Sell your copper and Alu now! Or hold it for a while.

June was when it was time to sell, Prices started to fall in july. My game plan is to flip the steel and alum ( they take up too much space ) and hold on the copper, brass and Ins. wire. Here is the current situation around my parts...

Shred steel was at 190/ ton in June and now at 165/ton

Copper1 was at $2.72, now 2.23. #2 was at 2.55, now at 2.03

Yellow Brass was 1.85, now 1.30. Brass breakage was .65 now .30

#2 ins wire was at $1.20 and now .93 (still not to bad)

Alum prices all dropped between .10-.05 a lb depending on catagory

Sealed units dropped from .12 down .08

Electric motors down from .13 to .10

Lead dropped .05 a lb

I love higher prices as much as everyone else, but now is when the competition drops and you get to make new contacts. Still not as bad as the last drop a few years ago.... Yet? ? ? ?

Originally Posted by greytruck

June was when it was time to sell, Prices started to fall in july. My game plan is to flip the steel and alum ( they take up too much space ) and hold on the copper, brass and Ins. wire. Here is the current situation around my parts...

Shred steel was at 190/ ton in June and now at 165/ton

Copper1 was at $2.72, now 2.23. #2 was at 2.55, now at 2.03

Yellow Brass was 1.85, now 1.30. Brass breakage was .65 now .30

#2 ins wire was at $1.20 and now .93 (still not to bad)

Alum prices all dropped between .10-.05 a lb depending on catagory

Sealed units dropped from .12 down .08

Electric motors down from .13 to .10

Lead dropped .05 a lb

I love higher prices as much as everyone else, but now is when the competition drops and you get to make new contacts. Still not as bad as the last drop a few years ago.... Yet? ? ? ?

I tried to do some price calculation the Al for MT (1000kg)
1kg is 2.20462 lb
As per this info one lb Al price is .10
2.20462 x .10 = 0.220462 USD per KG
0.220462×1000 KG = 220.462 USD FOB Aprox
Am I nearing to the calculation or I got it all wrong?

Originally Posted by sathyashrayan

I tried to do some price calculation the Al for MT (1000kg)
1kg is 2.20462 lb
As per this info one lb Al price is .10
2.20462 x .10 = 0.220462 USD per KG
0.220462×1000 KG = 220.462 USD FOB Aprox
Am I nearing to the calculation or I got it all wrong?

Not wrong maths just a small misunderstanding. Believe greytruck was saying not that Al was $.10/lb, but that the price had fallen by about $.10/lb. So for the higher market price each KG is around $1.98/kg ($.91/lb) and for selling at a local yard between $.71/kg-$1.43/kg ($.32/lb-.65/lb), varying quite a bit depending on the kind of aluminum and your location.

Thanks JJinLV and greytruck for the reply..


Every time I calculate the price per ton (1000kg) it always puzzles me.
I take alibaba as the deciding factor. But that always goes wrong when I read several discussion threads from here.
I have received some random quotation for 350 USD per ton CIF (UBC scrap) form some suppliers. I guess wire, 6063 and alloy wheel might be higher compared to UBC.
Let me show this example link from alibaba https://www.alibaba.com/countrysearc...ion-scrap.html
On average its less than 500 UDS per MT.
Is there any risk factor involved when we go for B2B website like alibaba?
I am taking alibaba as an example and not to let down that website. The above is my personal view.
Just to let the readers know why I am curious about MT price of Aluminium.
I have submitted my business proposal to banks for aluminium recycle plant and awaiting for the result.
And the location is not in USA though.

Originally Posted by sathyashrayan

Thanks JJinLV and greytruck for the reply..


Every time I calculate the price per ton (1000kg) it always puzzles me.
I take alibaba as the deciding factor. But that always goes wrong when I read several discussion threads from here.
I have received some random quotation for 350 USD per ton CIF (UBC scrap) form some suppliers. I guess wire, 6063 and alloy wheel might be higher compared to UBC.
Let me show this example link from alibaba https://www.alibaba.com/countrysearc...ion-scrap.html
On average its less than 500 UDS per MT.
Is there any risk factor involved when we go for B2B website like alibaba?
I am taking alibaba as an example and not to let down that website. The above is my personal view.
Just to let the readers know why I am curious about MT price of Aluminium.
I have submitted my business proposal to banks for aluminium recycle plant and awaiting for the result.
And the location is not in USA though.

Never used Alibaba before and never sold extruded Al by the ton yet. Can tell you that if I filled the back of my pickup all the way up with windows, removed the extruded aluminum and took it to any public yard would get more for that 350-400lbs than what alibaba is quoting per ton or metric ton which makes me question it as a solid source, as does how many quotes for aluminum on the page are attached to pictures of plastic bag bales. Glad you're reading the old threads on here. If ever anything isn't clear just ask.