Scrap metal prices per lb in the United States
| Scrap type | Price (USD) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per lb) | |||
| Copper Scrap | $5.56 / lb | ▼ -2.28% | $5.56 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | $0.77 / lb | ▼ -1.28% | $0.77 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | $3.41 / lb | ▼ -1.73% | $3.41 / lb |
| Stainless Steel Scrap | $0.57 / lb | ▲ +0.00% | $0.57 / lb |
| Lead Scrap | $0.59 / lb | ▲ +0.00% | $0.59 / lb |
| Zinc Scrap | $0.90 / lb | ▲ +0.00% | $0.90 / lb |
| Battery Scrap | $0.23 / lb | ▲ +0.00% | $0.23 / lb |
| Radiator Scrap | $3.19 / lb | ▼ -2.45% | $3.19 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | $2.68 / lb | ▼ -2.55% | $2.68 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | $1.79 / lb | ▼ -2.19% | $1.79 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | $0.77 / lb | ▼ -2.53% | $0.77 / lb |
| Ferrous and bulk (per ton) | |||
| Steel Scrap | $300 / ton | ▲ +0.00% | $300 / ton |
| Iron Scrap | $264 / ton | ▲ +0.00% | $264 / ton |
| Car Scrap | $360 / ton | ▲ +0.00% | $360 / ton |
| Cast Iron | $288 / ton | ▲ +0.00% | $288 / ton |
Indicative dealer prices for clean, sorted scrap. Global reference is the US board in US dollars; the United States figure applies the exchange rate (1 USD = 1.00 USD) and a local market factor of 1.00.
Yards quote non-ferrous scrap in US dollars per pound and ferrous scrap per net ton of 2,000 pounds (some mills use gross tons of 2,240 pounds). Grades follow the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA, formerly ISRI) specifications such as bare bright, number 1 and number 2 copper, or HMS 1 and 2 for heavy melting steel.
United States scrap price chart (USD)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in USD per lb or per ton. Scroll to zoom and drag to move along the timeline.
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Copper scrap prices by grade in the United States
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 USD.
The scrap market in the United States
The United States is the largest scrap exporter in the world and one of the deepest domestic markets, with thousands of yards feeding electric arc furnaces, secondary smelters and export docks. Non-ferrous prices follow COMEX and LME quotes closely; ferrous prices are set regionally by mill buying programs and by export demand from Turkey, Mexico, India and Bangladesh.
Regional spreads are wide. Gulf Coast and East Coast yards track export bids, the Midwest follows mill demand around Chicago, Detroit and Ohio, and West Coast yards price to Asian container demand out of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The same grade of copper can differ by ten cents a pound between Houston and Seattle on the same day.
- Currency
- US dollar (USD)
- Price units
- Per lb for non-ferrous, per ton for ferrous
- Benchmarks
- COMEX copper, LME aluminum, regional mill ferrous prices
- Main hubs
- Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Long Beach, Newark, Detroit
- Trade position
- Net exporter of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap
The most valuable scrap by weight in the United States today: Copper at $5.56 per lb, Brass at $3.41 per lb, Radiator at $3.19 per lb, Wire at $2.68 per lb, Cable at $1.79 per lb.
Scrap metal rates in United States, by grade
Rates in United States are quoted per pound in USD. Typical ranges are Copper: $ 4.9 to $ 6.2 per lb; Brass: $ 3.0 to $ 3.8 per lb; Aluminium: $ 0.7 to $ 0.9 per lb; Zinc: $ 0.8 to $ 1.0 per lb; Lead: $ 0.5 to $ 0.7 per lb; Stainless steel: $ 0.5 to $ 0.6 per lb. Across common non-ferrous grades that puts most material between $ 0.5 and $ 6 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 USD and adjusted by our published market factor of 1.00. 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: $ 4.9 to $ 6.2 per lb
- Brass: $ 3.0 to $ 3.8 per lb
- Aluminium: $ 0.7 to $ 0.9 per lb
- Zinc: $ 0.8 to $ 1.0 per lb
- Lead: $ 0.5 to $ 0.7 per lb
- Stainless steel: $ 0.5 to $ 0.6 per lb
Every state has a metals theft law. The question is what happens when prices rise
All fifty states maintain metals theft statutes requiring scrap sale documentation, including seller identification and transaction records. The specifics and the consistency of enforcement vary widely. Between 2021 and 2024, thirty-one states passed laws aimed specifically at catalytic converter theft, most requiring dealers to keep electronic records of every converter purchase including seller identification and vehicle identification numbers.
Some of those laws are demanding. New York's, effective March 2023, requires scrap dealers to photograph both the seller and the converter, retain transaction records for five years, and verify that the seller is the registered owner of the vehicle. Alaska requires payment by mailed check or money order for transactions of 300 dollars or more, and sets a minimum seller age of sixteen. Arizona treats possession of ten or more used detached catalytic converters as a felony. Several states require a dealer to hold a converter in its original form for seven days after purchase.
And they worked, for a while. New York City recorded an eighty percent fall in catalytic converter thefts between 2022 and 2024.
Then rhodium moved
St Paul, Minnesota is the clearest test case. Minnesota passed a strict law in 2023 requiring VIN marking on all catalytic converters and electronic record keeping by scrap dealers. Reported thefts still rose from 172 in 2024 to 504 in 2025, an increase of 193 percent, with the law fully in force throughout.
Berkeley, California saw thefts fall from 847 in 2022 to roughly 250 across all of 2025, then recorded nine in the first week of January 2026 alone, including one armed robbery during a theft. The police captain there linked the uptick directly to recent increases in precious metal prices.
The deputy police chief in St Paul put the limitation plainly: these crimes can be cyclical depending on the economy, and the laws are only as good as what people will follow and what there is capacity to investigate.
What that means for a legitimate seller
Expect the documentation burden to be real and to tighten rather than relax. A dealer photographing you and your converter is complying with state law, not doubting you personally.
If you are selling a converter from your own vehicle, bring the registration. The New York requirement to verify that the seller is the registered owner is the direction other states are moving in, and being able to prove ownership immediately is the difference between a transaction and a refusal.
Telecom copper theft is now the larger problem
Catalytic converters get the coverage, but the bigger number is elsewhere. Two reports presented at the Telecom Industry Summit on 4 June 2026 recorded 18,327 incidents of telecommunications theft and vandalism nationwide during 2025. That averages 1,527 a month, or about 50 a day.
Those incidents affected more than 11.8 million customers, and the total was 59 percent higher than 2024. The reports attribute the crimes mostly to the perceived value of copper wire.
The geography is concentrated. California and Texas together accounted for 8,275 incidents, 47.6 percent of the national total, between two states.
For a yard the implication is the same as everywhere else this pattern appears: telecommunications cable arriving without a clear source is the highest-risk material you can be offered, and the volume of incidents means it is being offered.
Selling scrap metal in the United States: rules, ID and payment
Scrap sales are regulated state by state. Most states require licensed dealers to record photo ID, a description of the material and often a photo or thumbprint, and many restrict cash or delay payment for items linked to theft such as catalytic converters, copper wire and manhole covers. Bring ID and, for vehicles, the title.
Before you sell
- Sort copper by grade before you arrive; mixed loads are paid at the lowest grade.
- Ask whether the ferrous price is per net ton or gross ton.
- Check the yard price board against the COMEX move that morning.
- Get a printed weight ticket for every load.
Scrap prices by city in the United States
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 States
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.
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Michigan
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
Yard listings for United States 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 States scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price per lb in the United States today?
As of October 22, 2026, the indicative scrap copper price in the United States is $5.56 per lb ($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 States today?
Today's indicative non-ferrous prices in the United States are Copper $5.56 per lb, Brass $3.41 per lb, Radiator $3.19 per lb, Wire $2.68 per lb, with steel scrap at $300 per ton. The full board above lists all 15 scrap types with the change against the previous close.
How are scrap prices quoted in the United States?
Non-ferrous scrap is quoted in USD per lb and ferrous scrap per ton. Yards quote non-ferrous scrap in US dollars per pound and ferrous scrap per net ton of 2,000 pounds (some mills use gross tons of 2,240 pounds). Grades follow the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA, formerly ISRI) specifications such as bare bright, number 1 and number 2 copper, or HMS 1 and 2 for heavy melting steel.
Do I need ID to sell scrap metal in the United States?
Scrap sales are regulated state by state. Most states require licensed dealers to record photo ID, a description of the material and often a photo or thumbprint, and many restrict cash or delay payment for items linked to theft such as catalytic converters, copper wire and manhole covers. Bring ID and, for vehicles, the title.
Which scrap metals pay the most in the United States?
By weight, copper, then brass, then radiator, then wire. Ferrous scrap such as steel and iron pays far less per lb but moves in much larger volumes, which is why it is quoted per ton.
Why are scrap prices in the United States different from US prices?
Metals are priced in US dollars on the world market, but local prices reflect the USD exchange rate, freight to the nearest mills and smelters, import and export rules and how many buyers compete for material. The US board is the global reference on this site, so US prices are shown without a country factor.
Why do scrap prices differ between US states?
Freight to the nearest mill or port, the number of competing yards and export demand set the local spread. Coastal yards near export docks and Midwest yards near steel mills usually pay the most for ferrous scrap; copper spreads depend on local smelter and export demand.
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 States market factor of 1.00 that reflects local demand, freight and trade rules, and are converted to USD at 1 USD = 1.00 and to imperial units (pounds and short tons). The board refreshes daily, with the time of the latest update shown at the top of the page.
Reference sources
- Recycled Materials Association (ReMA, formerly ISRI) scrap specifications
- COMEX and LME settlement prices
- US Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries
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.
Scrap prices in other countries
Europe
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Ireland
- Sweden
- Poland
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Czechia
- Portugal