Metals
The metals sector has traditionally been one of the most profitable recycling industries, with an estimated turnover of between £4 billion and £5 billion a year. The sector's trade organisation, the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA), estimates that, in 2006, it recovered 15 million tonnes of material, and metal recovered in the UK is used as a raw material both domestically and overseas.
Scrap metal come in two forms; ferrous - steel and iron - which includes steel packaging such as food cans, and non-ferrous - such as copper, brass, aluminium and zinc - which includes the majority of drinks cans.
It also comes from a variety of sources, and as a result metal recyclers have had a key role in helping the UK to work towards a number of European recycling targets, including the End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and the Batteries Directive.
However, despite the metal recycling sector's size and value, and a concerted period of high prices for recovered metals in recent years, the sector suffered from the market downturn experienced throughout the recycling industry in late 2008. In particular, a major drop in demand for scrap to be used as a secondary raw material due to global slumps in the automotive and construction sectors meant that the industry was hit by concerns over the long-term impact on scrap metal recyclers of all sizes.
Regulation
To aid their cause, metal recyclers have long campaigned for reduced regulation, and in particular, with up to 60% of the UK's recovered metal being exported, for changes to the regulatory framework for sending metals for reprocessing overseas. With the inclusion of 'end of waste' criteria within the revised EU Waste Framework Directive that was passed in 2008, hopes have been raised among metal recyclers that recovered metal may be considered as a secondary raw material and not waste, and therefore not subjected to such stringent shipping controls.
Metal recyclers have long been expected to register with their local authority and keep a record of all material that passes through their yard, under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964. But, in recent years, domestic regulation of the metal recycling sector has seen the introduction of legislation that specifically targets rogue elements of the industry, such as the Motor Salvage Operators Regulations 2002, which aim to reduce opportunities for stolen vehicles to be disposed of.
Efforts are also continuing to stamp out the inter-related problems of illegal scrap metal dealers, and metals theft, with the Home Office establishing a National Metal Theft Crime Unit in early 2009 in a bid to tackle the issue.
Source: British Metals Recycling Association
Ferrous metal prices 2012
Ferrous scrap metal prices: £ per tonne
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0A plate & girder | 200 | 190 | 200 | 200 | ||
| No 1 old steel scrap | 185 - 190 | 175 - 180 | 185 - 190 | 185 - 190 | ||
| No 2 old steel scrap | 175 - 180 | 165 - 170 | 175 - 180 | 175 - 180 | ||
| 4A low residual bales | 200 | 190 | 200 | 200 | ||
| 4C new production bales | 210 | 200 | 200 - 210 | 200 - 210 | ||
| light iron | 160 - 165 | 150 - 155 | 160 - 165 | 160 - 165 | ||
| 7B mixed steel turnings | 170 | 160 | 165 - 170 | 165 - 170 | ||
| 8B mixed steel cuttings | 200 | 190 | 200 | 200 | ||
| foundry heavy cast iron | 170 | 160 | 170 | 170 | ||
| No 9 cast | 170 | 160 | 170 | 170 | ||
| No 10 light cast | 170 | 160 | 170 | 170 | ||
| 11 cast iron borings | 165 | 152 | 160 | 160 | ||
| 12A new production heavy steel scrap | 195 | 185 | 195 | 195 | ||
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| 0A plate & girder | ||||||
| No 1 old steel scrap | ||||||
| No 2 old steel scrap | ||||||
| 4A low residual bales | ||||||
| 4C new production bales | ||||||
| light iron | ||||||
| 7B mixed steel turnings | ||||||
| 8B mixed steel cuttings | ||||||
| foundry heavy cast iron | ||||||
| No 9 cast | ||||||
| No 10 light cast | ||||||
| 11 cast iron borings | ||||||
| 12A new production heavy steel scrap |
Ferrous scrap metal prices: £ per tonne
Ferrous scrap metal prices: £ per tonne
Ferrous scrap metal prices: £ per tonne
Ferrous scrap metal prices: £ per tonne
Non-ferrous metal prices 2012
Non-ferrous metal prices 2012
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry bright wire | 3800 | 4200 | 4250 | 4000 | 4000 | |
| Heavy copper | 3400 | 3800 | 4050 | 3600 | 3600 | |
| No 2 copper wire | 3200 | 3600 | 3850 | 3450 | 3450 | |
| Braziery copper | 3000 | 3400 | 3400 | 3000 | 3000 | |
| Insulated copper cable | 1200 | 1400 | 1500 | 1200 | 1200 | |
| Brass cuttings | 2500 | 2900 | 2900 | 2700 | 2700 | |
| Brass swarf | 2100 | 2500 | 2500 | 2300 | 2300 | |
| Brass and copper radiators | 1600 | 2200 | 2200 | 2000 | 2000 | |
| Mixed brass | 2100 | 2500 | 2500 | 2300 | 2300 | |
| Heavy brass | 2300 | 2700 | 2700 | 2500 | 2500 | |
| Gunmetal | 2500 | 2900 | 2900 | 2700 | 2700 | |
| Pure aluminium cuttings | 900 | 900 | 950 | 950 | 950 | |
| Aluminium alloy cuttings | 850 | 850 | 900 | 900 | 850 | |
| Old rolled aluminium | 700 | 700 | 750 | 750 | 700 | |
| Clean cast aluminium | 800 | 800 | 850 | 850 | 800 | |
| Aluminium turnings | 500 | 550 | 600 | 600 | 600 | |
| Aluminium foil | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | |
| Lead scrap | 900 | 1000 | 1000 | 900 | 900 | |
| Batteries | 350 | 450 | 450 | 400 | 400 | |
| Zinc mixed scrap | 500 | 500 | 520 | 520 | 520 | |
| Zinc cuttings | 550 | 550 | 550 | 550 | 550 | |
| 18:8 stainless steel solids | 1000 | 1150 | 1150 | 1000 | 1000 | |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Dry bright wire | ||||||
| Heavy copper | ||||||
| No 2 copper wire | ||||||
| Braziery copper | ||||||
| Insulated copper cable | ||||||
| Brass cuttings | ||||||
| Brass swarf | ||||||
| Brass and copper radiators | ||||||
| Mixed brass | ||||||
| Heavy brass | ||||||
| Gunmetal | ||||||
| Pure aluminium cuttings | ||||||
| Aluminium alloy cuttings | ||||||
| Old rolled aluminium | ||||||
| Clean cast aluminium | ||||||
| Aluminium turnings | ||||||
| Aluminium foil | ||||||
| Lead scrap | ||||||
| Batteries | ||||||
| Zinc mixed scrap | ||||||
| Zinc cuttings | ||||||
| 18:8 stainless steel solids |
Non-ferrous metal prices 2012
Non-ferrous metal prices 2012
Aluminium can prices 2012
The price shown here is a letsrecycle.com indicator of the market price for baled used aluminium cans per tonne, excluding delivery.
Prices recorded in our archive up to March 2011 were £ per tonne for aluminium used beverage containers delivered to a Novelis regional processor - Novelis operates a recycling plant near Warrington. However, as of April 2011 Novelis no longer published a market price and our price guides since then show a letsrecycle.com indicator price.
If you have any comments on the price shown here, please contact news@letsrecycle.com.
Aluminium can prices 2012 £ per tonne
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| baled or densified and strapped | 940 - 1000 | 935 | 875 | 875 | ||
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| baled or densified and strapped |
Aluminium can prices 2012 £ per tonne
Steel Can Prices 2012
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| steel cans ('ex-works' - excluding delivery) | 145 - 175 | 150 - 180 | 165 | 165 | ||
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| steel cans ('ex-works' - excluding delivery) |
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