It is extremely likely that scrap metal prices will increase throughout 2019, there are various factors which will impact this in the UK, as outlined below. Price per tonne = price per kilo x 1000 = 3 x 1000 = £3000.Please take a look at the below example to see this in action: If you know what price you are going to receive for a kilo of your scrap metal, then you simply need to multiply this figure by 1000 to find out what a tonne gets you. How to work out scrap metal prices per tonne? Finally, as discussed in many of the above sections, it is important to recognise that scrap metal prices vary substantially based upon location. Following this, you need to identify what grade of metal you have, there are many variations for each type of metal and so you will need to spend some time researching this. Once you know what metal you have, you need to figure out how much it weighs, in the UK the scrap metal industry utilises the metric system (kilos and tonnes). There are many types of metals which are traded frequently in the scrap metal industry, some of the most popular forms are copper, aluminium and steel.

There are many factors involved in weighing up how much your scrap metal is worth, the main points in order of priority are The opposite also works, you just need to divide the rate per tonne by 1000 to find out how much your scrap metal is worth per kilo. So if you are going to earn £3 per kilo of scrap copper, you will receive £3000 per tonne of it. Consequently it is very easy to work out how much you will get for either of these units. How can I work out the weight of my scrap metal?įortunately in the UK we use the metric system to weigh up scrap metal. We find that the best way to determine a good price in your local area is to phone up all of your dealers and see what they are able to offer you for the metal in question.

We have provided some guidance on this page using aggregated data from local scrap yards in the UK, however it is only an estimate and so take it with a pinch of salt. As a result of these continual price variations, it is notoriously difficult to understand what is a good price and what is not. It is important to note that the prices can vary considerably from one city to another. Conversely if this is not the case, then prices may fluctuate continually. If you live in a region where businesses are readily accepting scrap metal, then it is likely that prices will remain high all year round. These prices are ultimately set by supply and demand at a local level. What are the current prices of scrap metal in the UK?Īs you are probably aware, scrap metal prices are changing continually. The most valuable types of copper are the purest forms and this can be regularly found in wiring, wires, plates or sheeting. If you are lucky, you may already have some pure copper and this is the most valuable type you can possibly have. Essentially you want to be taking only pure copper to be sold, this again is ultimately saving the scrap dealer a job and in return they will offer you a very favourable price for your metal.

Another thing to note is that you will also get a better price if you separate out all of the different grades of copper you have and remove all pieces of additional materials from it. This sounds like a time consuming and difficult job, but it isn’t and will only take you an hour or so, depending on how much scrap copper you have. Doing this will ensure that you don’t get charged any type of fee for the scrap yard needing to clean the metal before they can then sell it on again. The best way to ensure that you get a good price for your metal is to clean the copper before taking it to a dealer. In the United Kingdom scrap copper prices per kilo are regularly changing from dealer to dealer, in fact you can receive almost twice as much if you carefully select who you take your copper to.

Price of copper