Metal Prices

The Dirt Pirate

Sr. Member
Dec 21, 2015
494
470
Los Angeles CA/ Las Vegas NV
Detector(s) used
White's GMT, White's M6, Garrett AT Pro, Minelab CTX 3030, Minelab SDC 2300, White's DFX, White's MXT, White's XLT, Garrett 2500 GTI, Fisher F75, Minelab GPX 4500, Minelab GPX 5000, Minelab GPZ 7000
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You gotta have clean sorted scrap to make money, right down to copper. Place near me in Rubidoux gives good money, however the type of aluminum will make the price vary. Cans get like $0.60/pound. Aluminum heat sinks get me like $1.20/pound. Copper/aluminum mixed radiators from AC units get me $1/pound. Clean copper wire or anything pure copper gets $0.90/pound.

I know that, the ones here don't pay anything even when everything is completely clean. I used to haul scrap in other states and I made a lot more money doing it but here it's not that easy. I heard the places in Bakersfield are the ones that everyone else in this town is taking their stuff to. At least they do pay really well for the CRV items though. Someone told me a while back that this place is paying as much as the ones in LA for CRV.
 

pepperj

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2009
37,499
139,008
🥇 Banner finds
1
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Deus, Deus 2, Minelab 3030, E-Trac,
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Relic Hunting
The old scrap saying goes "If it was easy-it would have already been done" scrap 101. Clean it, sort it, know what it worth, also don't let them BS you. When prices drop it's only and opportunity for some to take advantage of the unknowing folks. I learned very early on was to educate the customer as it made my life easier and it made me more money.
 

pa plateau hiker

Bronze Member
Jul 15, 2012
1,087
1,302
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I have about 400 lbs. of mixed metal I will probably give another scraper. It wouldn't pay to travel 70 miles round trip to cash it in. Still holding on to my aluminum and copper.
 

ScrapperChad

Greenie
May 9, 2014
14
6
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Copper here went down to $1.28 lb. And aluminum to 16 cents lb. Don't have much copper or aluminum right now so I'm just holding onto it. Don't need to sell it right now anyway.

Got around 2 tons of tin saved up and stacked behind the fence in my salvage/storage yard. Was gonna take it in and sell it until the price dropped.

But I'll just hold onto it for as long as I need too. Then if/when the prices do jump again I'll haul it in.

Cans are 35 cents lb and that's all I've been selling when I go by the scrap yard anyway. It pays for some gas.
 

eddiecurrent

Full Member
Dec 25, 2015
133
57
Treasure coast Fl.
Detector(s) used
Fisher 1236-x2, fisher cz3d and cz 20, tesoro golden sabre II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Prices for extruded alum here in south fl have plummeted to .32 a lb, old sheet .20.
Depressing. I think, like gold and silver, it's linked to gas prices. I have abt 400 lbs stashed in my back yard, I will wait it out.
Maybe it's tied to the economic rollback in China.
Maybe China is now wearing our old mantle "when the U.S. market gets a cold, the whole world sneezes".
 

markmopar

Hero Member
Feb 15, 2008
962
88
southern NJ/southeast VA
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I don't think it's so much linked to gas prices as to the economy as a whole. No one is building any huge projects anymore. A few years ago we had China's Three Gorges Dam, Boston's Big Dig, skyscrapers going up in Dubai and several other places and lots of shipbuilding all going on at once. That drove up the prices. Now, with the world economy in the crapper, no one is able to invest in large projects, reducing the demand for steel and other metals.
 

eddiecurrent

Full Member
Dec 25, 2015
133
57
Treasure coast Fl.
Detector(s) used
Fisher 1236-x2, fisher cz3d and cz 20, tesoro golden sabre II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I saw a news story about several new developments in China that're unoccupied. They built with such fervor and zeal and there's not enuf demand/money from buyers. Ghost towns.
Still, with 1.7 billion people it's a gargantuan economy, once things pick up I think scrap prices will rise again.
Speaking of scrap, I watched an old movie no one's ever seen called "Vanishing Point", and I wince when I see at least 3 or 4 Dodge Challengers trashed and sent to the scrapyard.
Some guy named Kowalski was leading the cops on a cross country race.
 

Last edited:

eddiecurrent

Full Member
Dec 25, 2015
133
57
Treasure coast Fl.
Detector(s) used
Fisher 1236-x2, fisher cz3d and cz 20, tesoro golden sabre II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thanks for that link-fascinating stuff-no challengers were harmed in the making of this movie...and the stunt co-ordinator saying a 383 automatic 1970 challenger is as fast as a 4 speed 440. Doesn't seem possible.
I wonder what one of those 5 cars would sell for today?
 

eddiecurrent

Full Member
Dec 25, 2015
133
57
Treasure coast Fl.
Detector(s) used
Fisher 1236-x2, fisher cz3d and cz 20, tesoro golden sabre II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
There's one from the movie in a museum in seiverville Tenn.
My buddy who restores challengers told me the 383 had the same head as the 440, so it was just as quick in the short jumps, but would lose in the top end becuz bigger always goes faster.
 

bobby5

Sr. Member
Jun 19, 2012
251
147
TEXAS
Detector(s) used
Equinox 600, AT Pro, Garrett Propointer, Garrett Carrot, Several Older Garrett Detectors and a Bounty Hunter.
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Anyone know what the price for aluminum wheels is at this time?
 

billjustbill

Bronze Member
Feb 23, 2008
1,089
659
Texas
Detector(s) used
Minelab SN/XS
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All Treasure Hunting
Ft Worth, Dallas Metroplex vendor: GAMTEX scrap yard today:

Aluminum cans: .46

Yellow Brass: 1.36
Red Brass : 1.48

No.#2 Copper: 1.69
No. #1 Copper: 1.84
 

HistoryHunter22

Full Member
Apr 19, 2015
201
368
Cortland NY
Detector(s) used
Garrett ace 150, bounty hunter gold digger
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All Treasure Hunting
Its 46 cents for a pepsi can????!!!! Its still 5 in nee york lol ill senden if we can split it hahaha
 

billjustbill

Bronze Member
Feb 23, 2008
1,089
659
Texas
Detector(s) used
Minelab SN/XS
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Its 46 cents for a pepsi can????!!!! Its still 5 in nee york lol ill senden if we can split it hahaha

"Don't Mess With Texas" is the going saying for littering around here.... We have to sell by the pound; no luxury Return value stamp on the tops of our cans.... :dontknow:

46-cents is for 36 aluminum cans....about what it takes to make a pound of aluminum....:BangHead:
 

HistoryHunter22

Full Member
Apr 19, 2015
201
368
Cortland NY
Detector(s) used
Garrett ace 150, bounty hunter gold digger
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Oooooo si im thinking new york might be better than lol we get $1.00 for every 20 we return
 

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