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North American Scrap Prices Rise Broadly as Copper Gains 7 Cents, Aluminum and Brass Advance
Copper led broad non-ferrous gains on the ScrapMonster Price Index for September 3, with major clean copper grades rising $0.07 per lb. Aluminum and brass/bronze also advanced, while steel and stainless steel remained unchanged.
By Carolina Curiel
Published September 4, 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 Copper, rose $0.07 per lb.
- E.C. Aluminum Wire gained $0.02 per lb, while a broad group of other aluminum grades increased $0.01 per lb.
- Major brass/bronze grades, including Red Brass and Yellow Brass, advanced $0.02 per lb.
- Steel and stainless steel scrap prices remained unchanged across the listed grades.
MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): As of Thursday, September 3, 2026, North American scrap metal prices recorded broad gains across copper, aluminum and brass/bronze on the ScrapMonster Price Index. Stainless steel and steel scrap prices held steady on the Index.
The session was led by a $0.07-per-lb increase across several key copper grades, while aluminum posted widespread smaller gains and brass/bronze advanced across most of its major listed categories.
Copper Scrap Prices
Alternator scrap recorded no variation from the previous day.
#1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing, #1 Copper Bare Bright and #3 Copper-Light Copper each increased $0.07 per lb.
#1 Insulated Copper Wire 85% Recovery and #2 Insulated Copper Wire 50% Recovery each rose $0.02 per lb on the Index.
Copper Radiator scrap increased $0.03 per lb.
Copper Transformer Scrap, Cu Yokes, Cu/Al Radiator Ends, Cu/Al Radiators and Cu/Al Radiators/Fe held steady on the Index.
Harness Wire 35% Recovery and Romex Wire each increased $0.02 per lb.
Heater Cores gained $0.01 per lb.
Scrap Electric Motors, Starters, Sealed Units and Xmas Lights recorded no change on the Index.
Aluminum Scrap Prices
1100 Scrap, 3003 Scrap, 356 Aluminum Wheels, 6063 Extrusions/Fe, 6061 Extrusions, 5052 Scrap and 6063 Extrusions each edged higher by $0.01 per lb.
Al/Cu Radiators, Al/Cu Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Radiators, Aluminum Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Transformers and Breakage 50% Recovery were unchanged on a daily basis.
E.C. Aluminum Wire posted the strongest listed aluminum move, rising $0.02 per lb on the Index.
Chrome Wheels, Litho Sheets, MLC Clips, Mixed Aluminum Turnings, Old Cast, UBC, Old Sheet, Painted Siding and Zorba 90% NF each increased $0.01 per lb.
Steel Scrap Prices
North American steel scrap prices were unchanged across the listed grades.
- #1 Bundle: No change
- #1 Busheling: Held steady
- #1 HMS: Flat
- HMS 80/20: Unchanged
Sheet Metal was flat on the Index.
Shredded Auto Scrap and Structural Steel also recorded no variation.
Stainless Steel Scrap Prices
201 SS and 301 SS prices were unchanged on the Index.
304 SS Solid, 304 SS Turning and 309 SS were flat from the previous day.
310 SS, 330 SS and 316 SS Solid also recorded no day-over-day movement.
Brass/Bronze Scrap Prices
Brass and bronze scrap prices posted widespread gains across the North American Index.
70/30 Brass Scrap, 80/20 Brass Scrap, 85/15 Brass Scrap and Brass Radiator each increased $0.02 per lb.
Brass Radiator/Fe and Brass Radiator Ends were unchanged from the previous day's price levels.
Red Brass, Red Borings and Yellow Brass each rose $0.02 per lb.
Weekly Context Shows Non-Ferrous Strength, Steel Stability
The September 3 daily advance came at the end of a week in which several North American non-ferrous grades also finished higher. For August 28 through September 3, E.C. Aluminum Wire gained 2.05% week over week, while #1 Copper Bare Bright rose 0.46% and #1 and #2 Copper Wire and Tubing each advanced 0.47%. Major steel grades, including #1 HMS, Shredded Auto Scrap, HMS 80/20 and #1 Busheling, remained unchanged over the week.
