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

I am not sure if everyone throughout the country is going to be affected the same as my local yard but talking to the owner of the yard I go to yesterday and they just dramatically dropped their copper/Aluminum prices. The tariffs that just went into place are causing a hopefully temporary freeze on buyers. Basically copper prices should be up but yards are having a hard time getting rid of copper because of the tariffs.

So if you were planning on unloading copper/Alu soon and your yard hasn't dropped it's pricing then sell it asap. If it's already dropped it's pricing like my yard then I guess wait if you can.



Let me know what your guy's yards are doing. Have prices gone down or have they held?

Not sure if my metal yard as dropped their prices, but the e-waste buyer has certainly sent out a notification saying prices may drop in the coming weeks as this whole mess plays out. I am currently planning on stockpiling my aluminum and copper, and just selling steel. Steel, like everyone else I'm sure, is what I get the most of so I can't stockpile it very easily. Anyone know if brass is going to be dramatically affected? I don't get much brass fast, but I was just asking to see if I should stockpile it too. Thanks!

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 don't bother playing the 'numbers game'. I sell whatever I have once the storage bins fill up.
Maybe if I had more volume it would be worth "holding on" to certain metals, but as it is, the garage has very limited space.


On a side note: I still buy some 10# - 60# electric motors for a bit more than yard price

I am definitely holding onto my Cu, Al, and brass. I just picked up 20 5-gallon buckets from my former high school, so I now have storage space. As for steel, I am selling it as I fill up my space for it. For now though, I do agree with greytruck here. I'ts like the stock market. You don't make money until you trade-in, and when prices drop its like the commodities going on sale! Buy now while prices are low, and sell when they go back up.

Prices haven't changed here for non-ferrous. If they do go down - well guess I will be collecting less and investing more. Every Saturday I turn in my copper, aluminum and other non-ferrous stuff i've collected during the week to a yard 2 miles from my house that pays the best - the yard I normally visit doesn't pay much for copper but has long hours (even open on Sunday) and pays the same as everywhere else for large scale scrap metal - 110/ton, still not too far from my house.

I picked up another mortgage so I feel it's in my best interest, (pun may/may not be intended) to get it paid off asap. I haul stuff in as I have a load. I don't accumulate stuff fast enough to offset $500+/month in interest.

At this point, I am keeping everything, until the price goes up. It is alot of work to tear down scrap to sell. I don't think I should sell at low prices, which would be giving my labor away.

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.