Everyone who sells scrap, and everyone who works as an agent or broker, needs a price they can defend. Price too high and nothing sells. Price too low and you give money away. ScrapTrade has a price index and calculator that shows indicative prices by material, in a chosen currency and unit. This guide shows how to use it, how to turn an indicative price into a listing price, and how to choose between a fixed price and an auction. We do not publish a general rule for what share of an indicative price scrap earns, and we say so where it matters. We have a commercial interest in the scrap trade.
Step 1: find the indicative price
Open the live prices and calculator. It is described as AI-powered indicative pricing, updated daily. Search for your material or browse by category: ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, plastics, paper and cardboard, and e-waste. The page lists major materials such as heavy melting steel, shredded steel, bare bright copper wire, insulated copper cable, aluminium extrusion, used beverage cans, stainless steel and cardboard.
Treat the figure as a reference, not a quote. It tells you roughly where a material trades. It does not tell you what a particular buyer will pay for your particular lot.
Step 2: choose your currency and unit
The page lets you choose a currency from a list of 20 (AUD, USD, GBP, INR, CNY, AED, SGD, CAD, ZAR, MYR, EUR, JPY, KRW, IDR, THB, MXN, BRL, ARS, NZD and HKD) and a unit: kilogram, tonne or pound. Match the unit to how you will sell. Mixing kilograms and tonnes is the most common slip. If you need to convert a benchmark yourself, see How to Convert Metal Prices to Your Currency per kg.
ScrapTrade also has country calculator pages for Australia, Canada, China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, the UAE, the UK and the USA, for example the USA calculator and the India calculator.
Step 3: sort and describe before you price
Price attaches to a grade. Separate ferrous from non-ferrous, and clean from contaminated. A magnet helps: steel and iron are magnetic and are worth less per kilogram than most non-ferrous metals, so mixing them into a higher-value lot lowers the price. Weigh the lot, or estimate honestly. See Getting Started on ScrapTrade and scrap material categories.
Step 4: turn the indicative price into a listing price
Scrap sells at a share of a reference price. That share depends on the grade, how clean the material is, the quantity, the location and the buyer. We do not have a general figure for the share, and it varies a great deal. So:
- Start from the indicative price for the closest grade.
- Reduce it for contamination, small quantity or a remote location.
- Decide the lowest price you would accept, and write it down.
- If you are unsure, list at a price you can justify from the index, and let offers show you the market.
An invented example, for arithmetic only: the index shows a grade at US$2.00 per kg and your lot is 500 kg. At the index, that is US$1,000. If you judge that your lot, being mixed, would sell at 70% of the index, your reference price is US$1,400 per tonne equivalent, or US$700 for the lot. The 70% is invented, not a rule.
Step 5: choose a quick sale or a standard listing
ScrapTrade's quick sale or standard listing page frames the choice as speed versus the best possible price.
| Quick sale (fixed price) | Standard listing (auction or extended) | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Sells the moment a buyer accepts | Runs for the duration you set |
| Price | The price you set | Found through competing bids, can exceed a fixed price |
| Effort | Set once | More buyer questions during the listing |
| Suits | Time-sensitive sales, material you can price confidently | Larger, higher-demand or harder-to-price material |
Both use the same escrow protection and verified buyer pool. The decision is about what you are optimising for this time. Our page on How to Negotiate a Better Scrap Metal Price explains how to use your reference price in a negotiation.
Record the basis
Write down the index price, date, currency, unit, grade and the share you applied. When a buyer asks why you want that price, you have an answer. If you work as an agent, give this record to your client. See How to Become a Scrap Agent: Step by Step.
Where to go next
- ScrapTrade home
- Marketplace
- Live scrap prices and calculator
- RFQ marketplace
- Pricing plans
- Create a free account
For the routes to earn on the platform, read How to Make Money on ScrapTrade: 5 Routes. In Australian dollars, see the worked table in Scrap Metal Benchmark Prices in A$ per kg. scrap.trade describes itself as a global marketplace, and we cannot confirm availability in every country or that your country's law allows a given deal.
What we could not verify
- How the index is calculated. The page calls it AI-powered and indicative.
- The share of the index that any grade earns.
- Prices on the page today. They update daily.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out what my scrap is worth?
Check the live prices for your material, choose your currency and unit, then adjust for grade, cleanliness, quantity and location.
Is the indicative price what a buyer will pay?
No. It is a reference. Buyers pay according to the grade and lot.
Should I use a quick sale or an auction?
A quick sale suits time-sensitive sales and material you can price with confidence. A standard listing suits larger, higher-demand or harder-to-price material.
Can I use a different currency?
Yes. The page offers 20 currencies and three units.
Sources
- ScrapTrade, Market prices, Quick sale or standard listing and Getting started on ScrapTrade, as read in October 2026.
The pricing example is invented. This is general information, not trading or financial advice. ScrapTrade operates a scrap marketplace and has a commercial interest in the scrap trade.