The Five Variables Behind a Scrap Price
A scrap metal price is not one number but the product of several variables. The first is grade: for the same tonnage, copper and scrap iron are worlds apart. The second is impurity level — the conductor content in cable scrap, or paint and coating residue on sheet scrap, feeds straight into the price. The third is degree of preparation: cut, pressed and sized scrap commands a higher price than an unprocessed mixed lot.
The fourth variable is tonnage. Larger lots improve the unit price because they bring economies of scale in both transport and processing. The fifth is the delivery point: the gap between delivery at the yard and delivery at the port or the buyer's plant is precisely the transport cost per tonne. Our quotes state all five variables openly, so you can see in advance how the price moves if you improve any one of them.
- Grade: the price gap between ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless
- Impurity level and conductor or metal content
- Degree of preparation: cut, pressed, sized
- Tonnage and delivery point (yard, port, buyer's plant)


