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SCRAPMONSTER | DAILY SCRAP METAL PRICE REPORT
North American Scrap Metal Prices: Copper Falls 17¢/Lb, Brass Drops 4¢ – November 5, 2026
North American scrap metal prices declined selectively on November 5, 2026, led by a 17¢/lb drop across four major clean copper grades. Brass/bronze prices also weakened by up to 4¢/lb, while aluminum, stainless steel and steel benchmarks remained unchanged on the ScrapMonster Price Index.
By Carolina Curiel | Published: November 6, 2026 | Market data: November 5, 2026
Market at a Glance
- Copper: ▼ 17¢/lb across four clean grades; smaller declines across other categories. Three Cu/Al radiator grades unchanged.
- Aluminum: → Flat across all 23 reported grades.
- Brass/Bronze: ▼ 4¢/lb across seven grades; Brass Radiator/Fe and Radiator Ends fell 1¢/lb.
- Stainless Steel: → Flat across all eight reported grades.
- Steel: → Flat across all seven reported benchmarks.
MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): North American scrap metal buying benchmarks recorded selective declines on Thursday, November 5, 2026, according to the ScrapMonster Price Index.
Copper recorded the largest daily losses, with #1 Copper Bare Bright, #1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing and #3 Copper-Light Copper each falling 17¢/lb.
Brass/bronze scrap also moved lower, while all listed aluminum, stainless steel and ferrous scrap categories remained at their previous-day levels.
SCRAPMONSTER EDGE | MARKET ANALYSIS
Copper's 17¢ Decline Erases Wednesday's Recovery
Thursday's 17¢/lb drop followed Wednesday's modest 2¢/lb recovery in the same four clean copper grades.
Across November 4–5, these benchmarks recorded a combined 15¢/lb decline, reflecting renewed downward pressure after the previous session's limited rebound.
The broader reversal is even more pronounced over three sessions. The four grades fell 16¢/lb on November 3, recovered 2¢/lb on November 4 and declined another 17¢/lb on November 5, leaving them 31¢/lb below their November 2 levels.
Brass/bronze also weakened, with seven grades falling 4¢/lb. Aluminum, stainless steel and ferrous scrap prices did not register additional adjustments.
Operator takeaway: The latest decline demonstrates how quickly a limited copper rebound can reverse. Scrap processors, brokers and industrial buyers should consider cumulative price movements across several sessions when evaluating quotations, particularly when copper and brass are moving lower while other scrap categories remain unchanged.
Copper Scrap Prices
▼ 17¢/lb | Four major clean copper grades
Copper scrap prices declined across most reported grades, led by four major clean categories that each lost 17¢/lb:
- #1 Copper Bare Bright
- #1 Copper Wire and Tubing
- #2 Copper Wire and Tubing
- #3 Copper-Light Copper
Smaller price adjustments were recorded across several other copper grades:
- ▼ 5¢/lb: Copper Radiator Scrap.
- ▼ 3¢/lb: #1 Insulated Copper Wire 85% Recovery, #2 Insulated Copper Wire 50% Recovery, Harness Wire 35% Recovery and Romex Wire.
- ▼ 2¢/lb: Cu Yokes and Heater Cores.
- ▼ 1¢/lb: Alternator Scrap, Copper Transformer Scrap, Scrap Electric Motors, Starters, Sealed Units and Xmas Lights.
→ Unchanged: Cu/Al Radiator Ends, Cu/Al Radiators and Cu/Al Radiators/Fe.
Aluminum Scrap Prices
→ Flat | All 23 reported grades unchanged
Aluminum scrap prices held steady across all reported categories, including E.C. Aluminum Wire, 6063 Extrusions, Old Cast and UBC.
Wrought, extrusion and sheet grades: 1100 Scrap, 3003 Scrap, 5052 Scrap, 6061 Extrusions, 6063 Extrusions, 6063 Extrusions/Fe, Litho Sheets, MLC Clips, Old Sheet and Painted Siding remained unchanged.
Cast, wheel and mixed grades: 356 Aluminum Wheels, Chrome Wheels, Mixed Aluminum Turnings, Old Cast, UBC and Zorba 90% NF held steady.
Wire, radiator and recovery grades: E.C. Aluminum Wire, Al/Cu Radiators, Al/Cu Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Radiators, Aluminum Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Transformers and Breakage 50% Recovery reported no variation.
Brass/Bronze Scrap Prices
▼ 1–4¢/lb | All nine reported grades declined
North American brass and bronze scrap prices recorded broad-based declines on November 5.
70/30 Brass Scrap, 80/20 Brass Scrap, 85/15 Brass Scrap and Brass Radiator Scrap each fell 4¢/lb.
Red Brass, Red Borings and Yellow Brass also declined 4¢/lb on the Index.
Brass Radiator/Fe and Brass Radiator Ends registered smaller declines of 1¢/lb each.
Stainless Steel Scrap Prices
→ Flat | All eight reported grades unchanged
Stainless steel scrap prices recorded no daily movements across the eight listed grades.
Unchanged: 201 SS, 301 SS, 304 SS Solid, 304 SS Turning, 309 SS, 310 SS, 316 SS Solid and 330 SS.
Steel Scrap Prices
→ Flat | All seven reported benchmarks unchanged
North American ferrous scrap buying benchmarks remained unchanged during the November 5 session.
Unchanged: #1 Bundle, #1 Busheling, #1 HMS, HMS 80/20, Sheet Metal, Shredded Auto Scrap and Structural Steel.
No additional changes were reported in these categories following the increases recorded in selected ferrous grades earlier in the week.
