Lead Scrap Prices Today (per Pound)

Compare today's US scrapyard scale rates for Lead scrap per pound, benchmarked across commercial recycling grades from clean solids to mixed alloys. Review current yard averages, state-by-state price spreads, and grade sorting rules before hauling.

Daily national average Updated: Oct 5, 2026 · US Scrapyard Benchmark

Today's Lead Prices by Grade

Current per-pound national average payouts and scale price spreads for all common Lead scrap grades, verified across active US yards.

Grade National Scale Avg Typical Scale Range 7-Day Trend Reporting Yards
Soft Lead (Clean) $0.468/lb $0.380 – $0.544 → 5 yards
Dirty & Scrap Lead $0.108/lb $0.095 – $0.148 → 7 yards
Wheel Weights (Hard Lead) $0.200/lb $0.200 – $0.200 → 0% 1 yards
Range Lead $0.300/lb $0.200 – $0.400 → 2 yards

Non-ferrous metals cross platform scales and pay cash per pound.

Scrap Value Calculator

Estimate your cash payout before you haul. Select your metal grade and enter your load weight to see what your scrap is worth at the scale based on verified yard averages and price spreads.

Unit
Quick weights:

Lead Price Trend (12 Months)

Historical 12-month scale price trajectory and wholesale exchange correlation (LME Lead) for Lead, helping you identify price momentum before you haul to the yard.

US Yard Scale Average LME Lead
2025-10-14 · avg $0.250 · $0.250–$0.250 · 1 sources · spot $0.892 · 28% of spot2025-10-15 · avg $0.410 · $0.410–$0.410 · 1 sources · spot $0.900 · 45.6% of spot2025-11-03 · avg $0.560 · $0.560–$0.560 · 1 sources · spot $0.918 · 61% of spot2025-11-05 · avg $0.480 · $0.480–$0.480 · 1 sources · spot $0.914 · 52.5% of spot2025-11-10 · avg $0.510 · $0.510–$0.510 · 1 sources · spot $0.931 · 54.8% of spot2025-11-11 · avg $0.500 · $0.500–$0.500 · 1 sources · spot $0.933 · 53.6% of spot2025-11-24 · avg $0.480 · $0.480–$0.480 · 1 sources · spot $0.904 · 53.1% of spot2025-11-26 · avg $0.250 · $0.250–$0.250 · 1 sources · spot $0.901 · 27.8% of spot2025-12-05 · avg $0.475 · $0.450–$0.500 · 2 sources · spot $0.910 · 52.2% of spot2025-12-12 · avg $0.350 · $0.300–$0.400 · 2 sources · spot $0.893 · 39.2% of spot2025-12-14 · avg $0.350 · $0.350–$0.350 · 1 sources · spot $0.893 · 39.2% of spot2025-12-19 · avg $0.427 · $0.370–$0.510 · 3 sources · spot $0.900 · 47.4% of spot2025-12-20 · avg $0.260 · $0.260–$0.260 · 1 sources · spot $0.900 · 28.9% of spot2026-01-05 · avg $0.490 · $0.490–$0.490 · 1 sources · spot $0.915 · 53.6% of spot2026-01-08 · avg $0.560 · $0.560–$0.560 · 1 sources · spot $0.917 · 61.1% of spot2026-01-10 · avg $0.350 · $0.350–$0.350 · 1 sources · spot $0.926 · 37.8% of spot2026-01-13 · avg $0.230 · $0.230–$0.230 · 1 sources · spot $0.931 · 24.7% of spot2026-01-14 · avg $0.550 · $0.550–$0.550 · 1 sources · spot $0.939 · 58.5% of spot2026-01-15 · avg $0.550 · $0.550–$0.550 · 1 sources · spot $0.952 · 57.8% of spot2026-01-16 · avg $0.475 · $0.440–$0.510 · 2 sources · spot $0.928 · 51.2% of spot2026-01-28 · avg $0.300 · $0.300–$0.300 · 1 sources · spot $0.913 · 32.9% of spot2026-01-29 · avg $0.450 · $0.450–$0.450 · 1 sources · spot $0.911 · 49.4% of spot2026-02-02 · avg $0.180 · $0.180–$0.180 · 1 sources · spot $0.888 · 20.3% of spot2026-02-11 · avg $0.350 · $0.300–$0.400 · 2 sources · spot $0.906 · 38.6% of spot2026-02-17 · avg $0.394 · $0.170–$0.650 · 58 sources · spot $0.888 · 44.3% of spot2026-03-04 · avg $0.580 · $0.550–$0.620 · 5 sources · spot $0.881 · 65.8% of spot2026-03-22 · avg $0.438 · $0.400–$0.500 · 4 sources · spot $0.860 · 50.9% of spot2026-03-23 · avg $0.450 · $0.450–$0.450 · 1 sources · spot $0.860 · 52.3% of spot2026-03-24 · avg $0.550 · $0.500–$0.600 · 2 sources · spot $0.861 · 63.9% of spot2026-03-27 · avg $0.450 · $0.450–$0.450 · 1 sources · spot $0.856 · 52.5% of spot2026-04-02 · avg $0.500 · $0.500–$0.500 · 1 sources · spot $0.878 · 56.9% of spot2026-04-06 · avg $0.450 · $0.450–$0.450 · 1 sources · spot $0.874 · 51.5% of spot2026-04-08 · avg $0.550 · $0.550–$0.550 · 1 sources · spot $0.879 · 62.6% of spot2026-04-09 · avg $0.400 · $0.400–$0.400 · 1 sources · spot $0.876 · 45.7% of spot2026-04-11 · avg $0.500 · $0.500–$0.500 · 1 sources · spot $0.866 · 57.7% of spot2026-04-13 · avg $0.520 · $0.520–$0.520 · 1 sources · spot $0.866 · 60% of spot2026-04-14 · avg $0.450 · $0.450–$0.450 · 1 sources · spot $0.865 · 52% of spot2026-04-15 · avg $0.550 · $0.550–$0.550 · 1 sources · spot $0.871 · 63.1% of spot2026-04-19 · avg $0.500 · $0.500–$0.500 · 1 sources · spot $0.891 · 56.1% of spot2026-04-25 · avg $0.420 · $0.420–$0.420 · 1 sources · spot $0.889 · 47.2% of spot2026-04-26 · avg $0.500 · $0.500–$0.500 · 1 sources · spot $0.889 · 56.2% of spot2026-04-30 · avg $0.520 · $0.520–$0.520 · 1 sources · spot $0.883 · 58.9% of spot2026-05-02 · avg $0.425 · $0.350–$0.500 · 2 sources · spot $0.884 · 48.1% of spot2026-05-04 · avg $0.360 · $0.360–$0.360 · 1 sources · spot $0.884 · 40.7% of spot2026-05-05 · avg $0.450 · $0.300–$0.550 · 3 sources · spot $0.884 · 50.9% of spot2026-05-07 · avg $0.450 · $0.450–$0.450 · 1 sources · spot $0.896 · 50.2% of spot2026-05-08 · avg $0.350 · $0.350–$0.350 · 1 sources · spot $0.899 · 38.9% of spot2026-05-09 · avg $0.400 · $0.400–$0.400 · 1 sources · spot $0.895 · 44.7% of spot2026-05-10 · avg $0.450 · $0.450–$0.450 · 1 sources · spot $0.895 · 50.3% of spot2026-05-11 · avg $0.280 · $0.280–$0.280 · 1 sources · spot $0.895 · 31.3% of spot2026-05-12 · avg $0.450 · $0.450–$0.450 · 1 sources · spot $0.901 · 50% of spot2026-05-13 · avg $0.490 · $0.430–$0.550 · 2 sources · spot $0.906 · 54.1% of spot2026-05-14 · avg $0.475 · $0.400–$0.550 · 2 sources · spot $0.911 · 52.2% of spot2026-05-18 · avg $0.405 · $0.360–$0.450 · 2 sources · spot $0.895 · 45.2% of spot2026-05-24 · avg $0.500 · $0.500–$0.500 · 1 sources · spot $0.915 · 54.6% of spot2026-05-25 · avg $0.375 · $0.350–$0.400 · 2 sources · spot $0.915 · 41% of spot2026-05-26 · avg $0.450 · $0.450–$0.450 · 1 sources · spot $0.915 · 49.2% of spot2026-05-27 · avg $0.437 · $0.400–$0.500 · 3 sources · spot $0.915 · 47.8% of spot2026-05-28 · avg $0.400 · $0.350–$0.450 · 2 sources · spot $0.912 · 43.9% of spot2026-05-29 · avg $0.580 · $0.580–$0.580 · 1 sources · spot $0.918 · 63.2% of spot2026-05-31 · avg $0.400 · $0.400–$0.400 · 1 sources · spot $0.916 · 43.7% of spot2026-06-01 · avg $0.425 · $0.350–$0.500 · 2 sources · spot $0.916 · 46.4% of spot2026-06-04 · avg $0.350 · $0.350–$0.350 · 1 sources · spot $0.917 · 38.2% of spot2026-06-09 · avg $0.360 · $0.360–$0.360 · 1 sources · spot $0.996 · 36.2% of spot2026-06-10 · avg $0.400 · $0.400–$0.400 · 1 sources · spot $0.992 · 40.3% of spot2026-06-11 · avg $0.500 · $0.450–$0.550 · 2 sources · spot $0.982 · 50.9% of spot2026-06-12 · avg $0.400 · $0.400–$0.400 · 1 sources · spot $0.979 · 40.9% of spot2026-06-15 · avg $0.350 · $0.350–$0.350 · 1 sources · spot $0.985 · 35.6% of spot2026-06-30 · avg $0.350 · $0.350–$0.350 · 1 sources · spot $0.939 · 37.3% of spot2026-07-02 · avg $0.400 · $0.400–$0.400 · 1 sources · spot $0.851 · 47% of spot2026-07-17 · avg $0.300 · $0.300–$0.300 · 1 sources · spot $0.853 · 35.2% of spot2026-07-20 · avg $0.425 · $0.330–$0.520 · 2 sources · spot $0.853 · 49.9% of spot2026-07-23 · avg $0.450 · $0.450–$0.450 · 1 sources · spot $0.858 · 52.5% of spot2026-07-31 · avg $0.300 · $0.300–$0.300 · 1 sources · spot $0.854 · 35.1% of spot2026-08-01 · avg $0.310 · $0.310–$0.310 · 1 sources · spot $0.854 · 36.3% of spot2026-08-10 · avg $0.300 · $0.300–$0.300 · 1 sources · spot $0.864 · 34.7% of spot2026-08-11 · avg $0.340 · $0.340–$0.340 · 1 sources · spot $0.865 · 39.3% of spot2026-08-12 · avg $0.350 · $0.350–$0.350 · 1 sources · spot $0.866 · 40.4% of spot2026-08-17 · avg $0.550 · $0.550–$0.550 · 1 sources · spot $0.858 · 64.1% of spot2026-08-22 · avg $0.300 · $0.300–$0.300 · 1 sources · spot $0.863 · 34.8% of spot2026-08-25 · avg $0.406 · $0.350–$0.500 · 5 sources · spot $0.864 · 47% of spot2026-08-26 · avg $0.355 · $0.350–$0.360 · 2 sources · spot $0.867 · 40.9% of spot2026-08-27 · avg $0.390 · $0.380–$0.400 · 2 sources · spot $0.871 · 44.8% of spot2026-08-28 · avg $0.303 · $0.200–$0.450 · 4 sources · spot $0.865 · 35% of spot2026-08-29 · avg $0.380 · $0.380–$0.380 · 1 sources · spot $0.865 · 43.9% of spot2026-08-31 · avg $0.250 · $0.250–$0.250 · 1 sources · spot $0.865 · 28.9% of spot2026-09-01 · avg $0.390 · $0.380–$0.400 · 2 sources · spot $0.871 · 44.8% of spot2026-09-07 · avg $0.410 · $0.410–$0.410 · 1 sources · spot $0.862 · 47.6% of spot2026-09-08 · avg $0.200 · $0.200–$0.200 · 1 sources · spot $0.869 · 23% of spot2026-09-09 · avg $0.350 · $0.350–$0.350 · 1 sources · spot $0.868 · 40.3% of spot2026-09-10 · avg $0.550 · $0.550–$0.550 · 1 sources · spot $0.863 · 63.7% of spot2026-09-11 · avg $0.400 · $0.400–$0.400 · 1 sources · spot $0.859 · 46.6% of spot2026-09-14 · avg $0.375 · $0.250–$0.500 · 2 sources · spot $0.853 · 44% of spot2026-09-18 · avg $0.300 · $0.300–$0.300 · 1 sources · spot $0.873 · 34.4% of spot2026-09-22 · avg $0.540 · $0.540–$0.540 · 1 sources · spot $0.879 · 61.4% of spot2026-09-23 · avg $0.500 · $0.500–$0.500 · 1 sources · spot $0.874 · 57.2% of spot2026-09-29 · avg $0.550 · $0.550–$0.550 · 1 sources · spot $0.864 · 63.7% of spot2026-10-03 · avg $0.350 · $0.350–$0.350 · 1 sources · spot $0.839 · 41.7% of spot2026-10-05 · avg $0.400 · $0.400–$0.400 · 1 sources · spot $0.850 · 47.1% of spot$0.996$0.1702025-10-142026-10-05
Hover or tap the chart for date, average, range, and source count.

Hover or tap any date to see the exact yard scale average, exchange spot price, and scrap recovery ratio. Yards pay ~75–85% of spot on clean grades to cover freight, processing, and mill deductions. Compare all exchange benchmarks →

How to get the best price for Lead

Straightforward sorting, stripping, and prep tips to upgrade your Lead into top-tier grades and prevent scale downgrades.

✓

Keep soft flashing and pipe, wheel weights, and dirty or range lead in separate containers.

✓

Pull steel nails and copper from flashing when it is quick to do.

✓

Do not put whole batteries in with lead. They need a battery price.

✓

Keep it dry. Mud and concrete are deducted.

✓

Lead is toxic. Wear gloves, wash your hands, and do not melt or burn it.

How lead scrap is graded

Lead scrap is a small market. Soft, clean lead such as roof flashing, pipe, and sheet pays the most. Wheel weights, range lead, and dirty lead pay less because of other metals, dirt, and extra refining. Whole car batteries are not lead scrap. They have their own price on the battery page.

Soft lead, wheel weights, and range lead

Soft lead is bendable sheet, pipe, and flashing. Wheel weights are a harder lead alloy, and many modern weights are zinc or steel instead of lead. Range lead and dirty lead contain dirt, jackets, or steel and are paid on what can be recovered. Mixing them is the usual reason a load is graded down.

Why the lead average moves around

Fewer yards report lead than copper or aluminum, so a handful of reports can shift the average. Look at the range, not only the average.

Lead Prices by State

Regional Lead scale rates vary with local mill demand and freight distance to shredders or port docks. Compare state averages to find top-paying markets.

State Average Price Min Price Max Price Reporting Yards
Ohio $0.267 $0.100 $0.500 2 State Scale Rates →
Texas $0.445 $0.350 $0.540 2 State Scale Rates →
Florida $0.400 $0.400 $0.400 1 State Scale Rates →
Pennsylvania $0.400 $0.250 $0.550 1 State Scale Rates →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common answers on scrap metal grading standards, scale payout rules, sorting methods, and scale ticket calculations.

What is the current lead scrap price?

The headline figure is $0.468/lb for Soft Lead (Clean) as of Oct 5, 2026. Other grades pay more or less, so check the table above.

How are lead scrap prices set?

Lead scrap follows the LME lead price, minus melting and refining costs. Clean soft lead follows it most closely.

Are car batteries the same as lead scrap?

No. Whole lead-acid batteries are sold as batteries, with their own price. Soft lead such as flashing and pipe is a separate grade. See the scrap battery prices page.

Do wheel weights still pay as lead?

Only if they are actually lead. Many current clip-on and stick-on weights are zinc or steel. Mixed weights are paid less than soft lead, and non-lead weights do not belong in a lead pile.

Why is the lead average jumpy compared with copper?

Fewer yards report lead, and the mix of grades changes from day to day. A day with more dirty lead in the reports pulls the average down even if the market is steady.