Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – August 6, 2026

Prices as of August 06, 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 — $4,259/oz ▲
• Silver — $61.70/oz ▼
• PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,525 · Pt ▼ $1,730 · Pd ▲ $1,360
• Copper — $6.78/lb ▲
• Aluminum — $1.48/lb ▲
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.4026

Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Use today’s high gold / soft silver spread to move clean gold-bearing scrap now and hold marginal silver until bids firm.
• PGMs — With palladium up, platinum down, rhodium flat, strip and sell complete cats with photo/VIN documentation; don’t cherry-pick only platinum-heavy material.
• Copper — Copper’s grind higher continues; push sorted, graded copper into the market this week and use SMASH auctions to test how far buyers will chase it.
• Aluminum — Price is creeping up; tighten your aluminum sorting (cast vs sheet vs extrusion) and bulk up loads before listing to get buyers competing.
• Big Picture — Mixed board today: 4 metals higher, 2 lower, 2 flat — use auctions and multiple buyers, not one phone quote, to see where the real demand is.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $80.52/bbl, up $1.03 (+1.30%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 99.75, down 0.21 (-0.21%) day-over-day.

**Oil is hot again, and risk is not gone.** Brent is back at **$80.52**, up **1.3%** on the day. That keeps the fuel side firm and can feed freight costs, diesel pressure, and buy-side caution.

The **dollar is softer**, with DXY at **99.75**, while **10Y yields** have eased to **4.63%** and **2Y yields** to **4.20%**. That mix helps the metals tape, but the **real 10Y yield** is still about **2.41%**, so cash is not cheap and risk stays in the market. Increased price moves can keep buyers picky on mixed loads and slow the chase on marginal tons.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,259/oz, up +$11.80 (+0.28%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,247/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold is still bid, and scrap sellers should pay attention.** At **$4,259/oz**, gold is up again and has now closed higher in **4 of the last 5 sessions**. With the **U.S. dollar softer** and **Brent still hot at $80.52**, the market is holding a firm tone, not waiting for a clean pullback.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $61.70/oz, down $0.3630 (-0.58%) day-over-day. Previous close: $62.07/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 69.0:1.

**Silver is soft today, but not falling apart.** Silver is around **$61.70/oz**, down about 36 cents on the day, even though it has risen in 3 of the last 5 sessions. The gold/silver ratio near **69:1** says gold still has the lead, but with oil hot again and the dollar a bit weaker, you should still watch silver cats, coins, and industrial scrap closely when talking price with your buyer.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,730/oz, down $3.00 (-0.17%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,733/oz. MoM: +6.1%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,360/oz, up +$9.00 (+0.67%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,351/oz. MoM: +9.2%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $8,525/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $8,525/oz. MoM: +3.3%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: ↑ 2 of last 5 sessions.

**PGMs are mixed, so this is not a clean up tape.** Platinum is slipping, palladium is firmer, and rhodium is flat, while Brent at **$80.52** keeps the floor under the complex. For scrap sellers, that means better price discovery helps more than guessing one buyer’s number.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.78/lb, up +$0.0240 (+0.36%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.75/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 5 of last 5 sessions.

**Copper keeps grinding higher, and sellers still have the upper hand.** Copper is at **$6.78/lb**, up about **2 cents** today and green **5 days in a row**, so yards can quote with confidence instead of guessing. With oil heating back up and risk still on the table, this steady climb says demand is holding, so if you’ve got good copper—wire, tubing, cats—it’s a reasonable time to move a load instead of sitting on it.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,257/tonne ($1.48/lb), up +$0.0033 (+0.22%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.47/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 5 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum’s grinding higher, not spiking — you should notice.** Exchange aluminum is at **$1.48/lb**, up a hair today but green 5 days straight. That slow climb, plus Brent holding near **$80.52**, says demand is steady and risk’s still on the table, so keep watching your yard offers and be ready to test the market if this grind-up continues.

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.