Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – August 17, 2026

Prices as of August 17, 2026 at 07:32 AM CDT.

Market screen levels only — not yard pay prices. Actual buy prices at the scale will differ based on grade, moisture, contamination, and freight. The scrolling ticker at the top of this page shows live prices and may differ from the snapshot below.

Jump to:

• Gold — $4,385/oz ▲
• Silver — $65.54/oz ▲
• PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,800 · Pt ▲ $1,758 · Pd ▲ $1,308
• Copper — $6.65/lb ▲
• Aluminum — $1.48/lb ▲
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.3875

Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Use today’s up tape to move clean gold and silver lots, but don’t chase; price off live bids.
• PGMs — With platinum and palladium firmer and rhodium flat, push for stronger cats bids through competitive auctions, not one-buyer calls.
• Copper — Copper is up again; keep leaning into copper-heavy loads and get them listed while buyers are still paying.
• Aluminum — Aluminum bounced; focus on clean clips and extrusions, and use photos and packing lists to back your price asks.
• Big Picture — Six metals higher, two flat: use the stronger tape to test the market with well-documented, clean non-ferrous loads.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $88.79/bbl, up $0.2000 (+0.23%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 99.45, down 0.56 (-0.56%) day-over-day.

**Energy is creeping higher while the dollar cools off. That keeps risk on the table for scrap.**

Crude is firm again, with Brent near **$89** and WTI in the mid‑80s. Fuel stays pricey, so you still feel it in freight and torch work.

The U.S. dollar index slipped under **100**, but real 10‑year rates are still high. Strong real yields tend to lean against gold and silver, even as headline tension keeps traders jumpy.

Bottom line on risk: energy costs aren’t backing off, and money stays tight. You should assume buyers still watch their exposure, even with the softer dollar.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,385/oz, up +$9.50 (+0.22%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,376/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Gold is firm today at **$4,385/oz**, up a bit but still in a zone where it can snap back fast. Energy is creeping higher, the dollar is cooling, and analysts see support for gold with choppy trading, so you should stay disciplined on pricing your gold cats and cores but not chase every tick up. With 3 up days in the last 5 sessions, competition between buyers can help you discover the real market on clean, well-documented gold-bearing inventory.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $65.54/oz, up +$0.8340 (+1.29%) day-over-day. Previous close: $64.70/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 66.9:1.

**Silver’s grinding higher while the dollar cools off, and the move is starting to matter for scrap.** Silver is at **$65.54/oz**, up about 83 cents today, with 3 of the last 5 sessions closing higher.[2] The gold/silver ratio sits near **66.9:1**, still high, so silver can keep finding support as buyer competition helps reveal the real market.[2]

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,758/oz, up +$13.00 (+0.74%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,745/oz. MoM: +10.6%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,308/oz, up +$10.00 (+0.77%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,298/oz. MoM: +6.3%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $8,800/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $8,800/oz. MoM: +6.7%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

PGMs are firm today, with **platinum at $1,758** and **palladium at $1,308**, both ticking higher again. With **rhodium flat at $8,800** and **energy creeping up while the dollar cools off**, scrap sellers should stay tight on PGM cat pricing and use current strength to test auctions, not fire-sale loads.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.65/lb, up +$0.0470 (+0.71%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.61/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Copper is firm today, trading around **$6.65/lb**, up about five cents and higher in 3 of the last 5 sessions. With energy creeping up and the dollar cooling off, copper still has a tailwind, so you should be looking to price and move clean copper-heavy loads while buyers stay active.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,272/tonne ($1.48/lb), up +$0.0109 (+0.74%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.47/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Aluminum is **up a cent** to about **$1.48/lb**, with 3 of the last 5 sessions closing higher. Energy is creeping higher and Brent at **$88.79/bbl** helps keep aluminum supported while the softer dollar makes prices feel less heavy to some buyers. You should expect steady interest on clean, documented loads, but don’t wait around if you’re getting decent bids today.

Steel Scrap (Shredded (SHS), scrapmonster) — Current Indicators

• Steel Scrap Shredded (SHS) (SCRAP-SHS): $413.00/mt, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $413.00/mt.
• 5-day trend: → flat over last 5 sessions.
• HMS 1&2 (80:20) (SCRAP-HM): $366.00/mt (flat day-over-day).

Want to move PGM-bearing material, copper, aluminum, or steel scrap through competitive bidding? List your lots on Smash Scrap and let vetted buyers compete for your scrap.