation for dealers caught offending, is the gap regional reporting points to directly.
A separate episode shows how a related restriction can unwind. A 2017 ban on exporting unrefined mineral concentrates and ores, including copper, was introduced alongside a tax dispute between mining companies and government, and was lifted in 2020 once that dispute was settled. That history is a reminder that Tanzanian export policy on metals has moved before and can move again, even where the scrap ban itself has proven durable.
Anyone trading in bulk, or supplying a buyer who claims an export route, should treat the legal position as closed and confirm current licensing with the Ministry of Industries and Trade rather than assume informal movement is safe.
Before you sell
- Do not plan a legal export route. The ban on scrap metal exports has been in force since 2004.
- Sell domestically. Local trade in scrap is permitted, and that is the lawful route for the material.
- If a buyer offers to export your material, understand that the legal risk is theirs and potentially yours, not resolved by the size of the fine.
- For copper and other non-ferrous metal, be ready to show where it came from. The region names Tanzania as a destination for metal smuggled across borders, and that makes provenance questions more likely.
- Do not assume stability. The related 2017 mineral concentrate ban was lifted in 2020 after a tax settlement, and metals export policy here has changed before.
Scrap prices by city in Tanzania
City pages for Tanzania are being added; the country board above already reflects prices in its main hubs: Tanzania.
Scrap yards in Tanzania
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 Tanzania 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.
Tanzania scrap price FAQ
Can scrap metal be exported from Tanzania?
No. A ban covering all types of scrap metal has been in force since September 2004, following an earlier restriction on iron and steel exports from June 2003 that was widened after dealers abused permission to export lead, copper and zinc.
Can I sell scrap domestically?
Yes. The export ban does not prohibit the domestic trade. A 2022 regional review notes that local trade in scrap metals was explicitly permitted while the export restriction remained in place.
How is the export ban enforced?
Weakly, according to regional reporting. Dealers caught exporting without a licence face a fine of roughly 4,000 US dollars, and industry sources say intercepted dealers generally keep their trading licences, which removes the main deterrent beyond the fine itself.
Is Tanzania a destination for smuggled scrap from other countries?
Regional analysts have identified Tanzania and Uganda as destination markets for scrap metal smuggled out of Kenya, where a separate export ban applies, moving through porous border crossings.
Was this always the rule?
No. Iron and steel exports were restricted first, in June 2003. The wider ban covering all scrap metal followed in September 2004 after dealers continued exporting lead, copper and zinc under the earlier, narrower restriction.
Was it meant to be permanent?
Not as announced. The 2004 measure was described as effective pending government review. No reversal has followed, so it has functioned as a long-term policy for over two decades.
Has Tanzania restricted other metal exports?
Yes, separately. A 2017 ban on exporting unrefined mineral concentrates and ores, including copper, was tied to a tax dispute with mining companies and was lifted in 2020 once that dispute was resolved. That is a different measure from the scrap metal export ban, which remains in force.
What does this do to the price I am offered?
It removes the export bid. A domestic buyer in Tanzania is not competing against overseas demand for your material in the way a buyer in an open market would be, which is reflected in our market factor for the country.
What should I ask a buyer who claims they can export?
How, given the ban has been in force since 2004. An export route offered to you carries legal risk that regional reporting suggests is managed informally rather than resolved, and that risk does not disappear because the penalty is modest.
Should I expect the rule to change?
It has not changed in over twenty years, but Tanzanian metals export policy has moved before in a related area, so confirm the current position with the Ministry of Industries and Trade rather than relying on this or any other summary indefinitely.
Sources and methodology
Prices on this page start from the global reference board (US dollars per pound or per ton), are multiplied by a Tanzania market factor of 0.80 that reflects local demand, freight and trade rules, and are converted to TZS at 1 USD = 2,647.55 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
- Regional reporting on Tanzania's 2003 and 2004 scrap metal export restrictions
- Institute for Security Studies and ENACT Africa reporting on East African scrap metal smuggling and enforcement
- IEA policy database record of the 2017 to 2020 unrefined metals export ban
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.
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