Stainless Steel Scrap Price per Pound: Historical Chart
Analyze 12-month historical price trends, 90-day moving averages, and spot commodity spreads for Stainless Steel scrap across US recycling markets. Evaluate current cyclical momentum against historical baselines and export verified time-series data for market analysis.
Interactive Historical Chart
Track physical scrapyard scale price averages against wholesale exchange futures from 30 days to 5 years to evaluate cyclical momentum and historical extremes.
Market Range & Key Benchmarks
Compare physical cash payouts reported at US scale counters against commercial exchange settlement prices and wholesale industrial spreads.
1. US Scrapyard Scale Benchmarks
Aggregated cash prices paid to independent haulers, tradespeople, and commercial accounts across the United States2. Exchange Futures & Wholesale Spread
Commercial wholesale benchmark on LME NickelAverage Monthly Price Table
Historical monthly average scale prices with month-over-month percentage changes, highlighting annual price peaks and market troughs.
| Month | Avg Price ($/lb) | Monthly Change | Reporting Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08 | $0.500 | +25% | 1 yards |
| 2026-02 | $0.400 | -11.1% | 1 yards |
| 2025-07 | $0.450 | -10% | 1 yards |
| 2025-03 | $0.500 | +11.1% | 1 yards |
| 2023-10 | $0.450 | -6.2% | 1 yards |
| 2023-09 | $0.480 | -7.7% | 1 yards |
| 2023-03 | $0.520 | +48.6% | 1 yards |
| 2022-12 Low | $0.350 | -56.3% | 1 yards |
| 2022-05 | $0.800 | -15.8% | 1 yards |
| 2022-04 High | $0.950 | +26.7% | 1 yards |
| 2022-01 | $0.750 | +7.1% | 1 yards |
| 2021-10 | $0.700 | 0% | 1 yards |
Market Pulse & Price Outlook
Neutral / Range-BoundScrap is currently paying 92.9% below the Nickel price. The gap mostly reflects sorting, melting, and refining costs. The 90-day average is $0.500/lb, and the range so far this year is $0.400 to $0.500/lb.
How Stainless steel Scrap Grades Relate to This Chart
This chart tracks the primary national benchmark grade for stainless steel reported across US recycling facilities. Secondary and mixed grades generally trade in a stable relationship to this benchmark curve, rising and falling in lockstep with national market momentum.
Load Preparation vs. Market Timing
For most haulers and tradespeople, properly grading and separating scrap adds more profit than trying to time short-term market swings. Stripping insulation from copper wire or unbolting steel attachments from aluminum coils can increase payout by 30% to 50% immediately, far outweighing normal weekly market fluctuations.
Reading the 90-Day Moving Baseline
Daily yard quotes can experience short-term noise due to localized bin capacity and temporary freight shortages. The 90-day moving average smooths out temporary spikes, giving you an objective reference to determine whether today's scale quote represents a strong cyclical high or an oversold market floor.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common answers on scrap metal grading standards, scale payout rules, sorting methods, and scale ticket calculations.
Why does my local scrap yard offer a different rate than this chart?
This chart displays the aggregated national benchmark across reporting US facilities. Local scale payouts differ based on freight distances to regional smelters, mill intake demand, processing volume, and deduction for surface contamination. Use this chart to verify fair market momentum before negotiating at your local scale.
What does the dashed exchange benchmark line represent?
The dashed line reflects commercial futures contracts on the COMEX or LME for 99.99% pure refined metal. Industrial recycling mills use exchange settlement prices to establish weekly buying programs, while retail yards typically adjust scale prices on a 7 to 14-day lag.
What is the Scrap-to-Spot Recovery Ratio and why does it matter?
The recovery ratio (currently trading around 7.1% of spot) measures how closely scrap payouts track wholesale exchange metal value. The spread covers processing costs, furnace melt-loss, freight, and dealer operating margin. A rising ratio indicates aggressive yard buying, while a contracting ratio signals cautious mill intake.
How often is historical price data updated and can I export it?
ScrapMetalIndex records scale transactions daily across reporting US scrap yards. You can export complete rolling daily time series data in CSV format anytime by clicking the "Download CSV" button above the chart.