Precious Metal Scrap Prices: Weekly Market Report (February 27- March 5, 2026)
Weekly Metal Price Report | 2026-03-06 07:59:52
In the meantime, hallmarked and non-hallmarked silver prices were up slightly up upon comparison with the previous week’s prices.
By Paul Ploumis
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): North American scrap prices for gold and platinum—across both hallmarked and non-hallmarked categories—recorded modest declines during the February 27- March 5, 2026 period on the ScrapMonster Price Index.
In the meantime, hallmarked and non-hallmarked silver prices were up slightly up upon comparison with the previous week’s prices.
Hallmarked Precious Metals Market
Hallmarked scrap gold prices delivered a weak weekly performance, with multiple purity grades posting modest declines on the ScrapMonster Price Index, driven by easing of demand across major recycling streams.
Fourteen-carat scrap gold prices declined by $10.61 per ounce over the week, largely driven by increased profit-taking by investors and a drop in international gold spot prices. Prices for 18-carat scrap gold also moved lower, registering a weekly decrease of $13.61 per ounce during the period.
A modest decline was observed in 22-carat scrap gold, which fell by $16.62 per pound, mainly due to softer global gold prices, a stronger U.S. dollar, rising interest rates, profit-taking in bullion markets, higher scrap supply, and refining costs within the recycling chain.
In addition, lower-grade 9-carat scrap gold followed the downward trend, recording a week-on-week drop of approximately 0.36%.
In the broader precious metals segment, silver scrap prices climbed modestly, advancing 0.41 percent to settle at $65.38 per ounce. The chart below provides the weekly price movement in hallmarked silver:
Platinum scrap recorded a modest decline of 3.9 percent to close the week at a lower rate over the previous week, reflecting changes in both the global platinum market and recycling-sector dynamics.
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Non-Hallmarked Precious Metals Market
Gold scrap prices across major purity segments trended lower during the week amid shifting market dynamics. Fourteen-carat scrap gold declined by $10.03 per ounce, while 18-carat and 22-carat grades registered moderate drops of $12.87 and $15.71 per ounce, respectively.
Lower-purity 9-carat scrap gold also followed the downward trend, posting a week-on-week decline of 0.36%, as shown in the accompanying chart.
Platinum scrap prices delivered a generally weak performance on the ScrapMonster Price Index over the period. The values of the commodity witnessed a dip of 3.9 percent from the prior week’s level of $1,664.17 per ounce.
Silver scrap prices followed an upward trajectory, rising by 0.42 percent compared with the previous week. The dip in prices reflect weaker global silver prices, higher scrap supply, uncertainty over purity, and softer buying interest from refiners and bullion dealers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What was the overall trend in North American precious metal scrap prices during the week?
Gold and platinum scrap prices declined, while silver scrap prices recorded slight weekly increases across both hallmarked and non-hallmarked categories.
- Which gold scrap grades recorded notable declines?
14-carat, 18-carat, and 22-carat scrap gold prices fell during the week, with declines ranging from roughly $10 to $16 per ounce depending on the purity level.
- Why did scrap gold prices decline during the period?
The decline was mainly attributed to profit-taking by investors, softer global gold prices, a stronger U.S. dollar, rising interest rates, and increased scrap supply in recycling channels.
