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Scrap Yards: How to Sell Your Scrap Metal

A scrap yard is a business that buys old and unwanted metal, weighs it, grades it, and pays you for it. The metal is then sorted and sent on for recycling, where it can be melted down and used again.

A good yard makes the process clear. They tell you how they graded your metal, what it weighed, and what price they paid for that grade. This page explains how a normal visit works, how to prepare before you go, and how to make sure the price you get is fair.

Before you load your vehicle, check the current indicative prices first so you know roughly what your metal should be worth.

Check Scrap Metal Prices

What a scrap yard does

Most scrap yards follow the same basic steps:

1. They receive your metal. You bring in scrap from a home clean-out, a workshop, a building job, or an old vehicle or appliance.
2. They identify and sort it. Copper, aluminum, brass, steel and other metals are worth different amounts, so the yard separates them by type and grade.
3. They weigh it. Small loads may go on a platform scale. Large loads are often weighed on a truck scale — the vehicle is weighed full, then weighed again empty.
4. They grade it. Clean, single-metal loads earn more. Mixed or dirty loads usually earn less, because the yard must do extra work to sort and clean them.
5. They pay you. You get a ticket that should show the metal, the grade, the weight and the price. Keep this ticket.
6. They send the metal on. Sorted scrap goes to processors and mills, where it is recycled into new metal products.

Not every yard accepts every item. Some yards take cars, batteries or catalytic converters and some do not. If you have an unusual item, call the yard first and ask.

Before you go: how to prepare

A little sorting at home can make a real difference to what you are paid.

• Check prices first. Look at the current prices page so a very low offer is easy to spot.
• Sort by metal type. Keep copper with copper, aluminum with aluminum, brass with brass. Use a magnet to help you: if a magnet sticks, the metal is usually a ferrous metal like steel or iron. If it does not stick, it is usually non-ferrous, like copper, aluminum or brass. Read the difference in our ferrous vs non-ferrous guide.
• Keep top grades separate. Clean copper pipe or wire should not be mixed with lower grades. Mixed loads are often paid at the lower grade.
• Remove easy extras. Take off plastic, wood, rubber or steel screws and brackets where it is quick and safe to do so. Do not cut open sealed tanks, sealed units or items with refrigerant — ask the yard about those instead.
• Group small items. Put small pieces in boxes or buckets so nothing is lost and weighing is faster.
• Ask what to bring. Some yards ask for ID for some items. Rules are different in different places, so ask your yard what they need before you travel.

At the yard: what happens

1. Arrival. Staff will tell you where to go. Follow their directions — yards are busy places with trucks and forklifts moving around.
2. Inspection. A worker looks at your metal and decides the grade. If you are not sure why something got a grade, ask before you unload.
3. Weighing. Your metal is weighed on a small scale, or your vehicle is weighed full and then empty. Watch the weight if you can, and make sure the ticket shows it.
4. The ticket. The ticket should list each metal, its grade, its weight and the price per pound or per ton. Check it before you leave.
5. Payment. Yards pay in different ways — cash, cheque or bank payment — and some pay the same day and some do not. Ask how and when you will be paid if it is not clear.

One simple rule protects you: confirm the grade and the price before you unload. After the metal is in the yard's pile, it is much harder to question the grade.

How to get a fair price

• Compare 2–3 yards. Prices change from yard to yard. A short phone call to two or three yards on the same day gives you a fair range.
• Know your grades. The cleaner and purer the metal, the better the price. Our types of metals guide explains the main metal types.
• Ask about deductions. Some yards pay less if the load has attachments, dirt or mixed pieces. Ask if any deduction applies to your load, and why.
• Remember the unit. Most non-ferrous metals are priced per pound. Heavy steel and iron are often priced per gross ton. Make sure you compare the same unit when you compare yards.
• Understand the market. Yard prices follow the wider metal market, but they are always lower than exchange prices because the yard pays for transport, sorting and processing. Read how scrap metal prices are set for the simple explanation.

5 questions to ask the yard

Items to ask about first

Call the yard before you travel with items like these, because some yards need special handling for them or cannot accept them:

• Car batteries and other large batteries
• Sealed units, tanks and cylinders
• Appliances that contain refrigerant
• Whole vehicles
• Catalytic converters

Asking first saves you a wasted trip.

Quick questions

Do I need to sort my metal before I go?

You do not have to, but sorted metal almost always earns more. A mixed load is usually paid at a lower grade because the yard must sort it for you.

Can I get a price on the phone?

Most yards will give a price for a clear grade, for example clean copper or aluminum sheet. The final price is set when they see and weigh your actual load.

Why was my load paid at a lower grade?

Common reasons are mixed metals in one load, insulation or attachments still on the metal, or dirt and non-metal parts in the load. Ask the yard to show you what lowered the grade — next time you can prepare better.

Why is the yard price lower than the price I see online?

Online exchange prices are for pure, ready-to-use metal. The yard buys mixed scrap and then pays to move it, sort it and process it. Their buying price covers those costs.

Next steps

See Current Scrap Prices How Prices Are Set Explore Metal Guides