Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – August 4, 2026
Prices as of August 04, 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.
All tracked metals are higher today.
Jump to:
- Gold — $4,067/oz ▲
- Silver — $59.58/oz ▲
- PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,250 · Pt ▲ $1,721 · Pd ▲ $1,297
- Copper — $6.65/lb ▲
- Aluminum — $1.47/lb ▲
- Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
- Macro Backdrop
- CAD — USD/CAD 1.4029
Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today
- Gold & Silver — Use today’s grind higher to move clean, documented cats and cores; don’t wait for a perfect top.
- PGMs — Platinum and palladium are jumping; tighten VIN and serial tracking and push well-documented converter loads into auctions now.
- Copper — Copper followed through higher just like we flagged yesterday; get non‑ferrous and insulated wire into competitive bids instead of sitting on it.
- Aluminum — Aluminum is drifting up, not spiking; still sort tight and use photo documentation, but don’t expect a big premium jump today.
- Big Picture — 6 of 8 metals are higher, 2 are flat, so lean into auctions and let competition reveal where bids really are.
Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk
Brent Crude Oil: $81.95/bbl, down $1.63 (-1.95%) day-over-day.
US Dollar Index (DXY): 99.96, down 0.05 (-0.05%) day-over-day.
**Oil is easing, but real rates stay high. That keeps risk in play for metals.**
Brent sits around **$82**, off almost 2% on the day, and well below last week’s FRED print near **$92**.[Brent Crude Oil][Brent] Cheaper oil cools headline inflation and freight costs, but it also signals some demand risk in the system.[Brent Crude Oil][Brent]
The **10‑year** sits near **4.75%** with real yields around **2.5%**, while the Fed rate holds at **3.63%**.[10Y Yield][Real 10Y Yield][Fed Rate] Inflation expectations are steady near **2.3%**, and the dollar is basically flat on DXY, with USD/CAD around **1.40**.[Inflation Exp.][US Dollar Index (DXY)][USD/CAD] Bottom line: money is still tight, carry costs matter, and gold/silver will keep trading off these real rates, not panic headlines.[Real 10Y Yield]
Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator
- Spot Gold (XAU): $4,067/oz, up +$14.50 (+0.36%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,052/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
**Gold is still firm at $4,067/oz, and that keeps scrap value supported for clean, well-sorted loads.** The move is modest, but the 5-day trend is still up, so sellers should keep paperwork tight and use the rally, not guess at the top.
Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid
- Spot Silver (XAG): $59.58/oz, up +$1.43 (+2.45%) day-over-day. Previous close: $58.15/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
- Gold/Silver ratio: 68.3:1.
**Silver’s grinding higher, so clean loads are getting more attention.** Silver is around **$59.58/oz**, up about **2.5%** today and higher in **4 of the last 5 sessions**, even with oil easing and real rates still high.[11][19] That steady move up helps price discovery, so if you’ve got documented silver — sorted, photos, clear weights — now’s a good time to test the bids instead of letting it sit.
Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators
- Platinum (Pt): $1,721/oz, up +$95.00 (+5.84%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,626/oz. MoM: +6.5%.
- Platinum 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Palladium (Pd): $1,297/oz, up +$56.00 (+4.51%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,241/oz. MoM: +3.8%.
- Palladium 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Rhodium (Rh): $8,250/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $8,250/oz. MoM: +1.9%.
- Rhodium 5-day trend: → flat over last 5 sessions.
**PGMs are finally giving scrap sellers a little air.** Platinum and palladium are both up over 4–5% today, while rhodium is holding flat, not sliding. With oil easing and the dollar still strong, this feels more like a short-term bounce than a full trend change, so you sell selectively and keep your best cats documented and ready for auctions.
Copper — Current Indicators
- COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.65/lb, up +$0.1130 (+1.73%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.54/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 5 of last 5 sessions.
**Copper is paying attention. You should too.** Copper’s up to about **$6.65/lb**, roughly 11 cents higher, with five straight up sessions and no sign of cooling yet. Oil is easing and the dollar is soft, but real rates are still high, so this kind of steady grind up is a good time to move clean copper into bids instead of waiting for a “perfect” top.
Aluminum — Current Indicators
- LME Aluminum: $3,241/tonne ($1.47/lb), up +$0.0071 (+0.49%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.46/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 5 of last 5 sessions.
Aluminum is grinding higher at **$1.47/lb**, up just under a cent today and green 5 days in a row. With oil easing to **$81.95/bbl** and the dollar a bit softer, this slow, steady climb is about better price discovery, not a big macro squeeze, so you should focus on clean, sorted aluminum and tight documentation to catch the small upside in current bids.
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).
⚠️ Note: Platinum (5.8%) show unusually large day-over-day moves. Illiquid markets (e.g. rhodium) can have wide bid-ask spreads; verify with multiple sources before acting.
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.
