Scrap metal is one of the few things you recycle that pays you back. A scrap yard weighs what you bring, sorts it by type, and hands you cash or a check based on the going rate per pound. Metal is worth recycling because it can be melted and reused endlessly with no loss in quality, and remelting scrap uses a fraction of the energy of making metal from raw ore. Knowing how yards sort and price metal is the difference between a fair payout and leaving money on the table.
Ferrous versus non-ferrous
Every scrap yard divides metal into two families, and a magnet tells them apart in a second.
Ferrous metal contains iron and sticks to a magnet. This is steel and iron, so think appliances, car bodies, structural steel, pipe, and most of the heavy metal around a house. Ferrous scrap is the most recycled material by weight, and steel is recycled more than any other material in the country. It pays the least per pound because it is common, so its value comes from volume.
Non-ferrous metal does not stick to a magnet, and this is where the money is. Copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, and lead all fall here, and they pay several times more per pound than steel. Non-ferrous metal does not rust and holds its value well, so it is worth pulling out into its own pile to earn the higher rate.
What pays the most
Among the metals a household is likely to have, this is the rough pecking order from most to least valuable per pound:
- Copper is the prize. Bright, clean copper wire and pipe pays the most, and even insulated wire and copper with solder on it has real value.
- Brass (faucets, valves, fittings, keys) pays well and is heavier than it looks.
- Aluminum is light but adds up. Cans pay the least of the aluminum grades, while clean aluminum sheet, extrusion, and wheels pay more.
- Stainless steel pays more than regular steel because of its nickel and chromium content.
- Lead from wheel weights and old plumbing has modest value and needs careful handling.
- Steel and iron pay the least by weight but make up the bulk of most loads.
Cleaner and better-sorted metal always pays more. A yard pays a premium for copper stripped of its insulation and docks the price on metal that is mixed, painted, or attached to non-metal parts.
How scrap prices move
The price a yard quotes is not fixed, and it can change week to week. Scrap prices track the global commodity markets for each metal, which rise and fall with construction demand, manufacturing activity, and the broader economy. A yard buys below the market rate so it can profit when it sells to a mill, and it adjusts its posted prices as the market moves. Two practical takeaways follow from this. Call a few yards on the same day, because their offers differ, and if you are sitting on a large load, timing your sale to a stronger market can matter.
How a trip to the yard works
The process is simple once you know it. You drive in, the yard weighs your vehicle loaded, you unload into the sorted bins, and it weighs you again empty. The difference is your scrap weight, multiplied by the per-pound rate for each metal type. Bring a photo ID, because most states require yards to record seller information to deter metal theft. Sort your metal before you arrive so copper, aluminum, brass, and steel go into the right piles, since a mixed load gets paid at the lowest rate in the batch.
Items around the house worth scrapping
Old appliances, water heaters, and grills are mostly steel and are worth hauling in. Copper pipe left from a plumbing job, aluminum window frames, brass fixtures, and stripped electrical wire all pay better. Large appliances that contain refrigerant, such as refrigerators and air conditioners, need the refrigerant removed first, which the household items guide covers. When a load is small and mostly cans, curbside handles it fine, and a scrap run makes more sense once you have real weight or non-ferrous metal to sell.
Questions people ask
Do I need to remove wire insulation? You do not have to, but bare bright copper pays more than insulated wire. For a large quantity of heavy-gauge wire, stripping it can be worth the effort. For a handful of cords, it is not.
Will a yard take a whole appliance? Most take steel appliances as-is. Refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners are the exception, because their refrigerant must be recovered by a certified technician before the metal is scrapped.
How do I find a scrap yard? Search a national recycling locator or a scrap-specific directory by ZIP code, then call for that day's prices. The recycling center finder explains the search step by step.
Is it worth saving aluminum cans for scrap? Cans pay the lowest aluminum rate, so a bag of cans is worth a few dollars at most. In a bottle-deposit state, redeeming them for the deposit usually pays more than scrapping them.