Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – July 28, 2026

Prices as of July 28, 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.

Jump to:

• Gold — $4,031/oz ▼
• Silver — $57.30/oz ▼
• PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,250 · Pt ▼ $1,597 · Pd ▼ $1,245
• Copper — $6.32/lb ▼
• Aluminum — $1.43/lb ▼
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.4114

Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Both are lower, so move clean gold-bearing and silver-bearing scrap while bids are still firm. If you have mixed lots, strip out the high-grade material and keep the trash out of the lot.
• PGMs — Platinum and palladium are both down, while rhodium is flat. Sell the better lots now, and hold only if you have tight assay control and can wait for a better window.
• Copper — Copper is down about 7 cents to $6.32/lb, so protect margin by sorting hard and cutting contamination. Clean copper still beats mixed junk, and buyers will punish loose prep in this tape.
• Aluminum — Aluminum is down about 1 cent to $1.43/lb, so focus on clean grade separation and dry loads. Don’t let dirt, steel, or mixed alloys drag the whole ticket lower.
• Big Picture — 0 of 8 metals higher today, 6 lower, and 2 flat, so this is a weak start and sellers should be selective, clean up material, and lock in bids fast.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $87.09/bbl, down $0.6500 (-0.74%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 101.57, up 0.14 (+0.14%) day-over-day.

**Oil is drifting lower, but the real story is rates and the dollar.**

Brent crude sits around **$87**, down less than a buck, so fuel pressure is steady, not screaming higher or crashing. That keeps yard diesel and freight costs in check for now, but no relief rally for heavy trucking or long-haul loads.

On the money side, the **U.S. dollar is firm** and real yields are high, with the 10-year near **4.7%** and inflation expectations easing. Risk markets are nervous, not panicked. For you, that means buyers stay picky, credit stays tight, and there’s not much “easy money” chasing marginal scrap. Keep your BOLs clean, cats and cores well documented, and move metal into real bids, not wishful thinking.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,031/oz, down $42.10 (-1.03%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,073/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold is still strong, but the tape cooled off today.** At **$4,031/oz**, it is down **$42** on the day, yet the **5-day trend is still up** in **3 of 5 sessions**, so clean gold-bearing scrap still has a solid market behind it.[1]

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $57.30/oz, down $1.09 (-1.87%) day-over-day. Previous close: $58.39/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 70.3:1.

**Silver’s taking a breather, not falling apart.** Silver is around **$57.30/oz**, down about **2% on the day**, but it’s still been up in **3 of the last 5 sessions**. With the dollar firmer and oil steady near **$87**, buyers may shave bids today, so expect a bit more pushback on thin, low-grade silver scrap while clean, well-documented material still moves.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,597/oz, down $18.00 (-1.11%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,615/oz. MoM: -1.1%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,245/oz, down $26.00 (-2.05%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,271/oz. MoM: +4.8%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $8,250/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $8,250/oz. MoM: +6.5%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: ↑ 1 of last 5 sessions.

PGM prices are soft today, with **platinum** and **palladium** both ticking lower and **rhodium** stuck in a narrow range. With rates and the US dollar doing most of the talking, this feels like a cautious buyers’ market, so you should expect tighter bids and more questions on your cats and PGM-rich loads. If you’re selling, clean, well-documented converters with clear photos and serial tracking will still move; mixed or guesswork inventory will sit.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.32/lb, down $0.0700 (-1.10%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.39/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Copper’s taking a breather, not falling apart.** Copper is around **$6.32/lb**, down about **7 cents** today and weaker in **3 of the last 5** sessions. Buyers may lean a bit harder on bids, but this still isn’t a crash — you should expect tighter numbers on mixed copper, while clean, well-documented loads with photos and packing lists will still draw the best interest.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,147/tonne ($1.43/lb), down $0.0110 (-0.76%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.44/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum slipped today, but the tape still looks steady, not falling apart.** Aluminum is around **$1.43/lb**, about a cent lower, so expect bids to be a touch tighter, not washed out. With oil and the dollar doing most of the talking right now, use the recent 5-day strength to move clean, well-documented aluminum while buyers still have confidence.

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.