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Endless buys lead, zinc, and a growing range of other non-ferrous metals at both Auckland yards. From soft lead and irony lead through lead wheel weights to diecast zinc, we grade your material on the spot and pay you the same day. Diecast zinc is a composite zinc alloy that is increasingly common in household bathroom and kitchen fittings, including tapware, mixer bodies, handles, and cabinet hardware. Got car or truck batteries? See our lead battery page. Electric motors or sealed units? See motors.
Visit either our scrap metal Onehunga yard or our Wairau Valley branch on the North Shore, and our team will take you through how your price of lead per kg and zinc payouts are calculated.
Lead and zinc both quoted on the London Metal Exchange (LME). Graded on the spot. Paid same day.
Lead, Zinc & Other Metals: What We Pay
This is our home for the less-common metals. Lead and zinc are both quoted on the LME, so your price tracks those markets and the purity of what you bring. Diecast zinc, a composite zinc alloy now common in bathroom and kitchen fittings like tapware and handles, is graded separately. Clean, sorted material pays best. Keep lead separate from zinc, pull off steel fittings and plastic, and do not mix in galvanised steel (which is mostly steel). If you are looking to sell scrap lead-acid batteries or other specialised metals, bring them in and we will grade them on the spot.
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Licensed secondhand dealerSoft Lead — Scrap Grade
soft lead
conditions
- non-magnetic
- soft
- clean lead
- no contamination:
- ferrous attachments
- non ferrous attachments
- wood / plastic/ glass
examples
- roof flashing & soakers
- lead sheet & offcuts
- lead pipe & ingots
- sounding / diving leads
Irony Lead — Scrap Grade
irony lead
conditions
- lead with steel or ferrous attachments (irony grade)
- may contain:
- ferrous attachments
- non ferrous attachments
- wood / plastic/ glass
examples
- flashing with steel fixings
- lead with brackets or clips
- cable-sheathing lead with armour
- mixed lead offcuts
Lead Wheel Weights — Scrap Grade
lead wheel weights
conditions
- clip-on lead wheel weights
- no contamination:
- no ferrous weights
- no zinc weights
- no plastic
- dirt
examples
- clip-on lead weights
- tyre-shop lead weights
found your grade?
Lead, zinc, die-cast and wheel weights all have a live price at endless. Check today's rates before you drop off.
Lead Head Nails — Scrap Grade
lead head nails
conditions
- lead-head roofing nails
- cut lead heads & washers
- no contamination:
- plain steel or galvanised nails
- aluminium-head nails
examples
- old corrugated-roof lead-head nails
- lead washers pulled from nails
Diecast Zinc — Scrap Grade
diecast zinc
conditions
- non-magnetic
- zinc diecast
- grey / silver where the chrome is chipped or worn
- yellow / gold where exposed — that's brass (see brass)
- no contamination:
- steel inserts / studs
- heavy chrome plating
examples
- carburettor bodies
- diecast fittings & handles
- zinc castings
- diecast hardware
- tap handles & faceplates
still not sure what you've got?
Not sure if it's lead, zinc, or something else? Bring it in or send us a photo and we'll identify and grade it on the spot — no obligation.
the recycling process
how lead & zinc are recycled
Lead and zinc are both endlessly recyclable and recovered into new product with a fraction of the energy of primary production. Here's what happens once your material reaches our yard.
1
collection & sorting
Your material is sorted by metal and grade — soft lead separate from wheel weights and cable, clean zinc separate from diecast — to meet smelter specifications.
2
grading & testing
Each piece is checked: lead for purity and contamination, zinc to confirm it isn't galvanised steel. Correct grading means you're paid for what you actually have.
3
processing
Lead is consolidated for secondary smelters; zinc is baled or boxed by grade, ready for furnace-ready spec.
4
export & smelting
Lead is refined back into ingot for batteries and sheet; zinc is recovered for galvanising, diecasting and alloys — kept in the loop rather than mined anew.
maximise your return
How to Prepare Your Metals
A little sorting goes a long way. Clean, separated metal grades the best and pays the most.
- Keep lead and zinc separate: They are priced on different markets, and mixed loads are graded down to the lowest value present.
- Pull off steel and plastic: Nails in flashing, steel cores in anodes, and plastic on cable all drop the grade. Remove them where you can.
- Galvanised steel is not zinc: A thin zinc coating on steel is graded as steel, not zinc (see our steel page).
- Batteries go elsewhere: Lead-acid batteries are a separate bought line (see lead batteries).
- Handle lead safely: Wash your hands after handling lead and keep it away from children. It is valuable but mildly toxic.
Pro tip: If you are a roofer, auto shop, marine engineer, or plumber handling regular volume, ask our team about scrap metal bin hire and collection to get the best lead recycling price on every load.
sustainability
Why Recycle Lead & Zinc?
Every kilogram of lead or zinc recycled is a kilogram that doesn't need to be mined and smelted from ore — both are energy-intensive to produce from scratch and valuable to recover.
~99%
lead recyclable
Lead is one of the most recycled metals on earth — recovered almost endlessly into new battery lead, sheet and ingot.
∞
zinc in the loop
Zinc can be recovered and reused indefinitely for galvanising, diecasting and alloys without losing quality.
2
valuable metals
Lead and zinc are both worth recovering. Keep an eye on this page as we add more of the less-common metals we buy.
When you recycle lead and zinc with Endless, your metal re-enters the circular economy as new battery lead, sheet, ingot, and galvanising stock rather than ending up in landfill or as fresh ore.
what we pay
Pricing: What We Pay
Lead is priced on the global lead market and zinc on the LME, both adjusted for the NZD/USD rate. We update our rates weekly and publish them per yard, ensuring competitive lead scrap rate payouts every time you visit.
metal & grade
Clean soft lead and clean zinc pay best; contaminated, painted or steel-attached material is priced below that to cover processing.
lead & LME zinc markets
Lead tracks the global lead price; zinc tracks the LME zinc price. When those markets rise, your payout rises with them.
NZD/USD exchange rate
Both metals are priced internationally in USD, so a weaker New Zealand dollar lifts local prices.
volume & consistency
Larger, well-sorted, regular loads attract premium pricing. Ask about contract rates for trade and commercial supply.
For today's lead and zinc prices at your nearest yard, visit our pricing page or call our team directly. Instant quotes on the phone or on the scales — no obligation.
still have questions?
Find what you’re looking for in the FAQs below.
Lead is priced per kilogram on the global lead market and the NZD/USD rate. Clean soft lead — roofing lead, flashing, sheet — pays the most; contaminated or steel-attached lead is graded below that. See our pricing page or call 0800 44 88 99 for today's rate.
Yes. Roofing lead, apron and chimney flashing, soakers and sheet lead are all bought as soft lead. Remove steel nails and fixings where you can — they downgrade the load.
Yes — clip-on lead wheel weights are a bought grade. Be aware, though: many modern vehicles now use steel wheel weights, which look almost identical but are worth far less than lead. Keep lead weights separate from steel and zinc weights, which are priced differently.
Zinc is priced on the LME zinc price and the exchange rate. Clean zinc sheet and diecast zinc pay best. Note that galvanised steel is only thinly zinc-coated and is graded as steel, not zinc.
Diecast zinc is a zinc alloy used in diecast parts — carburettor bodies, fittings, handles and hardware. It's non-magnetic and a genuine zinc grade, distinct from galvanised steel.
Keep lead and zinc in separate piles, pull off steel fittings, nails and plastic, and don't mix galvanised steel in with zinc. Clean, sorted, single-metal loads always pay more.
endless has two yards — Onehunga and Wairau Valley. Drive in during business hours, we weigh and grade on the spot, and pay the same day. Bring photo ID.
Yes. Lead is among the most recycled metals on earth — recovered into new battery lead, sheet and ingot — and zinc is recovered indefinitely for galvanising, diecasting and alloys.
ready to sell your lead or zinc?
call us, email us, or drop into either yard. We grade on the spot and pay same day.