Phoenix scrap prices track the national board, lifted by one of the busiest construction markets in the country. Arizona has some of the strictest selling rules in the United States: a fingerprint at the counter, photo and video of the seller and the material, your vehicle recorded, and payment by cheque posted to the address on your ID rather than cash at the window.
Scrap metal prices per lb in Phoenix
| Scrap type | Price (USD) | Change | Global reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-ferrous (per lb) | |||
| Copper Scrap | $5.81 / lb | ▲ +1.22% | $5.81 / lb |
| Aluminum Scrap | $0.87 / lb | ▲ +1.16% | $0.87 / lb |
| Brass Scrap | $3.54 / lb | ▲ +1.14% | $3.54 / 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 | $3.34 / lb | ▲ +1.21% | $3.34 / lb |
| Wire Scrap | $2.81 / lb | ▲ +1.44% | $2.81 / lb |
| Cable Scrap | $1.87 / lb | ▲ +1.08% | $1.87 / lb |
| Electronic Scrap | $0.80 / lb | ▲ +1.27% | $0.80 / 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 in the United States, shown here for Phoenix. Individual yards quote around this level by grade, volume and condition; the derivation from exchange benchmarks and the exchange rate (1 USD = 1.00 USD) is described in the methodology section below.
Phoenix scrap price chart (USD)
Daily open, high, low and close for the most traded scrap metals in USD, the same series Phoenix yards price against. Scroll to zoom and drag to move along the timeline.
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The scrap market in Phoenix
The Valley runs on construction, and construction runs through the yards. Semiconductor fabrication plants in north Phoenix, data centre campuses across the metro and continuous residential building generate a steady flow of copper wire, aluminium glazing, conduit and structural steel that few markets of this size can match.
There is no deep-water port and no large local melt shop, so ferrous consolidates and moves to regional mills or west to the California export docks, and non-ferrous follows the exchanges. The desert climate is the local quirk: air conditioning runs hard and fails often, so condenser coils, compressors and aluminium fins are a bigger share of Valley supply than in most US cities.
- State
- Arizona, United States
- Quoted in
- USD per lb (non-ferrous), per ton (ferrous)
- Yards cluster in
- South Phoenix, Grand Avenue, Tolleson, East Valley
- Payment
- Cheque posted to your ID address on larger and wire transactions
- Demand from
- Regional mills, California export docks, Valley construction
Where the scrap yards are in Phoenix
- South Phoenix and the Salt River industrial corridor: the densest run of full-service yards.
- Grand Avenue and the northwest industrial belt: contractor and demolition scrap.
- Tolleson and the West Valley: heavy scrap and processor-scale buyers near the freight corridors.
- Mesa, Tempe and the East Valley: retail yards and auto dismantling.
What pays well in Phoenix
- Construction copper wire and conduit from the building boom.
- Air conditioning coils, compressors and aluminium fins, in constant supply here.
- Aluminium glazing, solar mounting and extrusion from commercial work.
Selling scrap metal in Phoenix: rules, ID and payment
Arizona is stricter than most states and the differences catch visitors out. Dealers must register with the Department of Public Safety, take a fingerprint of the right index finger at the time of purchase, photograph or video the seller and the material, photocopy photo ID, and record your licence plate and vehicle description. Payment cannot be made on site for transactions of three hundred dollars or more, for industrial accounts, or for copper and aluminium wire of at least three-eighths of an inch: a cheque or money order is posted to the address on your identification. Dealers report transactions electronically to Public Safety within twenty-four hours, a fifteen-day tag-and-hold applies when law enforcement requires it, sellers must be at least sixteen, and a yard may not buy from the same customer more than once in a day. Burned wire cannot be bought at all without written proof it was lawfully burned or recovered from a fire. Manhole covers, fire hydrant valves and backflow preventers are restricted items.
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.
Phoenix scrap price FAQ
What is the scrap copper price in Phoenix today?
As of the latest update, the indicative price for clean number 1 copper is about $5.81 per lb in USD. Phoenix 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 will a Phoenix yard not pay me cash?
Arizona law prohibits on-site payment for transactions of three hundred dollars or more, for industrial accounts, and for copper and aluminium wire at least three-eighths of an inch thick. The yard posts a cheque or money order to the address on your identification. Smaller non-wire sales can still be paid at the counter, but the wire and value thresholds catch most serious loads.
Why did the yard take my fingerprint and photograph my load?
Both are required by Arizona statute at the time of purchase, along with a copy of your photo identification and a record of your vehicle and licence plate. Dealers also report the transaction electronically to the Department of Public Safety within twenty-four hours. A Phoenix yard skipping these steps is risking its registration.
Where can I sell scrap metal in Phoenix?
The Salt River corridor through South Phoenix holds the most yards and the best volume prices, the Grand Avenue belt serves contractors on the northwest side, Tolleson handles heavy loads near the freight routes, and the East Valley around Mesa and Tempe covers auto and retail scrap. Bring identification and expect the full record-keeping routine wherever you go.
Are Phoenix prices different from the national board?
The board on this page is the the United States indicative level, and Phoenix 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 Phoenix board uses the the United States 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 Phoenix vary by grade, volume, condition and buyer.
Nearby and related
Scrap metal prices in the United States · All countries · Catalytic converter prices