Results 1 to 17 of 17

Sell your copper and Alu now! Or hold it for a while.

| A Day in the Life of a Scrapper
  1. #1
    520 started this thread.
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2017
    Location
    Tucson AZ
    Posts
    361
    Thanks
    306
    Thanked 579 Times in 231 Posts

    Sell your copper and Alu now! Or hold it for a while.

    I am not sure if everyone throughout the country is going to be affected the same as my local yard but talking to the owner of the yard I go to yesterday and they just dramatically dropped their copper/Aluminum prices. The tariffs that just went into place are causing a hopefully temporary freeze on buyers. Basically copper prices should be up but yards are having a hard time getting rid of copper because of the tariffs.

    So if you were planning on unloading copper/Alu soon and your yard hasn't dropped it's pricing then sell it asap. If it's already dropped it's pricing like my yard then I guess wait if you can.

    Let me know what your guy's yards are doing. Have prices gone down or have they held?

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to 520 for This Post:



  3. #2
    Stargate1's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Loganville, GA
    Posts
    148
    Thanks
    24
    Thanked 116 Times in 59 Posts
    Not sure if my metal yard as dropped their prices, but the e-waste buyer has certainly sent out a notification saying prices may drop in the coming weeks as this whole mess plays out. I am currently planning on stockpiling my aluminum and copper, and just selling steel. Steel, like everyone else I'm sure, is what I get the most of so I can't stockpile it very easily. Anyone know if brass is going to be dramatically affected? I don't get much brass fast, but I was just asking to see if I should stockpile it too. Thanks!

  4. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by Stargate1:


  5. #3
    Patriot76's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Buffalo Commons
    Posts
    2,949
    Thanks
    10,589
    Thanked 7,220 Times in 2,256 Posts
    Prices around here are dropping daily in all categories of metal. I have the storage space and an alternative motive when I cash in so I will continue to add to my reserve.
    Give back more to this world than we take.

  6. The Following 4 Users say Thank You for This Post by Patriot76:


  7. #4
    greytruck's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Thornton, Illinois
    Posts
    1,873
    Thanks
    1,638
    Thanked 1,733 Times in 893 Posts
    June was when it was time to sell, Prices started to fall in july. My game plan is to flip the steel and alum ( they take up too much space ) and hold on the copper, brass and Ins. wire. Here is the current situation around my parts...

    Shred steel was at 190/ ton in June and now at 165/ton

    Copper1 was at $2.72, now 2.23. #2 was at 2.55, now at 2.03

    Yellow Brass was 1.85, now 1.30. Brass breakage was .65 now .30

    #2 ins wire was at $1.20 and now .93 (still not to bad)

    Alum prices all dropped between .10-.05 a lb depending on catagory

    Sealed units dropped from .12 down .08

    Electric motors down from .13 to .10

    Lead dropped .05 a lb

    I love higher prices as much as everyone else, but now is when the competition drops and you get to make new contacts. Still not as bad as the last drop a few years ago.... Yet? ? ? ?

  8. The Following 6 Users say Thank You for This Post by greytruck:


  9. #5
    RLS0812's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Bucks County Pennsylvania
    Posts
    895
    Thanks
    155
    Thanked 633 Times in 358 Posts
    I don't bother playing the 'numbers game'. I sell whatever I have once the storage bins fill up.
    Maybe if I had more volume it would be worth "holding on" to certain metals, but as it is, the garage has very limited space.


    On a side note: I still buy some 10# - 60# electric motors for a bit more than yard price

  10. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by RLS0812:


  11. #6
    Stargate1's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Loganville, GA
    Posts
    148
    Thanks
    24
    Thanked 116 Times in 59 Posts
    I am definitely holding onto my Cu, Al, and brass. I just picked up 20 5-gallon buckets from my former high school, so I now have storage space. As for steel, I am selling it as I fill up my space for it. For now though, I do agree with greytruck here. I'ts like the stock market. You don't make money until you trade-in, and when prices drop its like the commodities going on sale! Buy now while prices are low, and sell when they go back up.

  12. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by Stargate1:


  13. #7
    SKWrapper's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Posts
    377
    Thanks
    578
    Thanked 404 Times in 203 Posts
    Prices haven't changed here for non-ferrous. If they do go down - well guess I will be collecting less and investing more. Every Saturday I turn in my copper, aluminum and other non-ferrous stuff i've collected during the week to a yard 2 miles from my house that pays the best - the yard I normally visit doesn't pay much for copper but has long hours (even open on Sunday) and pays the same as everywhere else for large scale scrap metal - 110/ton, still not too far from my house.

  14. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by SKWrapper:


  15. #8
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Boise, ID
    Posts
    2,702
    Thanks
    2,237
    Thanked 2,352 Times in 1,014 Posts
    I picked up another mortgage so I feel it's in my best interest, (pun may/may not be intended) to get it paid off asap. I haul stuff in as I have a load. I don't accumulate stuff fast enough to offset $500+/month in interest.


  16. The Following 4 Users say Thank You for This Post by IdahoScrapper:


  17. #9
    CopperSquirrel's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jul 2016
    Location
    North Dakota
    Posts
    26
    Thanks
    3
    Thanked 62 Times in 20 Posts
    At this point, I am keeping everything, until the price goes up. It is alot of work to tear down scrap to sell. I don't think I should sell at low prices, which would be giving my labor away.

  18. The Following 3 Users say Thank You for This Post by CopperSquirrel:


  19. #10
    greytruck's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Thornton, Illinois
    Posts
    1,873
    Thanks
    1,638
    Thanked 1,733 Times in 893 Posts
    Copper, Brass, Aluminum, Stainless, Lead, Wire and ACR's all down again. Copper1 down .20 and #2 down .30.
    Last edited by greytruck; 08-18-2018 at 02:02 PM.

  20. The Following User Says Thank You to greytruck for This Post:


  21. #11
    sathyashrayan's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Chennai
    Posts
    22
    Thanks
    14
    Thanked 31 Times in 13 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by greytruck View Post
    June was when it was time to sell, Prices started to fall in july. My game plan is to flip the steel and alum ( they take up too much space ) and hold on the copper, brass and Ins. wire. Here is the current situation around my parts...

    Shred steel was at 190/ ton in June and now at 165/ton

    Copper1 was at $2.72, now 2.23. #2 was at 2.55, now at 2.03

    Yellow Brass was 1.85, now 1.30. Brass breakage was .65 now .30

    #2 ins wire was at $1.20 and now .93 (still not to bad)

    Alum prices all dropped between .10-.05 a lb depending on catagory

    Sealed units dropped from .12 down .08

    Electric motors down from .13 to .10

    Lead dropped .05 a lb

    I love higher prices as much as everyone else, but now is when the competition drops and you get to make new contacts. Still not as bad as the last drop a few years ago.... Yet? ? ? ?
    I tried to do some price calculation the Al for MT (1000kg)
    1kg is 2.20462 lb
    As per this info one lb Al price is .10
    2.20462 x .10 = 0.220462 USD per KG
    0.220462×1000 KG = 220.462 USD FOB Aprox
    Am I nearing to the calculation or I got it all wrong?

  22. #12
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Las Vegas
    Posts
    1,306
    Thanks
    3,232
    Thanked 1,922 Times in 785 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by sathyashrayan View Post
    I tried to do some price calculation the Al for MT (1000kg)
    1kg is 2.20462 lb
    As per this info one lb Al price is .10
    2.20462 x .10 = 0.220462 USD per KG
    0.220462×1000 KG = 220.462 USD FOB Aprox
    Am I nearing to the calculation or I got it all wrong?
    Not wrong maths just a small misunderstanding. Believe greytruck was saying not that Al was $.10/lb, but that the price had fallen by about $.10/lb. So for the higher market price each KG is around $1.98/kg ($.91/lb) and for selling at a local yard between $.71/kg-$1.43/kg ($.32/lb-.65/lb), varying quite a bit depending on the kind of aluminum and your location.

  23. The Following 3 Users say Thank You for This Post by JJinLV:


  24. #13
    greytruck's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Thornton, Illinois
    Posts
    1,873
    Thanks
    1,638
    Thanked 1,733 Times in 893 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by sathyashrayan View Post
    I tried to do some price calculation the Al for MT (1000kg)
    1kg is 2.20462 lb
    As per this info one lb Al price is .10
    2.20462 x .10 = 0.220462 USD per KG
    0.220462×1000 KG = 220.462 USD FOB Aprox
    Am I nearing to the calculation or I got it all wrong?
    JJ is right, Price down .10 a lb depending on the catagory. Didnt want to type out all the different types of aluminum and there prices.

    Example: Cast Alum was .40/lb, dropped to .30 and now .25/lb
    Last edited by greytruck; 08-19-2018 at 11:27 AM.

  25. The Following 3 Users say Thank You for This Post by greytruck:


  26. #14
    sathyashrayan's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Chennai
    Posts
    22
    Thanks
    14
    Thanked 31 Times in 13 Posts
    Thanks JJinLV and greytruck for the reply..


    Every time I calculate the price per ton (1000kg) it always puzzles me.
    I take alibaba as the deciding factor. But that always goes wrong when I read several discussion threads from here.
    I have received some random quotation for 350 USD per ton CIF (UBC scrap) form some suppliers. I guess wire, 6063 and alloy wheel might be higher compared to UBC.
    Let me show this example link from alibaba https://www.alibaba.com/countrysearc...ion-scrap.html
    On average its less than 500 UDS per MT.
    Is there any risk factor involved when we go for B2B website like alibaba?
    I am taking alibaba as an example and not to let down that website. The above is my personal view.
    Just to let the readers know why I am curious about MT price of Aluminium.
    I have submitted my business proposal to banks for aluminium recycle plant and awaiting for the result.
    And the location is not in USA though.

  27. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by sathyashrayan:


  28. #15
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Las Vegas
    Posts
    1,306
    Thanks
    3,232
    Thanked 1,922 Times in 785 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by sathyashrayan View Post
    Thanks JJinLV and greytruck for the reply..


    Every time I calculate the price per ton (1000kg) it always puzzles me.
    I take alibaba as the deciding factor. But that always goes wrong when I read several discussion threads from here.
    I have received some random quotation for 350 USD per ton CIF (UBC scrap) form some suppliers. I guess wire, 6063 and alloy wheel might be higher compared to UBC.
    Let me show this example link from alibaba https://www.alibaba.com/countrysearc...ion-scrap.html
    On average its less than 500 UDS per MT.
    Is there any risk factor involved when we go for B2B website like alibaba?
    I am taking alibaba as an example and not to let down that website. The above is my personal view.
    Just to let the readers know why I am curious about MT price of Aluminium.
    I have submitted my business proposal to banks for aluminium recycle plant and awaiting for the result.
    And the location is not in USA though.
    Never used Alibaba before and never sold extruded Al by the ton yet. Can tell you that if I filled the back of my pickup all the way up with windows, removed the extruded aluminum and took it to any public yard would get more for that 350-400lbs than what alibaba is quoting per ton or metric ton which makes me question it as a solid source, as does how many quotes for aluminum on the page are attached to pictures of plastic bag bales. Glad you're reading the old threads on here. If ever anything isn't clear just ask.

  29. #16
    Patriot76's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Buffalo Commons
    Posts
    2,949
    Thanks
    10,589
    Thanked 7,220 Times in 2,256 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Stargate1 View Post
    Not sure if my metal yard as dropped their prices, but the e-waste buyer has certainly sent out a notification saying prices may drop in the coming weeks as this whole mess plays out. I am currently planning on stockpiling my aluminum and copper, and just selling steel. Steel, like everyone else I'm sure, is what I get the most of so I can't stockpile it very easily. Anyone know if brass is going to be dramatically affected? I don't get much brass fast, but I was just asking to see if I should stockpile it too. Thanks!
    Given the prices around here I would stock pile all non-ferrous if you have room, including brass. I am even stockpiling steel.

  30. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by Patriot76:


  31. #17
    520 started this thread.
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Dec 2017
    Location
    Tucson AZ
    Posts
    361
    Thanks
    306
    Thanked 579 Times in 231 Posts
    Price of prepared steel has dropped $25 a ton. Looks like I'll start stock piling that as well. #1 copper down .40 I didn't even bother asking for other prices when I called the yard.


  32. Similar threads on the Scrap Metal Forum

    1. Replies: 37
      Last Post: 06-11-2017, 06:56 PM
    2. this thread has a poll - Copper Wire: Sell, Strip or Hold.
      By BigTime in forum Scrap Metal Tips and Advice
      Replies: 8
      Last Post: 12-19-2013, 09:45 AM
    3. Current Prices. Sell or Hold?
      By DrJamesDaddy in forum Scrap Metal Prices
      Replies: 15
      Last Post: 11-28-2012, 01:07 PM
    4. Hold on to your copper
      By scrapsearcher in forum Scrap Metal Spots
      Replies: 17
      Last Post: 04-15-2012, 02:51 AM

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

 
Browse the Most Recent Threads
On SMF In THIS CATEGORY.





OR

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

The Scrap Metal Forum

    The Scrap Metal Forum is the #1 scrap metal recycling community in the world. Here we talk about the scrap metal business, making money, where we connect with other scrappers, scrap yards and more.

SMF on Facebook and Twitter

Twitter Facebook