North American Scrap Prices Fall Across Major Categories on the Index- August 18, 2026

Daily Scrap Metal Price Report | 2026-08-19 11:20:39 | By Carolina Curiel

1100 Scrap, 3003 Scrap, 356 Aluminum Wheels, 5052 Scrap, 6063 Extrusions, 6063 Extrusions/Fe, Chrome Wheels, Litho Sheets, MLC Clips, Old Sheet, Old Cast, Painted Siding, UBC, and Zorba 90% NF each fell by $0.02 per Lb.

Summary

Copper: Copper scrap posted the sharpest declines, with major clean copper grades falling by $0.13 per lb on the ScrapMonster Price Index.
Aluminum & Brass: Aluminum prices fell across most grades, while brass and bronze scrap also recorded widespread declines of around $0.02 per lb.
Steel & Stainless Steel: Steel and stainless steel scrap prices remained unchanged, showing stability despite weakness in other major categories.

North American Scrap Metal Prices Post Broad Decline — August 18, 2026

MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): As of Tuesday, August 18, 2026, North American scrap metal prices recorded a broad decline on the ScrapMonster Price Index, with losses led by copper, aluminum, and brass/bronze. Only stainless steel and steel scrap held steady.

What Readers Should Know

Copper, aluminum, and brass/bronze all declined on the Index.
Stainless steel and steel scrap prices were unchanged.
Clean copper grades posted the sharpest losses.
Most aluminum grades fell, led by E.C. Aluminum Wire.
Brass and bronze scrap prices declined across major grades.
Steel and stainless steel scrap remained flat.

Why Prices Moved

North American scrap metal prices trended lower across non-ferrous categories on the Index. Copper scrap posted the sharpest losses, while aluminum and brass/bronze also recorded broad declines. Stainless steel and steel scrap were the only major categories to hold steady from the previous day.

Daily Market Snapshot

Copper: Weak trend, led by sharp declines in clean copper grades.
Aluminum: Broad decline across most listed grades.
Brass/Bronze: Widespread decline across major grades.
Stainless Steel: Held steady on the Index.
Steel: Flat trend across listed grades.

Copper Scrap Prices

Copper scrap prices posted the sharpest losses on the Index. Alternator scrap held steady 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 by $0.13 per lb.

#1 Insulated Copper Wire 85% Recovery and #2 Insulated Copper Wire 50% Recovery prices were down by $0.02 per lb each.

Copper Radiator scrap declined by $0.04 per lb, while Cu Yokes dipped by $0.01 per lb.

Copper Transformer Scrap, Cu/Al Radiator Ends, Cu/Al Radiators, and Cu/Al Radiators/Fe recorded no variation in prices.

Harness Wire 35% Recovery, Heater Cores, and Romex Wire prices fell by $0.02 per lb on the Index. Meanwhile, Scrap Electric Motors, Starters, and Sealed Units held steady over the previous day’s prices.

Aluminum Scrap Prices

Aluminum scrap prices declined across most listed grades.

6061 Extrusions and Mixed Aluminum Turnings dropped by $0.01 per lb each, while Al/Cu Radiators, Al/Cu Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Radiators, Aluminum Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Transformers, and Breakage 50% Recovery prices held steady on the Index.

E.C. Aluminum Wire posted one of the larger aluminum declines, falling by $0.03 per lb.

Brass/Bronze Scrap Prices

Brass and bronze scrap prices declined across the North American region on the Index.

70/30 Brass Scrap, 80/20 Brass Scrap, 85/15 Brass Scrap, and Brass Radiator: declined by $0.02 per lb.
Brass Radiator/Fe and Brass Radiator Ends: reported no variation in prices from the previous day’s levels.
Red Brass, Rod Borings, and Yellow Brass: each declined by $0.02 per lb on the Index.

Stainless Steel Scrap Prices

201 SS, 301 SS, 304 SS Solid, 304 SS Turning, and 309 SS prices were flat on the Index. Also, 310 SS, 330 SS, and 316 SS Solid prices reported no variation on the Index.

Steel Scrap Prices

Steel scrap prices were unchanged on the Index.

#1 Bundle, #1 Busheling, #1 HMS: No change
HMS 80/20, Sheet Metal, Shredded Auto Scrap, and Structural Steel: Stable pricing