North American Scrap Market Sees Broad Decline, Stainless Steel Prices Rise on the Index- October 22, 2026

Daily Scrap Metal Price Report | 2026-10-23 06:58:11 | By Carolina Curiel

Copper scrap prices posted the sharpest losses among the major North American categories tracked during the session.

Summary

North American scrap metal prices mostly declined
The ScrapMonster Price Index recorded broad-based declines on October 22, 2026. Copper, aluminum and brass/bronze scrap prices moved lower, while stainless steel was the only major category to register gains.
Copper and aluminum scrap faced widespread price pressure
Copper scrap recorded some of the steepest declines, with several major copper wire and tubing grades falling by $0.19 per lb. Aluminum prices also weakened across most benchmark grades, while E.C. Aluminum Wire registered a decline of $0.02 per lb.
Stainless steel gained while steel scrap remained unchanged
Stainless steel prices rose across all listed grades, with 330 SS increasing by $0.04 per lb. In contrast, steel scrap benchmarks, including #1 Busheling, #1 HMS and Shredded Auto Scrap, remained unchanged, indicating relative price stability in the ferrous segment.

MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): As of Thursday, October 22, 2026, North American scrap metal prices recorded a broad decline on the ScrapMonster Price Index.

Stainless steel was the only category to rise during the session. Copper, brass/bronze and aluminum scrap all recorded declines on the Index, while steel scrap held steady on the Index.

Copper Scrap Prices

Copper scrap prices posted the sharpest losses among the major North American categories tracked during the session.

Alternator scrap was down by $0.01 per lb from the previous day.

#1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing, #1 Copper Bare Bright and #3 Copper-Light Copper each fell $0.19 per lb.

#1 Insulated Copper Wire 85% Recovery and #2 Insulated Copper Wire 50% Recovery declined by $0.05 per lb and $0.04 per lb, respectively.

Copper Radiator scrap fell $0.09 per lb. Copper Transformer prices edged down by $0.01 per lb, while Cu Yokes declined $0.02 per lb.

Cu/Al Radiator Ends, Cu/Al Radiators and Cu/Al Radiators/Fe held steady on the Index.

Harness Wire 35% Recovery prices dropped by $0.04 per lb.

Heater Cores lost $0.03 per lb, while Romex Wire declined $0.05 per lb.

Scrap Electric Motors, Starters, Xmas Lights and Sealed Units each dipped by $0.01 per lb on the Index.

Aluminum Scrap Prices

Aluminum declined across most of the listed benchmark grades.

1100 Scrap, 3003 Scrap, 356 Aluminum Wheels, 6061 Extrusions, 5052 Scrap, 6063 Extrusions and 6063 Extrusions/Fe each fell 1¢/lb.

E.C. Aluminum Wire recorded the largest aluminum move, declining 2¢/lb.

Chrome Wheels, Litho Sheets, MLC Clips, Old Sheet, Old Cast, Painted Siding, UBC and Zorba 90% NF each lost 1¢/lb.

Several aluminum categories avoided the decline. Al/Cu Radiators, Al/Cu Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Radiators, Aluminum Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Transformers, Breakage 50% Recovery and Mixed Aluminum Turnings were unchanged.

Steel Scrap Prices

Steel scrap prices were unchanged on the Index.

· #1 Bundle: No change.

· #1 Busheling: Flat.

· #1 HMS: Held steady.

· HMS 80/20: Stable.

Sheet Metal, Shredded Auto Scrap, and Structural Steel also recorded no change from the previous day's levels.

Stainless Steel Scrap Prices

Stainless steel prices advanced across categories on the Index.

201 SS and 301 SS prices increased by $0.01 per lb each.

304 SS Solid, 304 SS Turning, 309 SS and 316 SS Solid prices went up by $0.02 per lb each on the Index.

310 SS prices jumped $0.03 per lb, while 330 SS recorded a rise of $0.04 per lb from the previous day’s prices.

Brass/Bronze Scrap Prices

The Brass/Bronze Scrap prices in the North American region witnessed a decline on the Index.

70/30 Brass Scrap, 80/20 Brass Scrap, 85/15 Brass Scrap, and Brass Radiator scrap prices were down by $0.04 per lb each on the Index.

Brass Radiator /Fe prices dropped by $0.01 per lb, while Brass Radiator Ends prices held steady when compared with the previous day's price levels.

Red Brass, Red Borings, and Yellow Brass prices fell $0.04 per lb each on the Index.