Scrap metal recycling
The price charts below are an August 2026 U.S. snapshot. Use the current RecycleFind price guide for an updated reference, then call the yard that will weigh your material: its accepted grade, quantity, and local offer determine the ticket. To price single items such as a radiator, a water heater or a bundle of wire, use the cost of scrap metal by item calculator.
Do not use a national average to price a load before the buyer confirms its grade and current quote.
How should you use scrap metal price references?
These charts show August 2026 national averages by grade. They are a dated comparison, not a live quote for your load. Ask the buyer to name the grade and price for the material as prepared.
Calculate whether stripping copper wire pays
Compare insulated wire with bare copper after the value of your labor.
Estimate brass scrap value by grade
Price yellow brass, red brass, bronze, and fittings by weight and preparation.
Calculate aluminum scrap value by type
Compare cans, sheet, extrusion, wheels, and radiators before selling.
How do you identify scrap metal?
Use simple tests to make sorting piles, not to promise yourself a particular grade. A magnet, color, and visible markings help narrow the material; attached steel, coatings, and alloy differences can change what a buyer accepts. The scrap metal prices page is a reference; have the yard confirm its grade for your pieces.
Six checks that help narrow the material
Tests 1-3: sort the pile
Tests 4-6: confirm the metal
What separates common copper, brass, and specialty grades?
These are sorting cues, not universal specifications. Buyers may use different categories; ask which grade they will assign before preparing a large load.
Copper
A buyer may reserve this category for clean, bare copper without coating or attachments. Ask about its exact gauge and condition rules.
Pipe and bus bar can be classified differently from bare wire. Solder, paint, and attachments may change the buyer's grade.
Keep coated, soldered, or attached pieces apart and ask the buyer what it accepts as #2 copper.
Brass and bronze
Faucets and valves may contain steel stems or other components. Remove them only if the buyer confirms it changes the grade.
Color and use do not guarantee the alloy. Let the yard identify red-looking fittings before combining them.
Bearings and bushings may contain different alloys or attachments. Keep them separate until the buyer classifies them.
Other metals
A magnet response does not reliably identify a stainless grade. Ask what test or marking the buyer accepts.
Call first about acceptance and handling. Do not drain, break, or store batteries where they can tip or leak.
Decorative and cast pieces can be zinc, aluminum, or a mixed alloy. Set uncertain parts aside for the yard.
When should you sell a scrap load?
Compare current local quotes for the exact grade, ask when each quote expires, and check again before a large delivery. One New Jersey buyer, Rockaway Recycling, says it updates posted prices when they change at its scale; that is one yard's practice, so confirm with the buyer handling your load.
Where does scrap metal come from?
Common sources include contractor offcuts, renovation material, shop scrap, and household cleanouts. Before collecting, agree with the owner on what may be taken and when; never assume a job-site pile, curb item, or business bin is abandoned.
- Manufacturing plants: copper turnings, aluminum shavings, steel scrap
- HVAC contractors: copper tubing, aluminum coils, condensers
- Electrical contractors: wire, panels, transformers, conduit
- Plumbing contractors: copper pipe, brass fittings, fixtures
- Auto repair shops: radiators, catalysts, aluminum wheels
- Commercial demolition: structural steel, copper wiring, aluminum
- Residential renovation: plumbing, electrical, siding, gutters
- New construction: cut-offs, damaged materials, packaging
- Roofing projects: copper, aluminum, steel roofing materials
- Infrastructure: bridge work, road construction, utilities
- Hospitals: equipment upgrades, renovation projects
- Schools and universities: facility maintenance, lab equipment
- Office buildings: HVAC, electrical, telecommunication upgrades
- Restaurants: equipment replacement, renovation
- Retail chains: store renovations, equipment upgrades
How do you prepare scrap metal for a better grade?
Sort first, then ask which preparation changes the buyer's grade. A clean-looking load is not automatically a premium grade, and removing insulation or attachments reduces the weight you bring to the scale. Compare the finished material's likely quote with the original lot before paying for processing.
Preparation that changes the grade
Wire stripping
- Keep building wire, cords, and data cable in separate batches.
- Weigh and time a representative test batch before processing the rest.
- Compare the local insulated-wire quote with the quote for the copper actually recovered.
- Subtract labor and equipment cost; thin or mixed wire may not repay stripping.
- Use a guarded tool according to its instructions, and never strip energized wire.
Appliances
- Ask for a whole-item quote and for the accepted grades if it is safely dismantled.
- Do not open sealed refrigerators or air conditioners to reach coils.
- EPA requires Section 608 certification for technicians who handle equipment that could release refrigerant.
Radiators and mixed assemblies
- Tell the buyer whether the assembly is copper-brass, aluminum, or mixed if known.
- Ask how it is accepted whole and how separated pieces are graded.
- Separate only if the extra offer covers lost weight, tools, and labor.
What tools fit the job?
Manual sorting
- Magnet for a first ferrous/non-ferrous check
- Labeled bins and a marker to keep grades separate
- Scale and written batch weights for estimating only
- Eye protection and gloves selected for the task
- Purpose-built hand stripper for disconnected wire samples
Powered processing
- Use a machine sized for the wire and fitted with its guards.
- Follow the maker's setup, feeding, and PPE instructions; keep hands, hair, and loose clothing away from moving parts.
- Do not burn insulation or use a torch to clean scrap.
- Review OSHA's hand and power tool guidance before operating powered tools.
Commercial-scale operations
- Before buying processing equipment, confirm supply volume and buyer specifications.
- Check local zoning, fire, environmental, and business requirements for the site and process.
- Plan guarding, training, maintenance, dust control, and a safe material flow before operating.
- Get written quotes for equipment, service, and outgoing grades instead of relying on generic payback estimates.
How should you store and sort a scrap load?
Storage
- Separate storage by metal type and grade
- Store each material and grade in its own labeled bin or bay.
- Keep sharp wire ends contained; secure loads before transport.
- Record estimated weight, buyer quote, and actual ticket for each lot.
- Keep the storage area clear of walkways and ignition sources.
Grade quality
- Ask the buyer what contamination or attachments move a lot into another grade.
- Confirm size, bundle, and quantity rules before delivering.
- Photograph high-value lots before loading and keep the scale ticket.
- Do not assume the yard will pay separately for parts it grades as a mixed assembly.
How much cash does a scrap load pay?
A load does not have a predictable payout range. Estimate separately: accepted net weight for each grade multiplied by that buyer's quote, added together. Then subtract fuel, tolls, labor, tool wear, and any paid processing. Ask whether the yard makes deductions for attachments, mixed material, or minimum loads before you haul.
Ask the buyer these four questions
- 1. What exact grade will you use for each lot?
- 2. What condition, attachments, or contamination change that grade?
- 3. What is the current quote, minimum quantity, and expiry time?
- 4. What ID, scale procedure, payment method, and deductions should I expect?
What licenses do you need to sell scrap metal?
Requirements depend on where you live and what you mean by "selling." An occasional sale of your own scrap and operating a collection or processing business are different situations. A buyer may require ID, and some states set additional transaction rules. Check the law and local licensing office before collecting other people's material or opening a yard.
For a commercial operation
Check your jurisdiction
- Whether state law licenses or registers scrap purchasers, collectors, or processors
- City or county business registration and zoning for the activity and site
- Environmental, stormwater, fire, or waste permits for storage and processing
- Vehicle and transport rules for the material and route
Keep sale and source records
- Document who authorized collection and what may be taken
- Keep dates, material descriptions, lot weights, and buyer tickets
- Record expenses and actual net proceeds by lot
- Follow local requirements for ID, vehicle, photographs, reports, and retention
Restricted materials
- Ask before handling marked, utility-owned, or infrastructure parts.
- Do not accept items without clear ownership or permission.
- Check local rules for specially regulated articles and transaction holds.
Safety, insurance, and tax
Insurance questions
- Describe the materials, collection vehicle, workers, site, and processing to an insurance broker.
- Ask what coverage excludes heavy equipment, pollution, transport, or customer property.
- Do not copy a coverage amount from another operator; the exposure and local rules differ.
Worker and equipment safety
- Guard machinery and train operators before use.
- Choose eye, hand, hearing, and respiratory protection for the actual task.
- Keep electrical circuits de-energized before work on scrap wire.
- Separate batteries, refrigerants, oils, and unknown chemicals from ordinary metal.
Tax and accounting
- Keep purchase, sale, freight, labor, and equipment records.
- Ask a tax professional how your activity and jurisdiction treat the proceeds.
- Do not assume a one-off personal sale and a recurring resale business have the same reporting rules.
Who to ask about scrap metal rules
Rules vary by state. For example, Virginia's Scrap Metal Purchasers law requires sellers to provide government photo ID for certain nonferrous transactions. It is one state's example, not a nationwide rule. Before operating commercially, contact:
- An attorney who handles recycling or waste businesses
- A CPA familiar with scrap metal taxation
- An insurance agent with commercial recycling experience
- The state agency that regulates scrap purchasers and recycling
- Your city or county licensing and zoning offices
Frequently asked questions
What scrap metal pays the most?
Clean, high-recovery copper often receives a stronger quote than mixed or insulated material, but there is no universal top-paying grade or fixed price. Compare the buyer's current offer for the exact material and accepted weight.
How do you tell copper from brass?
Copper is often red-brown and brass often yellow, but coatings and oxidation can hide the base metal. Both are usually non-magnetic; a magnet can still catch a steel stem or screw inside a fitting. Keep uncertain pieces separate and ask the yard to identify them.
What tools do you need to sort scrap metal?
Start with a magnet, labeled containers, eye protection, gloves for the task, and a safe way to move the load. Add a scale or wire stripper only when regular volume justifies it; test the added payout against time and handling costs first.
How much cash does scrap metal pay?
Estimate each lot as accepted net weight multiplied by the yard's current grade quote. Subtract transport, processing, equipment, and labor costs to compare net proceeds. A mixed-load estimate or national average is not a guaranteed offer.
What licenses do you need to sell scrap metal?
There is no single nationwide answer. Yard ID rules and state scrap-purchaser laws differ; commercial collecting or processing can also bring business, zoning, and environmental requirements. Check the rules where you operate and ask the yard what to bring.
When is the best time to sell scrap metal for highest prices?
There is no dependable best month for every seller. Compare same-day quotes for the exact grade, ask when each quote expires, and include quantity, preparation, and transport in the decision. Commodity prices provide context, not a yard offer.