Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – August 28, 2026

Prices as of August 28, 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.

Jump to:

• Gold — $4,601/oz ▼
• Silver — $70.59/oz ▲
• PGMs — Rh ▲ $8,850 · Pt ▲ $1,890 · Pd ▲ $1,403
• Copper — $6.73/lb ▲
• Aluminum — $1.47/lb ▲
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.3861

Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Keep moving clean silver loads; gold is softer, so tighten grading and don’t expect buyers to chase mixed lots.
• PGMs — Platinum, palladium, and rhodium are all firm; move clean cats now and push for tighter spreads on documented PGMs.
• Copper — With copper a few cents higher, press buyers for firm bids today and avoid ballpark pricing on bright and #2.
• Aluminum — Aluminum is barely up; ship only well-packed, photo-documented loads and push back on lowball sheet and extruded offers.
• Big Picture — Six of eight metals are higher and steel is flat, so you have more room to walk weak bids this morning.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $87.89/bbl, down $0.7300 (-0.82%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 99.20, up 0.20 (+0.20%) day-over-day.

**Energy is easing, but the dollar and rates are still doing the heavy lifting on risk.**

Brent sits around **$88/bbl** and is down about 1% this week, but not crashing. Oil is still high enough to keep diesel and yard costs firm, just not spiking today.

The **U.S. dollar index is firmer**, and **10Y and 2Y yields are edging higher**. That puts pressure on risk assets and tends to cap runs in gold and silver, even with inflation expectations steady. Net: energy is a mild drag, money is still tight, and you should expect choppy risk-on flows into metals rather than a straight melt-up.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,601/oz, down $5.50 (-0.12%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,607/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Gold is **drifting lower**, not crashing, at about **$4,601/oz** today. With the dollar firm and energy easing a bit, buyers stay picky on grading and recovery. Expect tight bids on mixed gold-bearing loads and more interest in clean, well-documented material with clear photos and serials.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $70.59/oz, up +$1.22 (+1.76%) day-over-day. Previous close: $69.37/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 65.2:1.

**Silver keeps grinding higher, but the strong dollar still caps the upside.** Silver is at **$70.59/oz**, up about 2% today and higher in **4 of the last 5 sessions**, so your silver loads are in a better spot than last week. Energy is calmer with Brent around **$87.89/bbl**, and the dollar is still firm, so don’t expect runaway silver prices — but competition between buyers can help reveal the real market, so this is a good time to tighten your silver inventory and be ready to move clean material when bids line up.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,890/oz, up +$43.00 (+2.33%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,847/oz. MoM: +17.0%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,403/oz, up +$65.00 (+4.86%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,338/oz. MoM: +12.1%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $8,850/oz, up +$25.00 (+0.28%) day-over-day. Previous close: $8,825/oz. MoM: +7.3%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: ↑ 2 of last 5 sessions.

Platinum, palladium, and rhodium are all **up**, and cats are paying better today. With Brent around **$88/bbl** and energy easing a bit, this move looks more like a clean risk bounce than panic. Prices can change fast, but if you’re sitting on clean cores and cats, this is a decent window to test the market.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.73/lb, up +$0.0355 (+0.53%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.69/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.

Copper is up again, around **$6.73/lb**, and it’s climbed in **4 of the last 5 sessions**. Energy is easing a bit and Brent sits near **$87.89/bbl**, but the firm dollar still puts a lid on crazy moves. If you’ve got clean copper sorted and ready, this is a decent tape to test real bids instead of guessing.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,240/tonne ($1.47/lb), up +$0.0017 (+0.12%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.47/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum is inching higher, but not breaking out.** Aluminum is around **$1.47/lb**, up a hair today and higher in **3 of the last 5 sessions**. Energy is calmer with Brent near **$87.89/bbl**, and the stronger dollar is doing most of the work, so you should expect slow, steady moves here, not big spikes.

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.