North American Scrap Prices: Copper Tumbles 16¢/lb as Steel Prices Gain- November 3, 2026

Daily Scrap Metal Price Report | 2026-11-04 04:47:09 | By Carolina Curiel

North American scrap buying benchmarks moved broadly lower on November 3, led by 16¢/lb declines in major clean copper grades. Aluminum fell across most listed categories and brass/bronze also weakened, while stainless steel remained unchanged. In contrast, steel scrap prices recorded increase on the Index.

Summary

Copper Scrap Prices Record Sharpest Declines
North American copper scrap prices witnessed significant losses, with #1 Copper Bare Bright, #1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing, and #3 Copper-Light Copper each falling 16¢/lb. Other copper grades recorded smaller declines of 1–6¢/lb, while Cu/Al categories remained unchanged.
Aluminum and Brass/Bronze Prices Weaken
Aluminum scrap prices declined across most benchmark grades, with E.C. Aluminum Wire recording the largest drop of 2¢/lb. Brass/Bronze prices also weakened, as most major grades fell 4¢/lb, while Brass Radiator/Fe declined 1¢/lb. Brass Radiator Ends held steady.
Steel Scrap Prices Rise as Stainless Steel Holds Steady
Steel scrap bucked the broader downward trend, with #1 HMS, Shredded Auto Scrap and Structural Steel gaining $15/MT each. HMS 80/20 and Sheet Metal advanced $10/MT, while stainless steel prices remained unchanged across all listed grades.

MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): North American scrap buying benchmarks moved broadly lower on November 3, 2026, led by 16¢/lb declines in major clean copper grades. Aluminum fell across most listed categories, and brass/bronze also weakened, while stainless steel remained unchanged. In contrast, steel scrap prices rose on the Index.

Copper: Major grades plunged 16¢/lb; other grades declined 1–6¢/lb. Cu/Al grades remained unchanged.
Aluminum: Most grades fell 1¢/lb; E.C. Aluminum Wire dropped 2¢/lb. Several grades held steady.
Steel: #1 HMS, Shredded Auto Scrap and Structural Steel rose $15/MT; HMS 80/20 and Sheet Metal gained $10/MT. Others were unchanged.
Stainless Steel: All grades remained unchanged.
Brass/Bronze: Most grades declined 4¢/lb; Brass Radiator/Fe fell 1¢/lb. Radiator Ends held steady.

Copper Scrap Prices

Copper posted the largest losses among the major scrap categories on October 1.

#1 Copper Bare Bright, #1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing and #3 Copper-Light Copper each declined 16¢/lb.

The weakness extended into insulated wire, although the moves were smaller. #1 Insulated Copper Wire 85% Recovery and #2 Insulated Copper Wire 50% Recovery each fell 4¢/lb.

Copper Radiator Scrap declined 6¢/lb, while Harness Wire 35% Recovery and Romex Wire each slipped 4¢/lb.

Alternator Scrap, Copper Transformer Scrap, Scrap Electric Motors, Starters and Sealed Units prices edged lower by 1¢/lb.

Cu Yokes and Heater Cores posted declines, falling by 2¢/lb and 3¢/lb, respectively.

Cu/Al Radiator Ends, Cu/Al Radiators and Cu/Al Radiators/Fe were unchanged.

Aluminum Scrap Prices

Aluminum declined across most of the listed benchmark grades.

1100 Scrap, 3003 Scrap, 356 Aluminum Wheels, 6061 Extrusions, 6063 Extrusions, 5052 Scrap, 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

#1 Bundle and #1 Busheling prices remained flat.

The prices of #1 HMS, Shredded Auto Scrap, and Structural Steel increased by $15 per MT each on the Index.

HMS 80/20 and Sheet Metal prices posted jumps, rising by $10 per MT each when compared with the previous day.

Stainless Steel Scrap Prices

201 SS prices recorded no variation on the Index.

301 SS, 304 SS Solid, 304 SS Turning, 309 SS and 316 SS Solid prices held steady.

Also, 310 SS and 330 SS prices were unchanged from the prior day.

Brass/Bronze Scrap Prices

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

70/30 Brass Scrap, 80/20 Brass Scrap, 85/15 Brass Scrap and Brass Radiator each fell 4¢/lb.

Red Brass, Rod Borings and Yellow Brass also declined 4¢/lb.

Brass Radiator/Fe prices edged lower by 1¢/lb, while Brass Radiator Ends were unchanged from the previous session.