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North American Scrap Prices Hold Flat After Recent Copper and Aluminum Gains
North American scrap buying benchmarks paused on October 7 after two sessions of selective non-ferrous gains. Copper, aluminum, brass/bronze, stainless steel and steel all recorded no day-over-day movement, leaving the market in consolidation after copper gained 10¢/lb across the previous two sessions.
By Carolina Curiel
Published October 8, 2026
Market data: October 7, 2026
Summary Points
- Copper: All listed grades held steady after major clean grades gained 2¢/lb on October 6 and 8¢/lb on October 5.
- Aluminum: All tracked grades were unchanged after broad 1¢/lb gains across several categories the previous session.
- Brass/Bronze: Major grades remained flat for a second session after advancing by up to 2¢/lb on October 5.
- Stainless Steel: Every listed grade recorded no day-over-day movement.
- Steel: #1 HMS, #1 Busheling, Shredded Auto Scrap and all other tracked ferrous grades remained unchanged.
- Benchmark check: COMEX copper was nearly flat on October 7, easing only about 0.6¢/lb from the previous session.
MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): North American scrap metal buying benchmarks were unchanged on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, with no daily movement recorded across copper, aluminum, brass/bronze, stainless steel or steel on the ScrapMonster Price Index.
The completely flat session followed two days of selective gains in the non-ferrous market.
Major clean copper grades had gained 8¢/lb on October 5 and another 2¢/lb on October 6 before pausing Wednesday.
Aluminum also moved higher Tuesday across a broad group of grades before settling into an unchanged October 7 session.
Steel and stainless steel remained quiet, while brass/bronze extended the pause that followed Monday's gains.
| Metal | October 7 Move | Market Read |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | → Flat | Paused after two sessions of gains |
| Aluminum | → Flat | Consolidated after Tuesday's broad uptick |
| Brass/Bronze | → Flat | Monday gains remain intact |
| Stainless Steel | → Flat | No change across listed grades |
| Steel | → Flat | Ferrous benchmarks remain stable |
SCRAPMONSTER EDGE
A flat session does not erase the week's earlier movement. Major clean copper grades gained a cumulative 10¢/lb over October 5–6 before holding steady Wednesday. Aluminum's broader gains arrived a day later, while brass moved higher Monday. October 7 therefore looks more like consolidation after repricing than a reversal of the week's non-ferrous gains.
Copper Scrap Prices
Copper scrap prices held steady after the previous day's modest advance.
#1 Copper Bare Bright, #1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing and #3 Copper-Light Copper recorded no day-over-day movement.
Alternator Scrap, #1 Insulated Copper Wire 85% Recovery and #2 Insulated Copper Wire 50% Recovery were also unchanged.
Copper Radiator Scrap, Copper Transformer Scrap and Cu Yokes held steady.
Cu/Al Radiator Ends, Cu/Al Radiators and Cu/Al Radiators/Fe recorded no movement.
Harness Wire 35% Recovery, Heater Cores, Romex Wire, Scrap Electric Motors, Starters, Sealed Units and Xmas Lights also maintained their previous benchmarks.
Copper Benchmark Check
The quiet physical scrap session broadly matched a muted day in copper futures.
COMEX copper eased only slightly from the previous session, moving from $6.6595/lb on October 6 to $6.6535/lb on October 7.
That represents a decline of approximately 0.6¢/lb, or 0.09%.
Scrap/futures read: North American clean copper scrap held steady while COMEX moved only marginally lower, producing little directional divergence between the two markets during Wednesday's session.
THREE-SESSION COPPER READ
Copper's week has shifted from rebound to pause. Major clean grades gained 8¢/lb on October 5, added another 2¢/lb on October 6 and held flat October 7. The cumulative 10¢/lb increase from the first two sessions therefore remained intact Wednesday.
Aluminum Scrap Prices
Aluminum scrap was completely unchanged across the tracked categories after widespread but modest gains in the previous session.
1100 Scrap, 3003 Scrap, 356 Aluminum Wheels, 6063 Extrusions/Fe, 6063 Extrusions, 5052 Scrap and 6061 Extrusions all held steady.
Al/Cu Radiators, Al/Cu Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Radiators, Aluminum Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Transformers and Breakage 50% Recovery recorded no movement.
E.C. Aluminum Wire, Chrome Wheels, Litho Sheets, MLC Clips, Mixed Aluminum Turnings, Old Cast, UBC, Old Sheet, Painted Siding and Zorba 90% NF also remained unchanged.
The flat session preserved Tuesday's gains, when numerous aluminum categories had increased by 1¢/lb.
Brass/Bronze Scrap Prices
Brass and bronze scrap prices remained unchanged across all listed grades.
70/30 Brass Scrap, 80/20 Brass Scrap, 85/15 Brass Scrap and Brass Radiator Scrap held their previous benchmarks.
Brass Radiator/Fe and Brass Radiator Ends were unchanged.
Red Brass, Red Borings and Yellow Brass also recorded no movement.
The latest flat reading follows Tuesday's unchanged session and preserves the gains recorded Monday, when most major brass grades advanced 2¢/lb.
Stainless Steel Scrap Prices
The stainless steel market also recorded no daily movement.
201 SS, 301 SS, 304 SS Solid, 304 SS Turning, 309 SS, 310 SS, 330 SS and 316 SS Solid all remained unchanged.
The lack of movement extends the quieter tone that followed the mixed stainless adjustments recorded at the end of the previous week.
Steel Scrap Prices
Steel scrap buying benchmarks held steady across every listed grade.
#1 Bundle, #1 Busheling, #1 HMS and HMS 80/20 were unchanged.
Sheet Metal, Shredded Auto Scrap and Structural Steel also maintained their previous benchmarks.
Ferrous scrap continues to display significantly less day-to-day volatility than copper and aluminum in the current market.
Three Sessions Show Where This Week's Movement Came From
Looking at October 5–7 together gives a clearer picture than Wednesday's completely flat reading by itself.
| Session | Copper | Aluminum | Brass/Bronze | Steel / Stainless |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 5 | ▲ Up to 8¢/lb | Mostly flat; E.C. Wire ▲1¢ | ▲ Up to 2¢/lb | Flat |
| Oct. 6 | ▲ Up to 2¢/lb | ▲ Mostly 1¢/lb | Flat | Flat |
| Oct. 7 | → Flat | → Flat | → Flat | → Flat |
The sequence shows that this week's upward movement was concentrated in copper first, followed by a broader aluminum adjustment Tuesday.
Wednesday then brought a market-wide pause rather than a reversal.
Market Read
October 7 was one of the quietest North American scrap sessions of the week, but the absence of new moves needs to be viewed against the gains already recorded.
Copper remains the week's strongest mover after major clean grades gained a cumulative 10¢/lb over Monday and Tuesday.
Aluminum caught up Tuesday with 1¢/lb increases across numerous grades before pausing Wednesday.
Brass and bronze retained Monday's gains, while steel and stainless steel continued to trade with comparatively little day-to-day movement.
The futures market offered little pressure for immediate copper repricing Wednesday, with COMEX virtually unchanged from the previous session.
For buyers and sellers, that makes the October 7 reading a consolidation session: the earlier non-ferrous gains remained in place, but the market did not extend them further.
Benchmark buying-price move • Exact live price levels are available to ScrapMonster Premium members. Local quotes vary by grade and location.
