North American Scrap Prices Mixed as Copper and Brass Decline, E.C. Aluminum Wire Gains
Copper and brass/bronze scrap prices moved lower on the ScrapMonster Price Index for August 26, while E.C. Aluminum Wire gained $0.01 per lb. Steel, stainless steel and most other aluminum grades remained unchanged.
By Carolina Curiel
Published August 27, 2026
Key Points
- Major copper grades including #1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing, #1 Copper Bare Bright and #3 Copper-Light fell $0.10 per lb.
- E.C. Aluminum Wire increased $0.01 per lb, while all other listed aluminum grades remained unchanged.
- Key brass and bronze grades, including Red Brass and Yellow Brass, declined $0.02 per lb.
- Steel and stainless steel scrap prices were unchanged across all listed grades.
MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): North American scrap metal prices remained mostly unchanged on the ScrapMonster Price Index as of Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Copper and brass/bronze scrap prices registered marginal declines, while E.C. Aluminum Wire edged higher. All other listed scrap categories held steady on the Index.
Copper Scrap Prices
Alternator scrap recorded no variation from the previous day.
#1 Copper Wire and Tubing dropped $0.10 per lb. #2 Copper Wire and Tubing was also down $0.10 per lb, while #1 Copper Bare Bright declined $0.10 per lb.
#1 Insulated Copper Wire 85% Recovery declined $0.02 per lb, while #2 Insulated Copper Wire 50% Recovery was also down $0.02 per lb. #3 Copper-Light Copper fell $0.10 per lb.
Copper Radiator scrap declined $0.03 per lb.
Copper Transformer Scrap, Cu Yokes, Cu/Al Radiator Ends, Cu/Al Radiators and Cu/Al Radiators/Fe remained unchanged on the Index.
Harness Wire 35% Recovery and Romex Wire each moved lower by $0.02 per lb.
Heater Cores, Scrap Electric Motors, Starters, Sealed Units and Xmas Lights recorded no change from the previous day's price levels.
Aluminum Scrap Prices
1100 Scrap and 3003 Scrap remained flat. Prices for 356 Aluminum Wheels and 6063 Extrusions/Fe were also unchanged.
6063 Extrusions held steady over the day, while 5052 Scrap and 6061 Extrusions remained flat compared with the prior day.
Al/Cu Radiators and Al/Cu Radiators/Fe were unchanged. Aluminum Radiators, Aluminum Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Transformers and Breakage 50% Recovery also held steady.
E.C. Aluminum Wire was the exception, rising $0.01 per lb on the Index.
Chrome Wheels, Litho Sheets and MLC Clips held at the previous day's price levels.
Mixed Aluminum Turnings also remained flat.
Old Cast and UBC were unchanged from the previous day.
Old Sheet, Painted Siding and Zorba 90% NF also recorded no change.
Steel Scrap Prices
#1 Bundle prices remained flat.
#1 Busheling and #1 HMS were also unchanged from the previous day.
HMS 80/20 held steady on the Index.
Sheet Metal, Shredded Auto Scrap and Structural Steel also recorded no day-over-day price movement.
Stainless Steel Scrap Prices
201 SS and 301 SS prices were unchanged.
304 SS Solid remained flat from the previous day, while 304 SS Turning also recorded no change on the Index.
309 SS and 310 SS held at the previous day's levels.
330 SS prices were flat.
316 SS Solid also remained unchanged on the Index.
Brass/Bronze Scrap Prices
Brass and bronze scrap prices in the North American region recorded a slight decline on the Index.
70/30 Brass Scrap, 80/20 Brass Scrap, 85/15 Brass Scrap and Brass Radiator scrap each declined $0.02 per lb.
Brass Radiator/Fe and Brass Radiator Ends held steady compared with the previous day's price levels.
Red Brass, Red Borings and Yellow Brass each edged lower by $0.02 per lb on the Index.