Today’s prices
Today’s price, on the day
Scrap prices follow the metals markets and change daily. Call 01942 906041 or send photos and a rough weight through the quote form, and we will price what you actually have, grade by grade.
Search for scrap metal prices and you will find plenty of figures per tonne and per kilo. Most are out of date by the time you read them, and none can tell you what your scrap is worth, because that depends on what it is, how clean it is and how much of it you have.
This guide explains how scrap metal prices in the UK are actually set, metal by metal, and what you can do to get more for yours without cutting corners. Resilient Contracting is a licensed scrap metal dealer at Martland Park, Wigan, holding Wigan Council site licence SML/S0042. We buy from businesses and trades, and we price every load on the day.
Why scrap metal prices in the UK change every day
Scrap is a raw material. Smelters, refiners, foundries and steelworks buy it to make new metal, so what scrap is worth follows what new metal is worth. Several things move that.
- The London Metal Exchange (LME). Copper, aluminium, nickel, lead and zinc are traded on the LME, and its prices are the reference point for non-ferrous scrap. When LME copper rises or falls, scrap copper follows it.
- Currency. LME prices are quoted in US dollars, but UK dealers pay in pounds. If sterling weakens against the dollar, the same dollar price is worth more in pounds. If sterling strengthens, it is worth less.
- Demand. Construction, car making, power networks and manufacturing all use metal. When they slow down, mills and smelters need less scrap and pay less for it. Steel and iron scrap does not follow the LME in the same way: its price depends on demand from steelworks in the UK and overseas, and on what it costs to get scrap to them.
- Supply. When processors already hold plenty of a grade, they pay less to take on more. When a grade is scarce, they compete for it.
None of this is in a dealer’s hands. A fair price is one that tracks the market honestly and changes when the market does. A price list, ours or anyone’s, is only a guide on the day it was written.
How a dealer prices your scrap
The market sets the starting point. What you are paid then depends on how close your scrap is to what the end buyer wants to melt.
- The metal. Copper sits at the top and steel at the bottom, with the other metals in between.
- The grade. Each metal has trade grades. Clean, bright copper wire is a different product from copper pipe with soldered fittings, and each is priced differently.
- Recovery. How much of the weight is the metal being paid for. Cable is priced on the copper or aluminium inside it, and a brass valve with a steel spindle on the brass that remains once the steel is out.
- Contamination. Plastic, rubber, wood, oil, paint, water and attached steel all count against a load. Some are taken off the weight. Others drop the whole load to a lower grade.
- Form. Solid offcuts are easier to check and handle than turnings or fine material, so solids usually grade higher.
- Quantity and logistics. A full load of one grade is worth more to a buyer than a small mixed one, and the cost of collecting it comes into the sums.
The load is then weighed and graded, and the price is agreed for what is actually there, not for what was described on the phone.
Scrap metal prices, metal by metal
Each common metal at a glance. Follow the links for more on grades.
| Metal | Price follows | Grades well | Brings it down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | LME copper | Bright wire, clean pipe and tube | Solder, fittings, paint, insulation |
| Brass | Its copper content | Clean fittings, valves and castings | Steel parts, plating, plastic, rubber |
| Aluminium | LME aluminium | Clean extrusion and sheet | Steel inserts, plastic, paint, mixed alloys |
| Lead | LME lead | Clean sheet, flashing and pipe | Mortar, bitumen, fixings |
| Stainless steel | LME nickel, mainly | Solids sorted by grade | Mixed grades, mild steel, oily turnings |
| Cable | Copper or aluminium inside | Heavy cable sorted by type | Thin, mixed or data cable |
| Steel and iron | Steelworks demand | Heavy, clean, cut to size | Light or mixed steel, non-metals |
Copper. Copper is the most valuable everyday scrap metal and follows LME copper closely. Grades run from dry bright wire (clean, bare and uncoated) through heavy copper and clean tube, down to mixed and braziery copper carrying solder, fittings or paint. Keep each grade apart and you are paid for each.
Brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and is not traded on the LME in its own right, so its price tracks copper. Steel screws and spindles, chrome plating, plastic and rubber washers count against it, and brass turnings are a separate grade.
Aluminium. Aluminium follows LME aluminium, but scrap is graded by alloy and form. Clean extrusions and sheet usually sit above castings, and both above turnings or painted, mixed material. Window and door frames are worth more with the glass, rubber seals and plastic thermal breaks taken out.
Lead. Lead follows LME lead, and clean sheet, flashing and pipe grade highest. Lead is a common target for theft, so expect ID checks and records on every load. Lead-acid batteries are hazardous waste: tell us first, as they need a specialist route.
Stainless steel. Stainless is priced mainly on its nickel, so it moves with the nickel market. The common grades carry nickel and chromium, and marine grade, which adds molybdenum, is usually worth more if it is kept apart. A magnet is only a rough check. Mixed grades and mild steel brackets drag the price down.
Cable. What you are paid for is the conductor. A heavy copper power cable is mostly metal by weight, whereas in slim data and telecom cable, most of the weight is sheath and insulation. Armour is steel, so it adds weight without adding much value. Sort by conductor and type, and never set fire to it. The Clean Air Act 1993 makes burning the sheath off to reclaim the metal a criminal offence, outside a permitted process.
Steel and iron. Tonne for tonne, ferrous scrap earns much less than non-ferrous metal, but it comes in volume. Heavy, thick steel and cast iron grade above light, thin or mixed ferrous. Keep wood, plastic and rubbish out, and cut long sections to a size that can be loaded safely.
How to get more for your scrap, legitimately
You cannot change the market, but these steps are in your hands.
- Separate at source. Give each metal its own container from day one. Once metals are mixed, nobody unpicks them, and the load is priced at its weakest part.
- Keep it clean. Take off what comes off easily: plastic, wood, rubber and steel brackets. Drain swarf and keep it dry.
- Build up a sensible quantity. One full container of a single grade prices more cleanly than a few odd bags. Store copper, brass, cable and lead in a locked cage while it builds up.
- Describe it accurately. Say what the metal is, what form it is in and roughly how much there is. If purchase records or mill certificates tell you the grade, say so.
- Send photos. A clear shot of the whole pile and a close-up of the material let a dealer price it properly before anything is collected.
- Keep the paperwork. Waste transfer notes and payment records show where your scrap went and what you were paid.
Wetting a load, hiding steel inside copper or mixing grades to bulk them up does not work. It shows when the load is graded.
Why a cash offer is a red flag
Under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, dealers in England and Wales cannot pay cash for scrap metal. The Act allows payment only by a non-transferable cheque or an electronic transfer of funds, and paying in kind, with goods or services, counts as paying too. If a dealer pays cash, the dealer commits an offence, and so can the site manager and whoever handed the money over.
So a cash offer tells you the buyer is breaking the law, and they may also have no licence, no waste carrier registration and no records. For a business, that matters. Scrap leaving your premises is still waste, and your duty of care means it may only be handed to an authorised person. Handing it to an unlicensed cash buyer can put you in breach. A bank transfer gives you a record that matches your waste transfer note.
Our guide to selling scrap metal legally covers licences, ID checks and paperwork in more detail.
Getting today’s price from Resilient Contracting
Call us on 01942 906041, or send photos through the quote form. To get a useful price, tell us:
- which metals you have, and what form they are in
- how they are stored: cage, bags, bins, skip or loose
- a rough weight or volume
- where your site is
- whether it is a one-off load or something you produce regularly
The price is set on the load in front of us, on the day. Every load is weighed and graded, you get the weight, grade and price in writing, and payment is by bank transfer. Before we buy, we verify your business name and address, as the law requires.
If you want containers on site, see scrap metal collection. For plant rooms, ducting and steelwork coming out of a building, see strip-out scrap.