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China Scrap Prices Flat for Third Session as National Day Holiday Continues
Chinese scrap metal benchmarks remained unchanged across every major category on October 5, extending the market-wide pause to a third consecutive ScrapMonster session. Copper, aluminum, brass/bronze, stainless steel and steel all held steady while China's domestic futures markets remained closed for the National Day holiday.
By Anil Mathews
Published October 6, 2026
Market data: October 5, 2026
Summary Points
- Copper: All quoted grades were unchanged for a third consecutive ScrapMonster session.
- Aluminum: 6063 Extrusions, E.C. Aluminum Wire, UBC, Old Cast and all other listed grades held steady.
- Brass/Bronze: Red Brass, Yellow Brass and Brass Radiator recorded no movement.
- Stainless Steel: Every listed stainless grade remained flat.
- Steel: #1 HMS and Cast Iron Scrap continued their recent stable trend.
- Holiday context: The Shanghai Futures Exchange remains closed October 1–7 for China's National Day holiday and is scheduled to reopen October 8.
BEIJING (Scrap Monster): Chinese scrap metal buying benchmarks showed no day-over-day movement on Monday, October 5, 2026, marking a third consecutive unchanged session on the ScrapMonster Price Index.
Copper, aluminum, brass/bronze, stainless steel and steel all maintained their previous benchmark levels.
The extended pause comes during China's National Day holiday. The Shanghai Futures Exchange is closed from October 1 through October 7 and is scheduled to reopen on October 8, temporarily removing a major domestic reference market for base metals and steel.
The holiday closure provides important context for the quiet market, although the ScrapMonster Index data alone do not establish that it is the sole reason physical benchmarks remained unchanged.
| Metal | October 5 Move | Market Read |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | → Flat | Third consecutive unchanged session |
| Aluminum | → Flat | No movement across listed grades |
| Brass/Bronze | → Flat | Red and Yellow Brass steady |
| Stainless Steel | → Flat | All listed grades unchanged |
| Steel | → Flat | #1 HMS and Cast Iron remain stable |
SCRAPMONSTER EDGE
The story is now the duration of the pause. China's ScrapMonster benchmarks have not moved since the mixed September 30 session, when copper rose, aluminum and stainless weakened and brass advanced. With domestic futures markets closed through October 7, the first post-holiday sessions will provide a clearer test of whether those earlier directions resume or the market establishes a new trend.
Copper Scrap Prices
Copper scrap benchmarks remained unchanged across all listed categories for a third consecutive ScrapMonster session.
#1 Copper Bare Bright, #1 Copper Wire and Tubing and #2 Copper Wire and Tubing maintained their previous benchmarks.
#1 Insulated Copper Wire 85% Recovery and #2 Insulated Copper Wire 50% Recovery also recorded no movement.
Copper Transformer Scrap and Cu Yokes remained unchanged.
Cu/Al Radiators, Harness Wire 35% Recovery and Heater Cores also held steady.
Scrap Electric Motors and Sealed Units recorded no day-over-day variation.
COPPER READ
China's clean copper benchmarks have now held steady for three consecutive ScrapMonster sessions following the September 30 advance, when #1 Copper Bare Bright, #1 Copper Wire and Tubing and #2 Copper Wire and Tubing each gained CNY 300/MT.
Aluminum Scrap Prices
Aluminum scrap prices also remained unchanged for a third consecutive ScrapMonster session.
6063 Extrusions and Aluminum Ingots held at their previous benchmarks.
Aluminum Radiators and Aluminum Transformers recorded no movement.
E.C. Aluminum Wire, Old Cast and Old Sheet remained unchanged.
UBC and Zorba 90% NF also held steady.
The extended pause follows the September 30 session, when 6063 Extrusions, Aluminum Ingots, E.C. Aluminum Wire, Old Cast and Old Sheet each declined CNY 150/MT.
Brass/Bronze Scrap Prices
Brass and bronze scrap benchmarks remained unchanged across all listed categories.
Red Brass and Yellow Brass held steady for a third consecutive session.
Brass Radiator Scrap also recorded no day-over-day movement.
The flat trend follows the September 30 session, when Red Brass and Yellow Brass had each gained CNY 50/MT.
Stainless Steel Scrap Prices
Stainless steel continued its broad period of stability.
201 SS, 304 SS Solid, 304 SS Turning and 309 SS were unchanged.
310 SS and 316 SS Solid also held their previous-session benchmarks.
Shredded Stainless Steel recorded no movement.
The three-session flat stretch follows the September 30 decline, when several stainless grades lost CNY 50/MT and 310 SS declined CNY 100/MT.
Steel Scrap Prices
Steel remained the most consistently stable category in the Chinese scrap benchmark set.
#1 HMS and Cast Iron Scrap both recorded no change on October 5.
The two grades have also remained unchanged through the preceding sessions, extending the recent flat trend in China's listed ferrous scrap benchmarks.
China and North America Diverge on Copper
The October 5 data also produced a notable regional contrast.
While China's listed copper scrap benchmarks remained unchanged, major North American clean copper grades gained 8¢/lb on the same date.
The two Index sets reflect different regional buying markets and should not be compared as identical instruments, but the divergence highlights how regional scrap pricing can temporarily separate when local market conditions and trading calendars differ.
China's domestic futures markets remain closed for the holiday, while North American copper benchmarks were able to respond to fresh market movement on Monday.
Three Flat Sessions Follow a Mixed September 30 Market
The current stability began immediately after a much more active September 30 session.
At that time, major clean copper grades advanced CNY 300/MT, while several aluminum categories fell CNY 150/MT.
Selected stainless grades declined by CNY 50–100/MT, while Red Brass and Yellow Brass each gained CNY 50/MT.
October 1 brought a complete pause. October 2 extended it. October 5 produced the same result.
That leaves the major Chinese scrap categories effectively parked at their post-September 30 benchmarks heading deeper into the National Day holiday period.
Market Read
The Chinese scrap market has now gone three consecutive ScrapMonster sessions without establishing a new short-term direction.
Copper's late-September rebound remains paused. Aluminum and stainless have stopped declining. Brass has stopped advancing. Steel continues to show little day-to-day movement.
The holiday calendar is now particularly important. SHFE trading remains suspended through October 7 and is scheduled to resume Thursday, October 8.
That reopening should restore a key domestic reference point for copper, aluminum, zinc, lead and steel and provide the market with its first opportunity to respond to international price movements accumulated during the holiday closure.
The first post-holiday ScrapMonster readings will therefore be more informative than the current unchanged sequence in determining whether China's scrap market resumes its pre-holiday trends or begins a new pricing cycle.
Benchmark buying-price move • Exact live price levels are available to ScrapMonster Premium members.
