Scrap Metal Prices in the United Kingdom (2024)

Scrap Metal Prices Per Kilo in the United Kingdom

MetalPrice Per Kilo
Aluminium£2.01
Aluminium Alloy£1.72
Copper£7.32
Brass£5.66
Lead£1.58
Nickel£12.58
Tin£23.83
Zinc£2.43

Last Updated On 2024-10-23

All of the prices that are listed on this website are a direct representation of current market conditions and a variety of local scrap metal yard's prices for a range of metal types.

How Are Scrap Metal Prices Determined

Understanding the processes involved when it comes to marketing your scrap metal is very crucial. The first important factor to put into consideration is transportation. Although if the scrap metal is a small volume around the house then you may not have problem with transportation; but if you own a firm or business that is into frequent production of scrap mental in large quantity, then the options for transporting the scraps need to be considered. There are two best options which are: you can have the scrap yard collect it and as well sell the scrap on your behalf or you may contract a scrap haulage company. The most cost-effective and simplest is to deal directly with the scrap yard instead of reaching out to third-party haulage company to collect it for you.

This is a factor that guarantees making money with selling scrap - selecting the right metals to search for. Precious metals like silver and gold command the highest prices. Cooper and brass are common metals that also sell at high prices. These metals are easy to find older products across the world.

Another factor that needs to be considered is where to sell the scrap metal. Scrap yards have similar price tags and they accept most metals. The best option for a lot of people will be to visit the closest scrap yard. You should consider some online services or pawn shops if you scrap precious metals like silver or gold. These are alternatives and they can be more convenient but you will be offered the best price by scrap yard.

Scrap Gold Price in the United Kingdom

Below you find today's prices for scrap gold.

MetalPrice per GramPrice per Troy Ounce
9ct Gold£24.69£767.94
14ct Gold£38.52£1,198.01
18ct Gold£49.38£1,535.92
22ct Gold£60.31£1,875.85
24ct Gold£65.83£2,047.67

The current scrap price of gold varies from day to day and depends on the purity, which is measured in carats. Even though the purest gold will get you the highest price for your scrap, it's not very common to have 24ct gold that you can scrap. Most people will have 14ct gold and you'll find it's very common to trade that in.

Scrap Silver and other Precious Metals in the United Kingdom

Below we have listed today's prices for the other precious scrap metals.

MetalPrice per GramPrice per Troy Ounce
Palladium£19.49£606.14
Platinum£18.38£571.81
Silver£0.70£21.84

Silver is the most common precious scrap material that people have in their possession, but unfortunately also the one that fetches the lowest price. You'll mostly find that in jewelry such as bracelets, earrings and necklaces and it's not really worth to scrap it for the scrap price in those cases. You may want to try to sell it for the jewelry value instead.

Scrapping your Car

A lot of people are thinking of scrapping their car for cash as keeping a car roadworthy become more expensive. The process you will undergo for scrapping your car will be different as it depends on your location; however, there are a lot of general guidelines applicable to most people. Scrapping your car in the past could be expensive due to charging from scrap yards. A lot of governments are taking action due to the increased awareness of the influence of climate change and the problems of abandoned cars.

Laws will be made on where your car can be scrapped although the laws will be different in each country. Ensure you make use of a licensed yard if not you will be fined. It's also crucial you get the vehicle database organization of your country informed because it's a legally required and it will lead to a fine if not properly done. Right after your car has been scrapped, you should receive a certificate of destruction, which you must give to the appropriate organization. Before your car will be taken from you by scrap yard, they will demand documentation from you that you won the car. This should always be remembered for your car to be scrapped.

Scrapping car is becoming more profitable as the price of scrap metal is rising. It is not easy to tell what a car worth but the prices among various scrap yards seem to be persistent. You can get quote online and for your profit to be maximized, you can consider selling valuable parts of your car before scrapping it. The last option may not get you money but considering the fact that you need to get rid of the car as soon as you can, then this is a great one. What you will do is use a charity service that will collect and as well scrap your car for you while the profit goes to the charity.

International Scrap Metal Prices

If you are interested in finding out what the scrap metal prices are across the Atlantic in America, or elsewhere around the world, please follow the relevant links below for more information. We provide this information in a similar format to how we do on this page and obtain the prices from local scrap metal dealers across the country in question.

  • USA
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa
  • Spain

It's important to recognize that you can make much more money from your scrap metal in certain countries. However, the United States often has the highest prices for recycled metal compared to any other countries in the world - with the exception of some European nations where there is a perpetual shortage of most metals. Some countries that frequently mine scrap metal will constantly have low prices and unfortunately that is unlikely to change. Wherever the demand for scrap is high, that is where you can expect to make the most money. The UK has had a recent boost in scrap prices making it one of the best locations for selling scrap metal in the Europe.

Scrap Metal Prices by City in the United Kingdom

CityScrap Copper PriceScrap Aluminium PriceScrap Steel PriceScrap Iron PriceScrap Lead PriceScrap Brass Price
London£2.96£1.13£1.44£1.31£2.94£1.91
Birmingham£3.75£1.59£2.01£1.84£3.87£2.65
Glasgow£3.31£1.36£1.80£1.51£3.01£2.54
Leeds£3.06£1.40£1.79£1.82£3.11£2.60
Bristol£3.53£1.49£1.99£1.57£2.96£2.65
Liverpool£3.48£1.14£1.72£1.49£3.01£2.35
Manchester£3.21£1.43£1.44£1.84£2.94£2.42
Sheffield£3.05£1.20£1.46£0.09£3.11£2.34
Edinburgh£3.23£1.42£1.73£1.59£3.33£2.65
Cardiff£3.73£1.22£1.88£1.81£3.50£2.54
Leicester£3.31£1.42£1.79£1.57£2.99£2.60
Stoke on Trent£3.44£1.45£1.54£1.80£3.51£2.61
Bradford£3.65£1.15£2.00£1.68£3.01£1.91
Coventry£3.00£1.32£1.79£1.59£3.44£2.42
Nottingham£3.44£1.46£1.47£1.79£2.94£2.65
Kingston upon Hull£3.09£1.21£1.54£1.97£3.57£1.92
Belfast£3.44£1.42£1.44£1.47£2.99£2.34
Newcastle upon Tyne£3.41£1.45£1.87£1.79£3.44£2.60
Sunderland£3.60£1.16£1.88£1.57£2.97£2.54
Brighton£3.05£1.39£1.89£1.60£2.94£1.93

The environmental effects of scrap metal

Waste has a big influence on environment. Scrap metal has the required potential to add to air pollution, greenhouse emissions to mention few. One issue with scrap metal is it at times goes to landfill. Considering the fact that there is a big amount of scrap metal, the resources and energy required to maintain an increased landfill is big. Scrap metal in electronic devices has another issue of surrounding soil being absorbed into toxic chemicals. The good news it there is a great solution to the issue and other issues about scrap metal. Recycling is a good one for the end user interested in selling scrap to scrap yard and all that are involved in the process. Environmental impact is the biggest advantage of recycling. In a case where scrap metal is not recycled, it will result in an increase in the price of mining. Mining ore is not good for the environment. It needs a big amount of energy and it is devastating for the surrounding environment. Smelting of ore is the final required process that can be made more efficient through recycling. It requires a big amount of resources and it adds massively to the gases of greenhouses. Recycling of scrap metals makes use of less energy - it saves up to 95 percent of energy. One of the biggest causes of climate change is the air pollution from the gases of greenhouse and it also causes a lot of health issues for the surrounding communities. Pollution is almost wiped out by recycling scrap metal.

Recycling Scrap Metal

Considering the alarming problems surrounding climate change, one of the easiest things we should consider doing to help is recycling. We can lower global emissions and as well preserve natural resources by recycling scrap metal. The emissions that are produced during the course of manufacturing metals are hazardous to animals, humans and the planet as a whole. Air pollution is a big health risk globally and it is everyone's responsibility to reduce it. We can save nothing less than 95 percent of energy if we reshape, repurpose and melt scrap metal compared to manufacturing new metal. For this reason, recycling stands to be the best choices even financially.

Metals that are not recycled are sent to be disposed of through incinerator or landfill which brings more emissions and it influences the environment negatively. The more we have our metals recycled the better for the planet and as well the economy. Metal recycle industry worth nothing less than 300 billion dollars globally creating many jobs like metal disposal.

There is a great chance to make money considering the facts that the industry is still growing and worth big money. Metals sold to scrap yards make a big proportion of all recycled metals. Aside from the fact that it's great for the environment, you can make money if you can get a trusted source of scrap metal. Over the last decade, copper and brass have become great options since they have a massive increase in value. Magnesium and titanium also command high prices but they are scarce to see.

Where to find recycling centres

The value of scrap metal has risen at an increased rate over the past decade. You will be shocked at how much money you can make if you are new to the business of selling of scrap metal. Coming up with the idea of the kind of scrap you want to sell is the first step; the second step is where to sell it. Scrap yards are common globally, many towns may have one but bigger cities will definitely have a lot of options. You can be sure of a scrap yard within 15 miles away from your home. If you want to get more info about the scrap yard in your area, email me and I will be glad to be of help. Presently, our database follows nothing less than 5000 various scrap yards globally and more are being added every day.

We have traveled the UK and spoken to many people that have years of experience in the industry to find the best scrap yards with in the UK. The cities that we have given our recommendations for are London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Leicester, Stoke on Trent, Bradford, Coventry, Nottingham, Kingston upon Hull, Belfast, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland and Brighton. As you can see we have covered the whole UK bringing you the best scrap yards.

Scrap Metal Grades

A way that scrap metal is distinguished is via a grading system that tells a dealer how much material is worth. Metal of different grades is characterized by it quality and metal content. There are three grades that are used and having a bit knowledge about each will help you to have an idea of how much your scrap metal is worth. If you do not know about grades, do not worry, a scrap yard will be able to separate out the different grades so that you get the correct price.

The least valuable grade is grade 3, this can be a variety of metals but is most commonly low quality iron, copper, steel and aluminium. Other metals may also be grade 3 however this is rare. If you scrap is very poor quality it will be ungraded. This be worth even less than grade 3 to bare that in mind.

Grade 2 is next and fetches a higher price then grade 3 scrap. This is the most common grade and is often high quality alloys or fair quality non alloys. Expect to see a lot of grade 2 material.

Finally we have grade 1. This most valuable and highest quality material. These can be both ferrous or non ferrous but must be high quality. with few imperfections. Often this will be sourced from high quality industrial products. Not so common but very valuable.

Price of scrap aluminium

One of the most used metals globally in a lot of things ranging from car parts to drinks cans is aluminium. This is a good place to begin making cash selling scrap metal due to its high price and how common. There are some things to be mindful of before you begin selling your scrap aluminium and they are the types of aluminium:

Aluminium car alloy - these are perfect for scrapping. Ensure they are absolutely rid of other materials to have the best price for the metals. Examples of the common ones are cables and cans. One of the easiest ways to make money with scrap metals is scrapping aluminium and on top of that, scrapping aluminium is very good for the environment. Ensure it is aluminium when you are scrapping cables. How can you recognize aluminium? They are usually fairly light, silver in color and they are not like magnets. Aluminium gutters are easily seen in industrial units, cast and sheet are also not left out. To wrap it up, the last thing to talk about is dirty aluminium. And what are they? These are things that have other material attached or glued to them. A good example is a pipe that has bolts. Metals like this will attract more money and the best thing to do is to talk to the scrap yard to know how much they will pay for such metals.

Price of scrap steel

A lot of people making good money selling scrap will make many sales of steel. You can easily get your hands on it since it's a common material and you must not forget that to be able to make good money from it you have to sell many of it. Another problem of this has to do with transportation. A pick-up would be more expensive when transferring a large amount of steel.

One of the things to do to minimize wasting of time is to get to know the best place to find scrap steel and a nice source of scrap steel is household appliances. Many individuals want to throw old appliances like washing machines and refrigerators; letting them know you can collect them is a good way to begin. Areas that are recently renovated are where you can see old pipes and construction sites are great places to find scrap steel. However, you must be authorized by the owner of the site or the manager of the site before taking any scrap steel from the site because scrap theft is deemed as a crime and it's punishable.

One final thing you need to take seriously before taking your scrap to the yard is to give them a thorough washing. This can really take time but the truth is it worth it because the scrap yard will charge you extra if your scrap metals are washed. It is ideal to ensure you remove every other material from the steel. And once again, the scrap yard will charge you for this if it's not done.

Price of scrap lead

This is a good metal for recycling due to the fact that recycled lead has the same quality as newly produced lead. Lead batteries are the most recycled product on earth and they are the most common use for lead with nothing less than 90% of all lead being used for them. For many individuals that want to collect scrap lead for selling purpose, batteries happen to be a perfect option. Ammunition is another common source of lead if you happen to live in a country where firearms are made legal; this is a profitable option if you can get ammunitions that are already used. In the old gym equipment, lead was among the most commonly used most especially in dumbells and weight plates.

Just like a lot of scrap metal, they must be properly cleaned before being taken to the scrap yard although you will be billed more than its worth by scrap yards. This is different from other metals that you have to take off every other material before scrapping. Most importantly, you can scrap batteries with case of plastic since they get stripped automatically. Care should be taken when handling because it can be dangerous due to the highly corrosive acid and it's capable of leaking if it's broken.

Price of scrap copper

You can make enough money from selling scrap copper. It's very valuable and it's also common throughout the world. Getting scrap copper is not difficult and you can see it in a lot of things in your house. One of the common places you can get these are electronics such as desktop computers, laptops, DVD/VHS players. You can also look small appliances like AC units, fans, and even bigger appliances like refrigerators.

It is crucial you ensure all your copper are washed because this allows you to know the actual weight of the scrap metal and determining the value of the copper will be very easy. Another reason you should do this is because scrap yards will wash the scrap metal you bring and you will be charged. You should also consider cleaning your copper from any other material before taking it to the scrap yard. Things you should clean include metals on substantial pieces and rubber insulation on copper wires. It's preferable to do this yourself because scrap yard will charge you for doing it.

Price of scrap iron

Throughout manufacturing, iron is the most used metal. It can easily be molded, it is cheap and it is strong. Iron has played a crucial role in the history of human being. For individuals in the manufacturing industry, storing and selling scrap iron is essential. You won't make much money per ton this is why it's ideal you ensure transport of scrap iron to the scrap yard is as efficient as possible. And for those who want to collect scrap for the purpose of making a profit, you should consider other scraps not iron, iron should not be the first on your priority list. Although it is very easy to get hold of it but it does not worth that much that you start looking for it. But it is worth collecting when there are other valuable scrap metals. You can make copper and aluminium your priority and then collect any available iron.

Scrap Metal Prices in the United Kingdom (2024)
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