Scrap Metal Prices UK today — per kg and per tonne (25 Oct)

Scrap Copper Price Per KG

Dry bright copper wire has the highest listed upper price for this group at £9.00 – £9.20 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026. The named headline grade is dry bright copper wire; it means bare, uncoated wire rather than an insulated cable weighed with its plastic still attached. Copper braziery is listed separately at £7.30 – £7.50 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026. They are not interchangeable grades.

A common mistake is putting soldered pipe, brass fittings and bright wire in one bag, then expecting the wire rate for everything. Keep those grades separate. A useful preparation step is to remove accessible brass fittings from copper pipe when it is safe, and retain the fittings as a separate brass lot. Do not burn insulation or attempt electrical work on connected cable. Ask the buyer to identify doubtful material before spending time stripping or cutting it.

Scrap Brass Price Per KG

Mixed brass has the highest listed upper price for this group at £4.80 – £5.00 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026. Mixed brass is the only brass grade with a confirmed price on this list, so there is no evidence here for a separate premium clean-brass rate. Typical material includes brass taps, valves and fittings. Brass is a copper-zinc alloy; its yellow colour helps distinguish exposed brass from the reddish appearance of copper.

A common mistake is treating every gold-coloured fitting as solid brass. Plated steel can look similar, while steel screws or spindles may remain inside a genuine brass body. Use a magnet to locate obvious steel attachments, then remove accessible screws, plastic handles and rubber washers where safe. Keep the resulting brass separate from copper and zinc. Cleaning does not guarantee a higher rate.

Scrap Aluminium Price Per KG

Ali/Cu radiators has the highest listed upper price for this group at £3.20 – £3.50 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026. That special mixed-metal grade is not the headline price for ordinary aluminium. Clean mixed HE9 is £1.00 – £1.40 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026, while aluminium wheels are £1.00 – £1.30 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026. HE9 commonly describes aluminium extrusion, not any silver-coloured frame.

A common mistake is valuing a whole window frame as clean aluminium when it still contains glass, rubber, steel screws or plastic breaks. Those attachments are not aluminium and affect grading. Remove accessible non-metal parts safely, and keep wheels, rolled sheet and extruded profiles in separate lots. Do not assume unpriced cast aluminium has the HE9 rate: no price for a missing grade is implied. The buyer must identify the alloy and condition, especially where coatings, bonded materials or inserts make the grade uncertain.

Scrap Lead Price Per KG

Lead has the highest listed upper price for this group at £1.10 – £1.15 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026. Lead is the only confirmed grade in this group, so the table cannot establish a premium roofing, pipe or wheel-weight rate. Lead sheet and flashing are dense, soft materials; the weight matters more than the apparent size of the bundle. The separate lead-acid battery row must not be valued as clean lead, because a battery includes its case, electrolyte and other materials.

A common mistake is leaving mortar, felt or steel nails attached and expecting the lead rate for the total load. Remove loose attachments where safe, keep clean sheet separate from uncertain wheel weights, and tell the buyer about contamination. Wear gloves, wash your hands afterwards, and avoid eating while handling lead. Do not melt lead or open batteries to extract it. Keep evidence that roofing lead is yours to sell.

Scrap Stainless Steel Price Per KG

316 stainless solids has the highest listed upper price for this group at £1.00 – £1.20 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026. The other confirmed grade, 18/8 stainless solids, is £0.60 – £0.70 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026. The difference is tied to the alloy grade, not simply how shiny the surface looks. Grade 316 contains molybdenum as well as chromium and nickel; ordinary steel is a different stream and should not be valued at a stainless rate.

A common mistake is relying on a magnet alone to label a whole load as 316. Some stainless is magnetic, and cold working can change its response; a magnet does not establish the alloy. Keep clearly marked 316 items separate from unidentified stainless and retain readable grade markings. Remove accessible ordinary steel brackets, wood and plastic before presenting the material. If markings are missing, ask the buyer to test it rather than guessing. A shiny surface does not establish grade 316.

Scrap Cable Prices Per KG

Single cables has the highest listed upper price for this group at £3.80 – £4.00 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026. Household cable, the headline grade, is £2.50 – £3.00 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026. Insulated cable is bought as a complete cable grade: the listed weight includes insulation, and the recoverable metal content affects its value. A single-core cable and thin household flex can therefore command different rates even when both contain copper.

A common mistake is multiplying the full insulated-cable weight by the dry bright copper price. That assumes the plastic is copper and overstates the estimate. Sort cable by construction, keep aluminium conductors apart from copper conductors, and remove accessible plugs or connectors once the cable is disconnected and safe. Never burn insulation. Weigh stripping time against the recoverable copper, not the full cable weight. Ask the buyer to confirm unfamiliar data, armoured or mineral-insulated cable instead of assigning a grade from appearance alone.

Scrap Iron Price Per Tonne

Heavy iron has the highest listed upper price for this group at £130 – £150 per tonne, verified 25 Oct 2026. Heavy iron is quoted here in its original per-tonne unit. Mixed iron is £120 per tonne, verified 25 Oct 2026, and light iron is £70 per tonne, verified 25 Oct 2026. The kg column shows the equivalent rate, not a different buying offer. Heavy, mixed and light ferrous loads should therefore be compared within their own grades.

A common mistake is reading a per-tonne figure as pounds per kg, which overvalues the load by a thousand times. Check the unit before estimating a small amount. Separate heavy pieces from thin sheet where practical, drain water from old radiators, and remove accessible brass valves for a separate brass lot. Use suitable lifting equipment for dense scrap; do not cut sealed vessels or dismantle hazardous appliances to chase a better grade. Ask the buyer to grade uncertain cast iron or composite items.

How to convert per tonne to per kg

One metric tonne is 1,000 kg. Divide a price per tonne by 1,000 to get the kg rate; multiply a kg rate by 1,000 to get the tonne rate. Both columns describe the same price.

For example, dry bright copper wire at £9,000 – £9,200 per tonne is £9.00 – £9.20 per kg, verified 25 Oct 2026.

Ferrous vs non-ferrous

Ferrous metals are iron-based, including ordinary steel and stainless steel. Copper, brass, aluminium, lead and zinc are non-ferrous. A magnet helps find ordinary iron or steel, but cannot reliably identify a stainless alloy. Sort by material and grade, not colour alone; stainless should not be mixed with ordinary iron.

How these prices are set and checked

Yard buying prices reflect recoverable metal, market demand and processing costs; condition and attachments affect grading. We enter Simvic’s supplied prices by hand, retain the original units and record verification dates. Collection quotes stay separate. Old prices are flagged rather than silently refreshed, and the calculator excludes records outside its freshness window.