Metals
The metals recycling sector has traditionally been one of the most important recycling industries, with an estimated turnover of about £5.6 billion a year.
- Please scroll down below or use the links to the left to see our monthly scrap metal price indicators.
- The Metal Prices Archive gives information dating back to 2000.
letsrecycle.com provides a monthly guide to scrap metal prices in the sector, drawing on input from a range of businesses in the scrap metal recycling industry.
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. Since then the market has been volatile with price reductions again in the first part of 2012 followed by a limited summer revival in scrap metal prices.
Ferrous Metal Prices 2013
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0A plate & girder | 170 - 180 | 180 - 185 | 180 - 190 | 175 - 185 | ||
| No 1 old steel scrap | 165 - 170 | 170 - 175 | 175 - 180 | 170 - 175 | ||
| No 2 old steel scrap | 145 - 150 | 155 - 160 | 165 - 170 | 160 - 165 | ||
| 4A low residual bales | 170 - 180 | 180 - 190 | 185 - 195 | 180 - 190 | ||
| 4C new production bales | 170 - 180 | 175 - 180 | 185 - 190 | 175 - 185 | ||
| light iron | 130 - 140 | 130 - 140 | 135 - 150 | 125 - 140 | ||
| 7B mixed steel turnings | 125 - 130 | 130 - 135 | 135 - 140 | 130 - 140 | ||
| 8B mixed steel cuttings | 160 - 165 | 165 - 170 | 170 - 180 | 165 - 175 | ||
| 9 - 10 cast | 145 - 150 | 155 - 160 | 160 - 170 | 155 - 165 | ||
| 11 cast iron borings | 120 - 135 | 125 - 135 | 135 - 145 | 130 - 140 | ||
| Cars | 125 - 140 | 125 - 140 | 140 - 145 | 130 - 145 | ||
| 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 | ||||||
| 9 - 10 cast | ||||||
| 11 cast iron borings | ||||||
| Cars |
Non-ferrous metal prices 2013
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry bright wire | 4200 | 4300 | 4400 | 4300 | 4000 | |
| Heavy copper | 3900 | 4000 | 4100 | 3900 | 3600 | |
| No 2 copper wire | 3700 | 3800 | 3900 | 3800 | 3500 | |
| Braziery copper | 3400 | 3500 | 3500 | 3400 | 3100 | |
| Insulated copper cable | 1500 | 1500 | 1500 | 1400 | 1300 | |
| Brass cuttings | 2600 | 2600 | 2600 | 2600 | 2400 | |
| Brass swarf | 2400 | 2400 | 2400 | 2300 | 2100 | |
| Brass and copper radiators | 2200 | 2200 | 2200 | 2200 | 2000 | |
| Mixed brass | 2400 | 2400 | 2400 | 2400 | 2200 | |
| Heavy brass | 2500 | 2500 | 2500 | 2500 | 2300 | |
| Gunmetal | 2800 | 2800 | 2800 | 2700 | 2500 | |
| Pure aluminium cuttings | 800 | 800 | 850 | 850 | 850 | |
| Aluminium cuttings | 800 | 800 | 850 | 850 | 850 | |
| Old rolled aluminium | 700 | 730 | 750 | 750 | 700 | |
| Clean cast aluminium | 800 | 830 | 850 | 850 | 800 | |
| Aluminium turnings | 500 | 550 | 550 | 550 | 500 | |
| Aluminium foil | 250 | 250 | 250 | 250 | 250 | |
| Lead scrap | 950 | 1000 | 1050 | 1000 | 900 | |
| Batteries | 450 | 500 | 520 | 450 | 430 | |
| Zinc mixed scrap | 500 | 500 | 520 | 520 | 520 | |
| Zinc cuttings | 500 | 500 | 520 | 520 | 520 | |
| 18:8 stainless steel solids | 850 | 900 | 900 | 900 | 800 | |
| 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 cuttings | ||||||
| Old rolled aluminium | ||||||
| Clean cast aluminium | ||||||
| Aluminium turnings | ||||||
| Aluminium foil | ||||||
| Lead scrap | ||||||
| Batteries | ||||||
| Zinc mixed scrap | ||||||
| Zinc cuttings | ||||||
| 18:8 stainless steel solids |
Aluminium Can Prices 2013
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| baled or densified and strapped | 680 - 710 | 760 - 790 | 760 - 790 | 765 - 790 | ||
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| baled or densified and strapped |
Steel Can Prices 2013
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| steel cans ('ex-works' - excluding delivery) | 125 - 135 | 145 - 155 | 150 - 160 | 140 - 155 | ||
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| steel cans ('ex-works' - excluding delivery) |



