How scrap metal and metal waste prices are actually set
Two quotes can look very different on paper and land at the same figure on the invoice — or the other way round. Once you understand what a scrap price is made of, you can compare offers properly and, more usefully, influence the part that depends on you.
In short
- The price starts from public quotations, with a discount applied for processing, haulage and quality risk.
- Sorting by type and removing non-metallic attachments is the fastest way to raise what you are paid.
- A weight ticket showing gross, tare and net is the only fair basis for comparing two offers.
Where the price starts
The price paid for a recyclable metal is not decided at the yard gate. It starts from international quotations — the London metal exchange for copper, aluminium, lead, zinc and nickel, and regional indices for ferrous scrap — with a discount applied on top to cover processing, haulage and quality risk.
That is why the price moves weekly, sometimes daily, and why an offer that is "valid indefinitely" should give you pause. What can be stable is the formula: the public reference, the discount applied, and the intake conditions.
Sorting quality makes the difference
Clean metal, sorted by type and stripped of non-metallic attachments, sits close to the reference quotation. The same metal mixed with other fractions drops into a lower grade, because somebody will have to do the sorting in your place — and that cost comes out of your price.
The gap is widest in non-ferrous. Clean copper, aluminium profile and sorted brass are paid substantially better than a mixed non-ferrous lot. In ferrous scrap what counts is plate thickness, piece size, and whether the material goes into a container without further preparation.
Contamination and tare
Intake means weighing and assessment. Tare — the container, the pallet, the empty vehicle — and contamination such as soil, water, concrete, wood, plastic and insulation are deducted from the gross weight. A wet or soil-laden load of ferrous scrap loses real percentage points at intake, and the conversation is much easier when the weighing and the assessment are documented.
Ask every time for a weight ticket showing gross, tare and net, plus a note of the contamination deducted. It is the only sound basis for comparing two offers: a higher headline price with an aggressive deduction can end up below a lower headline price with a fair intake.
Logistics and a steady flow
Haulage is paid per run, not per tonne, so a container that leaves half empty pushes that cost into the price per tonne. Density matters: baled sheet and material cut to size fill a container far more efficiently than bulky pieces.
Consistency matters just as much. A predictable flow, with scheduled pickups and material ready at the agreed time, supports a better price than an occasional collection, because the logistics can be planned. That is usually where the difference between two seemingly identical offers actually lives.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does the scrap price change from one week to the next?
- Because it tracks international metal quotations and mill demand. Serious offers are given for a stated period, not open-endedly.
- How much do I lose by handing over unsorted material?
- It depends on the mix, but in non-ferrous the gap between material sorted by type and a mixed lot is substantial, because the sorting has to happen anyway — just at somebody else's cost.
- What is tare and how is it determined?
- It is the weight of the container or of the empty vehicle, deducted from the gross. It is established by weighing before or after unloading, and the figure must appear on the weight ticket alongside gross and net.
This article is informational and reflects our practice at the date of publication. Romanian environmental legislation changes frequently — for your company's specific situation, check the texts in force and consult the environmental protection agency or a specialist adviser.