What Is the Scrap Price for Aluminum

The Short Answer

One national scrap-yard index, published for the U.S. market on September 11, 2026, listed generic aluminum scrap at $0.40 per lb. Do not mistake that for a universal offer. Prices vary by grade, purity, contamination, quantity, and location — a load that fetches one number in one state can fetch a different number in the next.

Verified Price Reference Table

Every price in the table below links to the source that published it. All figures are U.S. dollars per pound and are published market references, not guaranteed local purchase offers.

Rows 1–4: ScrapMonster U.S. scrap-yard price index. Rows 5–7: ScrapMonster regional U.S. aluminum scrap price table.

Figure 1. Metal ceiling tiles in a commercial interior — one of the many products made from aluminum (Source: aluminummetalceiling.com)

How to Read These Prices

· Start with the grade name. “Aluminum” alone will not get you a reliable quote.

· Use the source date. Scrap values can move daily or weekly, so ask for a written same-day quote before delivery or pickup.

· Confirm the commercial basis. Check whether the buyer’s quote is per lb, per short ton, or per metric ton, and whether freight, sorting, or deductions apply.

· Keep the evidence with the figure. A price statement without a source, market, date, unit, and grade should not appear in a published article.

Why There Is No Single Aluminum Scrap Price

A recycler pays for the metal it can recover, not for the label “aluminum.” Clean, identifiable alloy scrap is easier to process and route back into a known alloy stream. Add mixed sheet, painted material, steel fasteners, rubber, glass, insulation, or moisture, and the buyer may reclassify the load — the quoted price moves with it.

Figure 2.  Aluminum coil processing at the Season Decorations' plant in Guangzhou (Source: aluminummetalceiling.com)

Geography matters as well. Local demand, transport distance, inventory levels, export conditions, and the buyer’s own processing capabilities can all change what the same material is worth. The published figure is a reference point, not a standing offer for your load at your location.

How Sellers Can Improve a Quote

1. Separate material by grade. Keep extrusions, sheet, castings, cans, wheels, wire, and turnings apart. Mixing grades makes inspection and recovery less predictable.

2. Remove contamination where practical. Pull steel screws, rubber seals, glass, plastic, and wiring when it is safe and economical to do so. Do not call material clean unless it meets the buyer’s acceptance criteria.

3. Ask for an apples-to-apples quote. Give each buyer the same grade description, estimated weight, photos, location, loading condition, and pickup terms. That is the only useful way to compare offers.

4. Keep records for commercial loads. For fabrication, demolition, and recurring supply, retain photos, alloy records, packing details, and weight tickets. Better documentation reduces grade disputes and speeds up settlement.

Figure 3. Automated coating line — finished aluminum panels leaving the shop (Source: aluminummetalceiling.com)

Price Disclosure for Website Publishing

Publish the following disclosure directly below any published price table:

“Prices are published U.S. reference values for the stated grade, date, and unit. They are not an offer to buy or sell, and local recycler quotes may differ because of quality, contamination, volume, freight, and market conditions. Confirm a same-day written quote before trading.”

The cited regional price page also states that its public display may not be live. Keep that limitation visible in any article that uses the data.

Industry Context

Figure 4. CNC metal-fabrication shop at the Season Decorations plant  (Source: aluminummetalceiling.com)

Aluminum recycling is a major part of the U.S. metal supply chain. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that about 3.6 million tons of aluminum were recovered from purchased scrap in the United States in 2025. That statistic is context, not a price — do not use it to infer a local buy price.