North American Copper Scrap Jumps 14¢ as Non-Ferrous Prices Rise Broadly

North American scrap buying benchmarks moved broadly higher on September 17, led by a $0.14-per-lb jump across major clean copper grades. Brass and bronze gained as much as $0.03 per lb, most aluminum grades rose $0.01, and stainless steel advanced across nearly every listed category. Steel remained unchanged.

By Carolina Curiel
Published September 18, 2026
Market data: September 17, 2026

MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): North American scrap metal prices moved broadly higher on the ScrapMonster Price Index on Thursday, September 17, 2026, with the largest gains concentrated in copper.

#1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing, #1 Copper Bare Bright and #3 Copper-Light Copper each jumped $0.14 per lb, marking a sharp acceleration from the $0.03-per-lb gains recorded in the previous session.

Brass and bronze also strengthened, with most major listed grades adding $0.03 per lb. Aluminum posted widespread but smaller $0.01-per-lb increases, while stainless steel advanced across every listed grade except 201 SS.

Steel remained the exception to the broader non-ferrous move, with all tracked grades unchanged.

Copper Scrap Prices

Copper posted the strongest movement of the September 17 session, with gains extending well beyond the major clean grades.

#1 Copper Wire and Tubing, #2 Copper Wire and Tubing, #1 Copper Bare Bright and #3 Copper-Light Copper each increased by $0.14 per lb.

#1 Insulated Copper Wire with 85% Recovery and #2 Insulated Copper Wire with 50% Recovery each gained $0.03 per lb.

Copper Radiator Scrap advanced $0.04 per lb.

Harness Wire with 35% Recovery and Romex Wire each increased $0.03 per lb, while Heater Cores rose $0.02 per lb.

Alternator Scrap, Copper Transformer Scrap and Cu Yokes gained $0.01 per lb.

Scrap Electric Motors, Starters, Sealed Units and Xmas Lights also advanced by $0.01 per lb.

Cu/Al Radiator Ends, Cu/Al Radiators and Cu/Al Radiators/Fe were unchanged.

Copper Extends a Volatile Week

The 14-cent increase capped a volatile stretch for the North American copper scrap market.

Major clean grades fell $0.13 per lb on September 14, then recovered $0.05 on September 15 and another $0.03 on September 16 before Thursday’s $0.14 jump.

Across the full September 11-17 reporting period, major benchmark copper grades still finished approximately $0.12 per lb higher, according to ScrapMonster’s weekly market report.

Exchange Copper Also Strengthens

The stronger scrap tape came alongside firmer exchange-traded copper markets.

COMEX copper futures closed September 17 at approximately $6.6210 per lb, while the London Metal Exchange three-month copper closing price stood near $14,491.50 per metric ton.

Physical buying signals from China also strengthened during the week. The Yangshan copper premium, a closely watched gauge of Chinese demand for imported metal, climbed to $118 per metric ton, its highest level in nearly four years.

The exchange and physical-market moves provide useful benchmark context for the scrap market, although scrap buying prices do not move one-for-one with futures and can vary significantly by grade, region and buyer.

Aluminum Scrap Prices

Aluminum moved higher across a broad group of grades, although the increases were considerably smaller than in copper.

1100 Scrap, 3003 Scrap, 356 Aluminum Wheels, 6063 Extrusions/Fe, 6061 Extrusions, 5052 Scrap and 6063 Extrusions each gained $0.01 per lb.

Breakage with 50% Recovery, 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 increased by $0.01 per lb.

Al/Cu Radiators, Al/Cu Radiators/Fe, Aluminum Radiators, Aluminum Radiators/Fe and Aluminum Transformers remained unchanged.

The move represented a broader aluminum advance than the previous session, when E.C. Aluminum Wire was the only listed aluminum category to rise.

Steel Scrap Prices

Steel continued to show no day-over-day movement.

#1 Bundle, #1 Busheling and #1 HMS remained unchanged.

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

The flat steel tape contrasted with the gains across most of the non-ferrous categories tracked by the Index.

Stainless Steel Scrap Prices

Stainless steel returned to positive territory after holding flat in the previous session.

301 SS, 304 SS Solid, 304 SS Turning, 309 SS and 316 SS Solid each increased by $0.01 per lb.

310 SS gained $0.02 per lb, while 330 SS posted the largest stainless move with a $0.03-per-lb increase.

201 SS was unchanged.

Brass/Bronze Scrap Prices

Brass and bronze extended their recent gains with a stronger move on September 17.

70/30 Brass Scrap, 80/20 Brass Scrap, 85/15 Brass Scrap and Brass Radiator each increased $0.03 per lb.

Red Brass, Red Borings and Yellow Brass also gained $0.03 per lb.

Brass Radiator/Fe and Brass Radiator Ends remained unchanged.

The advance accelerated from the previous session, when the same major brass categories had increased by $0.01 per lb.

Market Read

September 17 marked the broadest positive North American scrap session of the week.

Copper clearly led the move, with the 14-cent increase in the major clean grades more than offsetting Monday’s 13-cent decline. Brass and bronze also strengthened, while aluminum participation widened considerably and stainless returned to gains.

The external copper backdrop was constructive as well, with both COMEX and LME copper trading at elevated levels and physical demand indicators in China improving.

The important distinction for scrap-market participants is that Thursday’s strength was not confined to a single grade. Gains spread across clean copper, insulated wire, radiators, motors, aluminum, stainless and brass, giving the session a broader non-ferrous tone than the previous several trading days.

Steel remained the clear exception, with the major ferrous grades showing no daily movement.