Scrap Metal Prices in Canada

Scrap Metal Prices Per Pound

Last Updated On 2024-12-20

All of the prices that are listed on this website are a direct representation of a variety of local scrap metal yard's prices for a range of metal types. Please get into contact with us if you are searching for prices in a specific province or region in Canada, or elsewhere around the world.

International Scrap Metal Prices

If you are interested in finding out what the scrap metal prices are across the border in America, or elsewhere around the world, please follow the relevant links below for more information. We provide this information in a similar format to how we do on this page and obtain the prices from local scrap metal dealers across the country in question.

• USA
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• Spain
• United Kingdom

It's important to recognize that you can make much more money from your scrap metal in certain countries. However, the United States often has the highest prices for recycled metal compared to any other countries in the world - with the exception of some European nations where there is a perpetual shortage of most metals. Some countries that frequently mine scrap metal will constantly have low prices and unfortunately that is unlikely to change. Wherever the demand for scrap is high, that is where you can expect to make the most money. Canada has a fairly high price, but many people are exporting across the border into the United States to make even more money from their copper and aluminum.

Scrap Gold Price

Below you find today's prices for scrap gold.

The current scrap price of gold varies from day to day and depends on the purity, which is measured in carats. Even though the purest gold will get you the highest price for your scrap, it's not very common to have 24ct gold that you can scrap. Most people will have 14ct gold and you'll find it's very common to trade that in.

Scrap Silver and other Precious Metals

Below we have listed today's prices for the other precious scrap metals.

Silver is the most common precious scrap material that people have in their possession, but unfortunately also the one that fetches the lowest price. You'll mostly find that in jewelry such as bracelets, earrings and necklaces and it's not really worth to scrap it for the scrap price in those cases. You may want to try to sell it for the jewelry value instead.

How To Get The Best Price

In order for you to truly make some good money by recycling all of your home's scrap metal, you need to consider a number of things - firstly, what metal do you have at the moment. Some metals are worth a lot more than others, you can contrast and compare the various scrap metal prices per pound by using the table above. If you can find some rarer materials, you will often make more money than selling copious amounts of other cheap metals.

Second, you need to ensure that the scrap yard you visit is going to be providing you with a good price for your product. Many people will simply just go ahead and take all of their metal to any dealer they come across, this often leads to getting a poor price and this is unfortunate. It's easy for you to avoid this situation, simply find a number of different scrap yards near you, call them and explain what you would like to sell. Then simply compare the different prices that each of them offer and a decision about where to go will be very easy to make.

The third and final thing you must consider is when you are selling your scrap. There are seasonal pricing trends for scrap metal, sometimes the prices spike and sometimes they are rock bottom. These fluctuations can be so great that at certain times during the year it is hardly worth trying to sell anything. Make sure you are aware about when they occur in your local region of Canada.

Our Regions

We currently provide scrap metal prices in a number of different cities throughout Canada; Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Hamilton, Brampton, Calgary, Edmonton and many more. If you would like to request prices for where you are currently based, get into contact with the team and we will find some scrap yards near you. The majority of recycling facilities in Canada accept a variety of different metals, however prices do vary dramatically from city to city. The most popular metals being sold across the country include copper, aluminum, steel and iron. Some of the more niche dealers will accept materials such as magnesium, nickel, tin, lead and zinc, however these are typically less common.

Some of the less commonly known cities in Canada also have scrap metal facilities within them where it's possible to sell your scrap. Below is a list of all of the other, non-major cities, in Canada that have a dealer within them: Mississauga, Winnipeg, Quebec City, Surrey, Laval, Halifax, London, Markham, Vaughan, Gatineau, Saskatoon, Longueuil, Kitchener, Burnaby, Windsor, Regina, Richmond, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Burlington, Greater Sudbury, Sherbrooke, Oshawa, Saguenay, Lévis, Barrie, Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Trois-Rivières, St. Catharines, Guelph, Cambridge, Whitby, Kelowna, Kingston, Ajax, Langley, Saanich, Terrebonne, Milton, St. John's, Thunder Bay, Waterloo and Delta. As you can see, there aren't exactly a shortage of places where you can get a great price for your scrap metal in Canada. In fact, there is an absolute abundance and it shouldn't be too difficult to get cash for you.

Why Do We Recycle Scrap?

It is clear that there are so many different reasons for why we recycle scrap metal currently, for the majority this is a monetary focus. In fact, most people who are visiting this website are solely here because they are aware of the amount of money you can make from scrap in Canada. However, it's important to recognize that this isn't the only reason that people recycle metal. Some people are recycling simply because they have accumulated so much scrap metal in their houses that they are sick of having it around. In many areas of Canada, scrap metal pollution is a real risk to health, this is where the metal elements begin to leak out into the local environment and it causes damage to the ecosystem. Some of the most dangerous scrap metals include copper, lead, magnesium and zinc. Removing the scrap from these regions not only prevents this, but it also makes the area look considerably nicer too, allowing nature to flourish.

Another great benefit of recycling scrap metal in Canada is that it reduces the need for mining facilities to continue pillaging the Earth for more materials. Mining also destroys ecosystems around the world, by reducing the demand for mining, you are saving the planet. Ultimately, the more we recycle scrap metal, the more the demand will decrease and therefore companies will stop mining to maintain high prices. Ultimately, it is possible for us to use and reuse scrap metal an unlimited amount of times because every time the same amount of each element remains in tact.

If you live in a particularly polluted area of Canada, such as Toronto or Calgary, you might be more interested in reducing this pollution. This could be your way of contributing towards a healthier city. Metal extraction, or mining, contribute massively towards air pollution levels. In some areas this is more of a problem than in others, however it seems to impact mines located close to major cities in Canada.

Different Types of Scrap Metal

There are so many different types of scrap metal, and I'm not only talking about unique metal elements here, I'm talking about grades of scrap metal. People who are new to searching for scrap metal prices per pound or per kilo in Canada are usually not even aware what a metal grade is. Without knowing what grade your scrap metal is, you are severely hindered in being able to identify how much money you should get for your metal.

Fortunately, it is not too difficult to begin with, you should first probably do some reading about ferrous and non-ferrous metals. A ferrous metal is one that contains iron and a non-ferrous metal is the opposite. In knowing this, it is easily to then determine that ferrous metals are materials like steel or obviously, iron. Non-ferrous metals are often much more expensive than ferrous metals, however it's definitely worth taking both of them over to a scrap yard as you can get a great price if your metal is of high quality.

It's possible to find both ferrous and non-ferrous metals all over the place, however one place that people often forget to look is within their own homes. Yes, that's correct, there are ample sources of both of these metal variants all over your house. I personally find mine within items such as old hair dryers, microwaves, radios, televisions and monitor screens. It's important, as with any type of scrap metal, to ensure that you remove all of the cabling from it before taking it over to a scrap recycling facility for evaluation, this is because they are usually not too keen to receive it with it still on.

Non-ferrous metals, the most valuable variant, are also found throughout your home. There are many different types of these metals, but the most commonly sold are copper and aluminum. Some other examples include gold, silver, magnesium, zinc, nickel, tin, lead and brass. As I mentioned previously, non-ferrous metals are worth the most and should definitely be sold as you will always get a good price for these materials.

The Truth About Scrap Metal Prices

Scrap Metal Grades

As I mentioned previously, metal grade is an important factor when it comes to determining how much a piece of scrap metal is worth to a dealer. There are three different types of scrap metal grade, from one to three. Each of these grades has distinct characteristics that will be identified prior to being sold. If scrap metal has been taken to a dealer containing a mix of these different grades, it will be separated into different piles and the value of each pile will be calculated individually. The best scrap metal prices can be obtained from grade 1, or grade i metals.

Grade 1 scrap metal has a high price per pound in almost all instances, whether you have a ferrous or non-ferrous metal. These metals are pure forms of a specific type of metal, with very few imperfections (also known as alloys). As a result of their purity, they are the most pricey pieces of metal and they are highly sought after within Canada and across the world.

As you would expect, grade 2 metals have a slightly lower quality than grade 1 metals. While they may indeed resemble grade 1 scrap metal, they are typically formed of two or more different types of metal. As a result of this, the scrap dealer will have to separate these after purchasing it and so it is worth slightly less than grade 1 scrap.

Grade 3 metal is the final grading, these are the lowest quality pieces that are often the least valuable types. You will often find copper, aluminum, steel, iron and lead in grade 3 form. However, other scrap metal materials will rarely ever be classified as grade 3 to a scrap yard. In some instances you will be told that your metal is ungraded and therefore not worth very much too.