Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – August 31, 2026

Prices as of August 31, 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 — $4,450/oz ▼
• Silver — $67.21/oz ▲
• PGMs — Rh ▲ $9,000 · Pt ▼ $1,797 · Pd ▼ $1,371
• Copper — $6.70/lb ▲
• Aluminum — $1.47/lb ▸
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.3888

Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Use gold’s dip to clear slow-moving gold cats and jewelry, but push harder on clean silver loads while bids are warm.
• PGMs — With platinum and palladium down and rhodium up, move mixed PGM cats now instead of waiting for a perfect price that may not show.
• Copper — Copper keeps grinding higher, so tighten grading, document loads, and push buyers for firm bids instead of ballparks.
• Aluminum — Aluminum is flat like we expected; bundle alu with copper, brass, and clean non-ferrous to build stronger mixed loads before you sell.
• Big Picture — Three metals higher, three lower, two flat — no easy upside, so focus on clean, documented inventory and competitive bidding, not hope.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $88.44/bbl, up $0.1500 (+0.17%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 99.52, up 0.35 (+0.35%) day-over-day.

**Energy is firm, dollar is stronger, and risk stays high.**

Brent sits around **$88.44**, up a few cents, holding last week’s bounce. That keeps fuel costs sticky for your trucks and shears, but not blowing out yet. Real 10-year yields are still high at **2.36%**, which usually leans against gold and silver and keeps money parked in safer paper instead of metal risk.

The **U.S. dollar** is a bit stronger again, with DXY near **99.5** and USD/CAD at **1.3888**. A firm dollar often pressures export bids and makes offshore buyers more careful. Rates are still elevated, inflation expectations are slightly lower, and auto production has dipped, so the macro backdrop is “no crisis, but no clear tailwind” for scrap risk today.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,450/oz, down $3.90 (-0.09%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,454/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 4 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold keeps slipping, and the “easy money” trade is gone.** Gold is around **$4,450/oz**, down a touch today and lower in 4 of the last 5 sessions. With energy firm and the dollar stronger, buyers stay cautious, so you should expect tighter bids on your gold scrap and more focus on clean, well-documented loads.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $67.21/oz, up +$0.8230 (+1.24%) day-over-day. Previous close: $66.39/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 66.2:1.

Silver is up again, around **$67.21/oz**, adding about 82 cents today, with 3 gains in the last 5 sessions. Energy is firm and the dollar is stronger, so risk stays high, but silver is still finding buyers; clean, well-documented loads with photos and serials should draw the better bids when you run them through competitive auctions instead of one-call pricing.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,797/oz, down $22.00 (-1.21%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,819/oz. MoM: +9.3%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 4 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,371/oz, down $34.00 (-2.42%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,405/oz. MoM: +9.2%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $9,000/oz, up +$150.00 (+1.69%) day-over-day. Previous close: $8,850/oz. MoM: +9.1%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Platinum and palladium are soft again, and that keeps the PGM board heavy for scrap sellers. Platinum is down to **$1,797/oz** and palladium is at **$1,371/oz**, while rhodium is the only bright spot at **$9,000/oz**. With a stronger dollar and firm energy, buyers are still picky, so clean, documented loads and full lots matter more than ever.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.70/lb, up +$0.0560 (+0.84%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.64/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Copper is grinding higher, but the tape still feels nervous.** Copper is around **$6.70/lb**, up about six cents today and higher in 3 of the last 5 sessions. Energy is firm, the dollar is stronger, and risk is still high, so you should treat this move as a chance to get real bids and lock firm prices on clean copper loads, not as a guaranteed uptrend that will bail out sloppy material.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,245/tonne ($1.47/lb), flat day-over-day. Previous close: $1.47/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Aluminum is holding **$1.47/lb**, flat today, but it’s nudged higher in 3 of the last 5 sessions. With energy firm and the dollar stronger, risk is still high, so you treat this as a steady grind, not a breakout.

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.