Scrap Metal Prices

Wondering how much your scrap metal is worth? We wish we could give you a simple answer, but not all metal is created equal. When it comes to scrap metal prices, there are different metal commodities (such as copper, brass, and steel to name a few), and various grades within each commodity (e.g., copper domestic, copper #1, and copper #2). Prices differ broadly between commodities and even across the various grades within the same commodity.

Some metal items are considered ‘clean’, while others require cleaning, sorting, and/or processing before they can be sent to smelters (where they are turned into raw materials to make something new). To make matters more complex, prices are influenced by global market indices and depending on the date, pricing may vary. All of this is factored in when we give you a price for your scrap metal.

To give you the most accurate and up-to-date metal pricing, we update our prices every Monday. Keep in mind we will need some information about the metal parcel/items that you want recycled and which location you will be visiting so that we’re able to give you the right price and most up-to-date info.

We pride ourselves on paying YOU the best scrap metal price available at the time of purchase. Contact our team from Monday to Friday (7am to 5pm), and on Saturdays (7am to 1pm) to get the latest pricing for:

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Scrap metal pricing explained

For those of you wanting to dig a little deeper into why scrap metal prices aren’t fixed, we’re here to uncover the mystery. There are many factors to consider when determining the price that you get paid for your metal. Below, we outlined those that have the biggest impact on scrap metal pricing:

  • Commodity type—All metals can be categorised as either ferrous (e.g., steel) or non-ferrous (e.g., copper, aluminium, batteries, etc.). Kilogram for kilogram, non-ferrous metals fetch much higher prices. Within the non-ferrous category, some commodities are worth more than others. For example, copper is more valuable than brass, and brass is more valuable than aluminium.
  • Grade—Each metal commodity is bought and sold as a particular grade of that commodity. Each grade has its own value on international markets, and this is considered when pricing your scrap metal. To give you an idea of the complexity of scrap metal grading, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) specifies over 200 different grades of metal that can be bought/sold. For example, copper has 14 different grade specifications. Yup, it’s more complex than it looks!
  • Weight—We buy and sell scrap metal based on weight. Therefore, we usually quote per kilogram or per tonne. In some instances, we quote based on a particular item as the weight of the metal and the item’s non-metallic content is known (e.g., hot water cylinders). Either way, the more your scrap metal weighs, the more you’ll get paid for it.
  • Market conditions—We export all our metals to the mills and foundries of the world to be turned into raw materials and made into something new. Most markets trade in USD and this means that we need to take the NZD/USD exchange rate into account when set our weekly prices. The price of a commodity is a moving target, and we update our prices regularly to reflect the value in global markets. All of this makes it very difficult for us to predict what prices may do in the future—if only we had a crystal ball! However, while we may not be able to see into the future, we can and will offer you the best metal price available at the time of purchase.
  • Shipping costs—While shipping costs were considered less frequently when setting scrap metal prices, the cost of shipping has become increasingly volatile resulting from the impacts of Covid-19 on shipping. We thought this was worth a special mention as we now need to take the cost of freight into account on a weekly basis.

To learn more about our metal recycling services or find out the latest pricing for your metal, you can get in touch with us via Facebook messenger, by sending us an email, giving a call on 0800 44 88 99, or by stopping by one of our drive-thrus.

Whether you’re scrapping a little or you’re scrapping a lot, get paid top prices at New Zealand’s most-loved scrap metal dealer!

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