Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – August 27, 2026
Prices as of August 27, 2026 at 07:31 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.
All tracked metals are lower today.
Jump to:
- Gold — $4,595/oz ▼
- Silver — $68.42/oz ▼
- PGMs — Rh ▼ $8,775 · Pt ▼ $1,819 · Pd ▼ $1,296
- Copper — $6.56/lb ▼
- Aluminum — $1.46/lb ▼
- Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
- Macro Backdrop
- CAD — USD/CAD 1.3876
Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today
- Gold & Silver — With both down, don’t panic; move clean, documented cats and jewelry, but be firm on grading and paperwork.
- PGMs — Prices are softer across platinum, palladium, and rhodium, so only ship loads where you’ve got tight VIN, serial, and photo documentation.
- Copper — Down about 6 cents, so use SMASH auctions to create competition and avoid giving up good insulated or bare bright on one quick phone quote.
- Aluminum — Flat on price; bundle and list full, well-packed loads with clear BOLs and packing lists instead of dribbling small lots.
- Big Picture — 0 of 8 metals higher and 6 lower today, so expect buyers to stay picky and lean harder on documentation and grading.
Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk
Brent Crude Oil: $87.10/bbl, up $0.5400 (+0.62%) day-over-day.
US Dollar Index (DXY): 99.20, up 0.20 (+0.20%) day-over-day.
**Energy is firm, but the real risk is still the dollar and yields.**
Brent is holding near **$87** and creeping higher again. That keeps diesel and furnace costs sticky. You are not getting much relief on the energy line. At the same time, the **U.S. dollar is a touch stronger** and real 10‑year yields sit around **2.3%**, which is high by recent history. That combo still leans bearish for gold and silver and can cap big metal moves, even with solid energy demand.
The curve is easing a bit with **2‑year and 10‑year yields both slipping**, which says some rate pressure is coming off. But the Fed is still parked near **3.6%**, and inflation expectations are steady. So macro risk stays in the system. For you, that means watch FX and yields as closely as oil. Energy is the cost story. The dollar and real yields are the price story.
Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator
- Spot Gold (XAU): $4,595/oz, down $13.90 (-0.30%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,609/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
Gold is still rich, but it slipped today, down about 0.3% to **$4,595/oz**. The big squeeze is the firm dollar and high yields, not oil, even with Brent holding near **$87** and creeping higher. If you’re selling scrap gold, buyers will lean on that pullback, so clean paperwork, photos, and tight grading matter even more right now.
Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid
- Spot Silver (XAG): $68.42/oz, down $0.3955 (-0.57%) day-over-day. Previous close: $68.81/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Gold/Silver ratio: 67.2:1.
Silver is still rich, even with a small dip today. It’s down about forty cents, but sitting near $68.42/oz after a big monthly run, and the dollar and high yields are doing more damage than oil right now. With Brent holding firm near $87, expect buyers to stay picky on silver loads and pay up only for clean, documented cores and cats.
Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators
- Platinum (Pt): $1,819/oz, down $15.00 (-0.82%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,834/oz. MoM: +14.0%.
- Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Palladium (Pd): $1,296/oz, down $18.00 (-1.37%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,314/oz. MoM: +4.3%.
- Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Rhodium (Rh): $8,775/oz, down $25.00 (-0.28%) day-over-day. Previous close: $8,800/oz. MoM: +6.4%.
- Rhodium 5-day trend: ↓ 1 of last 5 sessions.
PGMs are soft today, so expect buyers to stay cautious on cats and PGM-rich cores. Platinum, palladium, and rhodium are all down, even with Brent holding near **$87**, so you should expect tighter grading, more questions on your BOLs, and closer looks at your photos before numbers move.
Copper — Current Indicators
- COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.56/lb, down $0.0550 (-0.83%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.62/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
**Copper is still strong, but today it gave you a small dip to work with.** Copper sits around **$6.56/lb**, down about 6 cents on the day, but it’s been up in 3 of the last 5 sessions. With the dollar firm and Brent near **$87**, the big story is still money and yields, not demand falling, so expect buyers to stay picky on grades and paperwork while they feel the tape out.
Aluminum — Current Indicators
- LME Aluminum: $3,224/tonne ($1.46/lb), down $0.0003 (-0.02%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.46/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
**Aluminum is soft again.** It sits at **$1.46/lb**, down a hair, and the 5-day chart shows **3 lower sessions out of 5**. With Brent near **$87** and the dollar firm, buyers may stay picky on grade and paperwork.
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.
