Scrap metal prices per kg in the United Arab Emirates
| Scrap type | Price (AED) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per kg) | |||
| Copper Scrap | AED 42.77 / kg | ▼ -2.28% | $5.56 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | AED 5.92 / kg | ▼ -1.28% | $0.77 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | AED 26.23 / kg | ▼ -1.73% | $3.41 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | AED 4.38 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | AED 4.54 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | AED 6.92 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | AED 1.77 / kg | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | AED 24.54 / kg | ▼ -2.45% | $3.19 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | AED 20.61 / kg | ▼ -2.55% | $2.68 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | AED 13.77 / kg | ▼ -2.19% | $1.79 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | AED 5.92 / kg | ▼ -2.53% | $0.77 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per tonne) | |||
| Steel Scrap | AED 1,154 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | AED 1,015 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | AED 1,384 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | AED 1,108 / tonne | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap. Global reference is the US board in US dollars; the United Arab Emirates figure applies the exchange rate (1 USD = 3.67 AED) and a local market factor of 0.95.
Dealers quote non-ferrous scrap in dirhams per kilogram and ferrous scrap per tonne, and larger export deals in US dollars per tonne. With the dirham pegged at 3.67 to the dollar, conversion is straightforward.
United Arab Emirates scrap price chart (AED)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in AED 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 the United Arab Emirates
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 AED.
The scrap market in the United Arab Emirates
The UAE is the Gulf's scrap trading centre: Sharjah's industrial areas and Dubai's yards collect from the Emirates and re-export non-ferrous scrap through Jebel Ali, while the domestic steel industry absorbs ferrous scrap. The dirham's peg to the US dollar means local prices move almost exactly with international quotes.
Ferrous export rules change with domestic mill demand, and the government has restricted or taxed scrap exports at times to protect local supply, which can widen the gap between local and international ferrous prices.
- Currency
- UAE dirham (AED), pegged to the US dollar
- Price units
- Per kg for non-ferrous, per tonne for ferrous
- Benchmarks
- LME prices in dirhams, Jebel Ali export bids
- Main hubs
- Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali
- Trade position
- Regional trading hub; ferrous exports regulated
The most valuable scrap by weight in the United Arab Emirates today: Copper at AED 42.77 per kg, Brass at AED 26.23 per kg, Radiator at AED 24.54 per kg, Wire at AED 20.61 per kg, Cable at AED 13.77 per kg.
What you can expect to be paid in United Arab Emirates
Scrap is weighed and paid by the kilogram in United Arab Emirates, in AED. Typical ranges are Copper: AED 38 to AED 48 per kg; Brass: AED 23 to AED 29 per kg; Aluminium: AED 5.2 to AED 6.6 per kg; Zinc: AED 6.1 to AED 7.8 per kg; Lead: AED 4.0 to AED 5.1 per kg; Stainless steel: AED 3.9 to AED 4.9 per kg. Across common non-ferrous grades that puts most material between AED 3.9 and AED 48 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 AED and adjusted by our published market factor of 0.95. 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: AED 38 to AED 48 per kg
- Brass: AED 23 to AED 29 per kg
- Aluminium: AED 5.2 to AED 6.6 per kg
- Zinc: AED 6.1 to AED 7.8 per kg
- Lead: AED 4.0 to AED 5.1 per kg
- Stainless steel: AED 3.9 to AED 4.9 per kg
Six years, four changes of direction
No market on this site has moved its scrap policy as often as the UAE. If you trade here, the single most useful thing to know is that the current position is probably temporary, and that assuming last year's rules still apply is how people get caught.
The sequence runs like this.
- May 2020: the UAE imposes an export ban on ferrous scrap, which holds for nearly four years and materially affects steel industries in Pakistan, India and China that had relied on Emirati material.
- 27 January 2024: the ban is lifted.
- Later in 2024: export duties replace it. Ferrous scrap across seven HS codes is set at AED 400 a tonne, about 109 dollars. Copper scrap under HS 74040000 is also AED 400. Aluminium scrap under HS 76020000 is AED 100, about 27 dollars.
- 19 December 2025: Cabinet Resolution No. 153 of 2025 is announced by the Ministry of Finance.
- 14 January 2026: a VAT reverse charge mechanism takes effect for scrap metal trading.
- 3 June 2026: Ministerial Decision No. 105 of 2026 reimposes a temporary export ban on iron, aluminium and copper scrap, for four months.
What the reverse charge means if you buy scrap here
The January 2026 change moved VAT liability on scrap metal transactions from the seller to the buyer. The stated purposes are improving compliance and reducing fraud, and the practical effect is that the buyer now accounts for the tax rather than paying it across to the supplier.
Anyone following this site's China coverage will recognise the shape of that. China introduced reverse invoicing for scrap in April 2024 for the same reason, because a trade with many small informal sellers is difficult to tax at the point of sale and easier to tax at the point of purchase. Two very different jurisdictions arrived at the same structural answer within two years of each other.
The compliance consequence in the UAE is that VAT filings and corporate tax filings on scrap now have to reconcile against each other. A mismatch is visible to the Federal Tax Authority, so the bookkeeping is no longer a formality.
Why the ban came back
The stated objective of the June 2026 measure is to retain raw materials domestically, and local smelters are reported to have influenced the decision. The industrial context supports that reading: Emirates Global Aluminium has been ramping up a new recycling plant with capacity of 185,000 tonnes a year, and Emirates Steel benefits directly from ferrous feedstock that stays in the country.
One exemption tells you the underlying policy. Copper ingots are explicitly excluded from the ban, because the intention is to discourage the export of raw units while encouraging the export of processed, higher-value ones. That is industrial strategy rather than a trade restriction for its own sake.
The effect on trade routes is real. The ban restricts access to India and South Korea, both major consumers of UAE scrap. And because a fixed export duty of around 109 dollars a tonne had already compressed direct export arbitrage on copper scrap, analysts assessed the additional marginal impact of the ban on copper as limited. The duty had already done most of the work.
What the trade figures actually show
Copper is where the UAE's scrap trade is largest and best documented. Exports under HS code 7404, copper waste and scrap, totalled 868 million dollars in 2023, up 38 percent on the 628 million recorded in 2022. Imports moved the other way, falling 12.7 percent from 222 million dollars in 2022 to 193 million in 2023.
To put that in proportion: copper scrap represented 0.152 percent of total UAE merchandise exports in 2023, against 0.121 percent in 2022, with total exports of 570 billion dollars in 2023 and 515 billion in 2022. It is a small share of a very large trade, which is part of why policy can move it around without much visible cost elsewhere.
The export duty on ferrous and copper scrap came into effect on 13 September, stated at the time as supporting the local iron and steel industry.
Why there is no tonnage series here
Because we could not verify one. Trade value for copper scrap is published and checkable. Annual export tonnage for UAE ferrous, copper and aluminium scrap across 2016 to 2025 is not available in the sources we use, and the commercial shipment-count databases that do publish something are not comparable with customs data.
Rather than interpolate a series and present it as fact, we have set out what is documented. If you need tonnage, UN Comtrade and the UAE Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre are the places to request it directly.
The same applies to forecasts. The UAE publishes targets under frameworks such as the Circular Economy Policy 2031 and Net Zero 2050. Those are policy commitments, not projections of scrap volume, and treating them as forecasts would misrepresent both.
Selling scrap metal in the United Arab Emirates: rules, ID and payment
Dealers need municipal and economic department licences, and scrap exports require permits; ferrous exports have been restricted or subject to fees in recent years. Sellers should expect ID checks and paperwork for vehicle scrap.
Before you sell
- Local prices follow US dollar quotes closely because of the currency peg.
- Check the current export rules before assuming export bids apply.
- Sharjah industrial area yards are the busiest buyers.
Scrap prices by city in the United Arab Emirates
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 the United Arab Emirates
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 United Arab Emirates 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.
United Arab Emirates scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price per kg in the United Arab Emirates today?
As of October 22, 2026, the indicative scrap copper price in the United Arab Emirates is AED 42.77 per kg ($5.56 per lb on the global board). Bare bright and clean number 1 copper earn the top of the range; insulated wire, tubing with solder and mixed copper pay less.
What are scrap metal prices in the United Arab Emirates today?
Today's indicative non-ferrous prices in the United Arab Emirates are Copper AED 42.77 per kg, Brass AED 26.23 per kg, Radiator AED 24.54 per kg, Wire AED 20.61 per kg, with steel scrap at AED 1,154 per tonne. The full board above lists all 15 scrap types with the change against the previous close.
How are scrap prices quoted in the United Arab Emirates?
Non-ferrous scrap is quoted in AED per kg and ferrous scrap per tonne. Dealers quote non-ferrous scrap in dirhams per kilogram and ferrous scrap per tonne, and larger export deals in US dollars per tonne. With the dirham pegged at 3.67 to the dollar, conversion is straightforward.
Do I need ID to sell scrap metal in the United Arab Emirates?
Dealers need municipal and economic department licences, and scrap exports require permits; ferrous exports have been restricted or subject to fees in recent years. Sellers should expect ID checks and paperwork for vehicle scrap.
Which scrap metals pay the most in the United Arab Emirates?
By weight, copper, then brass, then radiator, then wire. Ferrous scrap such as steel and iron pays far less per kg but moves in much larger volumes, which is why it is quoted per tonne.
Why are scrap prices in the United Arab Emirates different from US prices?
Metals are priced in US dollars on the world market, but local prices reflect the AED exchange rate, freight to the nearest mills and smelters, import and export rules and how many buyers compete for material. UAE prices track the US reference closely thanks to the dollar peg, less a regional discount on ferrous grades.
Sources and methodology
Prices on this page start from the global reference board (US dollars per pound or per ton), are multiplied by a United Arab Emirates market factor of 0.95 that reflects local demand, freight and trade rules, and are converted to AED at 1 USD = 3.67 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
- Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) reports for the Middle East
- LME settlement prices
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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