Quick Answer: Denver scrap metal prices change week to week because copper, aluminum, and steel trade on global commodity markets, the same way oil does. What you get paid comes down to four things: the metal type, its grade, how clean it is, and how much you’re bringing. Call (833) 49-SCRAP for the best scrap metal prices near you, or bring your load to your closest of our three scrap yards across Denver and Houston for an on-the-spot quote.
How to Check Today’s Price
Four factors influence the price of your scrap metal in Denver:
- What metal is it?
- What grade of metal is it?
- How clean is it?
- How much are you bringing?
Prices change week to week because they track global commodity markets, so it is not a number we choose at our scrap metal yard. Call (833) 49-SCRAP and tell us what you have. We’ll take it from there.
The Market Sets the Price of Your Scrap Metal
Copper, aluminum, and steel trade on global commodity markets, in the same way that oil and lumber do. When manufacturers need more copper wiring or structural steel, mills bid the price up, and what we can pay you moves right along with it. When the market demand cools off, the price comes back down too. That’s why a load can pay differently from one season to the next, even though the metal hasn’t changed.
What Kind of Metal, and What Grade You Have
Here’s a shortcut before you even load the truck. Ferrous metal contains iron and sticks to a magnet; think steel, cast iron, most appliance frames. Non-ferrous metal won’t stick and usually pays more per pound. Copper, aluminum, brass, and stainless steel are what we see most from Denver garages and driveways. Grab a magnet from the junk drawer, and you will know which one you have.
Grade matters just as much as the type of metal, and copper is the clearest example. Clean, bare copper wire is worth more than the same wire wrapped in insulation, because insulated wire has to be stripped before a mill will take it. Copper has its own detailed grading system; bare bright, #1, #2, and insulated wire all price differently. The rule of thumb holds for any non-ferrous metal: the cleaner and more identifiable it is, the more it is worth.
How Clean It Is
This is the one part that is actually up to you. We price metal by net weight, i.e., the metal itself, once everything that is not metal comes off. Water and other fluids, tires, dirt, trash, glass, plastic, wood, and fuel might ride along in your load to our scrap yard, but none of it is metal, so none of it factors into your payout. A motor full of oil weighs more on our scale, but that weight isn’t doing you any favors.
None of this is something you must do. Bring it exactly as it sits, and we will sort and weigh it in front of you, same as everyone else. But with twenty spare minutes to drain fluids, pull a tire off a rim, separate copper wire from steel, etc., more of what you bring in will count as net weight. Think of it less as a chore and more as money you get to keep.
Bringing a Larger Load
If you are clearing more than a single truck bed’s worth, let’s say you are a contractor or business emptying a jobsite, give us a call ahead so we can talk pricing before you arrive. And if scrap is a recurring part of your work for ongoing demolitions, a fabrication shop, or a remodeling crew, hauling load after load in your pickup gets tiresome and time-consuming. A roll-off container parked on-site until it’s full might be the better fit for you.
How to Get Today’s Price
Give us a call at (833) 49-SCRAP and tell us roughly what you have. Once we know the metal type and about how much you have, we can give you a number that’s more accurate today, including a per-pound estimate for common metals like copper and aluminum. All three of our scrap metal yards work the same way: you pull in with your truck, we sort and weigh everything in front of you, and you are paid before you leave. Most visits take under 30 minutes. Our Drop-Off page walks through the whole process if you would like to understand it first.
Denver, Washington St. — 4920 Washington St, Denver, CO 80216. Monday-Saturday 8:00 am-7:30 pm, Sunday 10:00 am-4:30 pm.
Denver, York St. — 5101 York St, Denver, CO 80216. Monday-Saturday 8:00 am-7:30 pm, closed Sunday.
Houston — 11801 W. Montgomery Rd, Houston, TX 77086. Monday-Friday 7:00 am-7:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am-5:00 pm.
If Sunday is your only free day in Denver, our Washington St. location is open for you.
These same market forces set Denver scrap metal prices, and scrap prices anywhere else in Colorado — the commodity markets don’t stop at city limits.
FAQs
Why do scrap metal prices change so often?
Denver scrap metal prices are tied to global commodity markets for copper, aluminum, and steel, the same way gas prices track crude oil. When manufacturing demand rises, those metals get higher bids, and what we can pay you rises with them. The reverse happens when demand slows down.
What is the highest paying scrap metal near me?
Generally speaking, clean non-ferrous metals pay more per pound than ferrous metals like steel, since there is less of them around and less processing is needed before a mill can use them. Bare, uncoated copper wire is usually at the top of that list, followed by brass and aluminum.
Do I need to sort my scrap metal before bringing it in?
No, you can bring your load exactly as it sits, and we will sort and weigh it for you when you arrive. Sorting ahead only helps if you would like more of your load counting toward net weight, instead of the tires and fluids that attach to your metals.
How do I find out today’s scrap metal prices in Denver?
Give us a call at (833) 49-SCRAP and describe what you are bringing, i.e., the metal type and roughly how much. Prices track global markets and shift week to week, so anything posted online would already be out of date by the time you got here.
Do you pay more for larger loads?
Larger loads can get you a higher price than a smaller drop-off, keeping in mind also the metal type, grade, and cleanliness. If you are a business or a contractor with a significant load, call ahead so we can work out pricing before you arrive.
Do I need an ID to sell scrap metal in Colorado?
Yes, a valid, government-issued photo ID is required to sell scrap metal in Colorado, with no exceptions, at all three of our yards. If you are selling a vehicle, please bring the Bill of Sale too.
