North American Scrap Metal Prices: Copper Dips – Oct. 28

North American scrap metal prices were largely unchanged on October 28, 2026. Four major clean copper grades and E.C. Aluminum Wire each declined 1¢/lb, while brass/bronze, stainless steel and steel held steady. Despite the modest pullback, clean copper retained most of its recent recovery on the ScrapMonster Price Index.

Summary

Copper Scrap Prices Edge Lower
North American copper scrap benchmarks recorded modest declines, with #1 Copper Bare Bright, #1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing, and #3 Copper-Light Copper each falling by $0.01 per pound. All other listed copper scrap grades remained unchanged.
E.C. Aluminum Wire Records a Price Decline
E.C. Aluminum Wire was the only aluminum grade to register a decline, slipping by $0.01 per pound. All other listed aluminum scrap categories, including 6063 Extrusions, Old Cast, Old Sheet and UBC, maintained their previous-day prices.
Steel, Stainless Steel and Brass/Bronze Markets Remain Flat
Steel, stainless steel and brass/bronze scrap benchmarks recorded no day-over-day changes. The stability followed mixed movement in the previous session, with the majority of grades holding their Tuesday price levels.

North American Scrap Metal Prices: Copper, E.C. Wire Slip 1¢/Lb – October 28, 2026

North American scrap metal prices were largely unchanged on October 28, 2026, with four major clean copper grades and E.C. Aluminum Wire each declining 1¢/lb. Brass/bronze, stainless steel and steel benchmarks held steady on the ScrapMonster Price Index.

By Carolina Curiel
Report date: October 29, 2026
Market data: October 28, 2026

Market at a Glance

Copper: Four major clean grades ↓1¢/lb; other reported grades unchanged.
Aluminum: E.C. Aluminum Wire ↓1¢/lb; remaining grades flat.
Brass/Bronze: → Flat across all nine listed grades.
Stainless Steel: → Flat across all eight grades.
Steel: → Flat across all seven benchmarks.

MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): North American scrap metal buying benchmarks were largely steady on Wednesday, October 28, with modest declines in clean copper and E.C. Aluminum Wire on the ScrapMonster Price Index.

#1 Copper Bare Bright, #1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing and #3 Copper-Light Copper each declined 1¢/lb, following Tuesday's 11¢/lb gains.

E.C. Aluminum Wire also fell 1¢/lb, while the remaining reported aluminum, brass/bronze, stainless steel and ferrous scrap grades maintained their previous benchmarks.

Pricing note: Changes reflect ScrapMonster benchmark buying prices. Local quotations may vary by grade, material quality, quantity, location and buyer.

ScrapMonster Edge: Copper Holds Most of Its Recent Recovery

Wednesday's 1¢/lb decline followed a three-session rebound that lifted North America's four major clean copper benchmarks by a combined 26¢/lb through October 27.

The latest pullback reduced that recovery to 25¢/lb, leaving the benchmarks 6¢/lb above their October 21 closing levels, before the sharp October 22 selloff.

Exchange prices moved differently. LME three-month copper rose $49/MT to $14,484/MT on October 28, while three-month aluminum gained $20/MT to $3,084/MT, even as the affected North American scrap grades edged lower.

Market takeaway: The latest scrap-price declines were limited to five grades. Copper retained most of its recent gains, while the broader market showed little additional movement. Exchange quotations and physical scrap buying benchmarks do not necessarily move together.

Copper Scrap Prices Decline 1¢/Lb

Four major clean copper grades each decreased 1¢/lb:

#1 Copper Bare Bright
#1 Copper Wire and Tubing
#2 Copper Wire and Tubing
#3 Copper-Light Copper

Unchanged: #1 Insulated Copper Wire 85% Recovery, #2 Insulated Copper Wire 50% Recovery, Copper Radiators and Romex Wire.

Copper Transformer Scrap, Cu Yokes, Cu/Al Radiator grades, Heater Cores, Scrap Electric Motors, Alternator Scrap, Starters, Sealed Units and Xmas Lights also maintained their previous benchmarks.

E.C. Aluminum Wire Falls as Other Grades Hold

E.C. Aluminum Wire was the only aluminum grade to decline, falling 1¢/lb.

Unchanged sheet, extrusion and wheel grades: 1100 Scrap, 3003 Scrap, 5052 Scrap, 6061 Extrusions, 6063 Extrusions, 6063 Extrusions/Fe and 356 Aluminum Wheels.

Breakage 50% Recovery, Chrome Wheels, Litho Sheets, MLC Clips, Mixed Aluminum Turnings, Old Cast, UBC, Old Sheet, Painted Siding and Zorba 90% NF also remained flat.

Al/Cu Radiators, Al/Cu Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Radiators, Aluminum Radiators/Fe and Aluminum Transformers recorded no change.

Brass and Bronze Scrap Prices Hold Steady

All nine listed brass and bronze grades were unchanged following Tuesday's gains.

70/30 Brass Scrap, 80/20 Brass Scrap, 85/15 Brass Scrap, Brass Radiator, Red Brass, Red Borings and Yellow Brass maintained their previous prices.

Brass Radiator/Fe and Brass Radiator Ends also remained flat.

Stainless Steel Scrap Prices Remain Unchanged

Stainless steel prices stabilized after declining in the previous session.

201 SS, 301 SS, 304 SS Solid, 304 SS Turning, 309 SS, 310 SS, 316 SS Solid and 330 SS all held their October 27 benchmarks.

Steel Scrap Prices Remain Flat

All seven reported North American steel scrap benchmarks were unchanged.

#1 Bundle, #1 Busheling, #1 HMS, HMS 80/20, Sheet Metal, Shredded Auto Scrap and Structural Steel maintained their previous-day levels.

Explore More Scrap Prices

Track daily price movements through the ScrapMonster North American Scrap Price Index.

Compare publicly reported yard quotations through RecyclingMonster's Copper Scrap Price Directory. Yard-reported prices are separate from ScrapMonster's index benchmarks.

For current grade-level prices and historical market data, subscribe to ScrapMonster Live Scrap Prices.

POLL

Which scrap metal category, apart from copper, recorded a price decline on October 28, 2026?

Steel scrap

Aluminum scrap

Brass/bronze scrap

Frequently Asked Questions

How did North American scrap metal prices perform on October 28, 2026?

North American scrap buying benchmarks were largely unchanged on Wednesday. The main movements were 1-cent-per-pound declines in four copper grades and E.C. Aluminum Wire, while steel, stainless steel, brass and bronze scrap prices remained steady.

Which copper scrap grades recorded price declines?

#1 Copper Bare Bright, #1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing, and #3 Copper-Light Copper each declined by $0.01 per pound. Other listed grades, including insulated copper wire, copper radiators, Romex Wire and copper transformer scrap, recorded no change.

Which aluminum scrap grade decreased in price?

E.C. Aluminum Wire declined by $0.01 per pound compared with the previous day's benchmark. All other listed aluminum grades, including 1100 Scrap, 6061 Extrusions, 6063 Extrusions, Old Cast, UBC and Zorba 90% NF, remained unchanged.