Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – August 24, 2026

Prices as of August 24, 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 — $4,660/oz ▲
• Silver — $69.26/oz ▲
• PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,800 · Pt ▲ $1,878 · Pd ▲ $1,333
• Copper — $6.60/lb ▲
• Aluminum — $1.47/lb ▼
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.3760

Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Use today’s pop to reprice clean gold and silver cats and cores higher; don’t ship at last week’s numbers.
• PGMs — Keep holding clean platinum as planned, but move documented palladium and rhodium cats via auction to test real demand.
• Copper — Move clean, sorted copper loads now while price is firm; list inventory with photos and packing lists to pull more bids.
• Aluminum — With aluminum slipping again, ship only well-sorted, clean aluminum; keep mixed and dirty loads off the scale and in inventory.
• Big Picture — Mixed board today: 4 metals higher, 1 lower, 3 flat — use auctions and documented inventory to let competition reveal the real market.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $93.14/bbl, down $0.7300 (-0.78%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 98.94, up 0.11 (+0.11%) day-over-day.

**Oil is still expensive, and money is getting tighter. You feel that in freight, bids, and buyer risk.**

Brent sits near **$93** and slipped less than a buck overnight, but it’s still high fuel for your trucks and cutters. Rising 10‑year yields near **4.7%** and a firm U.S. dollar mean cash is not cheap and buyers stay picky on risk loads.

Real yields around **2.35%** keep gold and other “safe” assets in play, which can pull money away from risk trades. For you, that means buyers stay cautious on big, mixed, or far‑haul loads and look harder at clean, documented cats, cores, and non‑ferrous.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,660/oz, up +$57.10 (+1.24%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,602/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold is still climbing, and that keeps sellers alert.** It hit **$4,660/oz**, up **$57.10** on the day, with price up in **4 of the last 5 sessions**. With oil still expensive and money tight, clean gold-bearing scrap and tight docs can bring better attention from buyers.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $69.26/oz, up +$0.2755 (+0.40%) day-over-day. Previous close: $68.99/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 67.3:1.

Silver is still climbing, and buyers are paying attention. At **$69.26/oz** and up four of the last five sessions, you should review prices on clean silver cores and coins, not rely on last week’s numbers. With money getting tighter and oil still expensive, documented silver inventory and clear photos can help serious buyers step up instead of lowballing.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,878/oz, up +$1.00 (+0.05%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,877/oz. MoM: +18.5%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,333/oz, up +$2.00 (+0.15%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,331/oz. MoM: +8.6%.
• 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: → flat over last 5 sessions.

PGMs are stable to slightly firmer, which helps scrap sellers but doesn’t change the game overnight. Platinum and palladium are ticking up again, while rhodium sits flat, so you still need tight inventory, clear photos, and real auction competition to squeeze the best number on cats and PGM loads in a market where oil is expensive and money is tight.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.60/lb, up +$0.0190 (+0.29%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.58/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Copper is **up again**, and you should pay attention. At **$6.60/lb** and higher in 3 of the last 5 sessions, the market is firm, not flying, but still paying you to move clean, sorted copper while money is getting tighter and oil stays expensive. With a slow, steady climb like this, it’s a good time to move honest cats and stripped wire you’re ready to sell, not to gamble on a big jump.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,240/tonne ($1.47/lb), down $0.0040 (-0.27%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.47/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum’s soft today, but it’s not a crash.** Aluminum is at **$1.47/lb**, down less than a cent, with prices slipping in 3 of the last 5 sessions. With oil still expensive and money tighter, buyers are cautious, so you should expect more grind than big moves on clean aluminum loads.

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.