Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – June 18, 2026

Prices as of June 18, 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 — $4,246/oz ▼
• Silver — $66.96/oz ▼
• PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,000 · Pt ▼ $1,706 · Pd ▼ $1,270
• Copper — $6.39/lb ▲
• Aluminum — $1.54/lb ▼
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.4034

Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Prices are soft again, so don’t fire‑sell; hold clean lots, and tighten what you’re paying on low‑karat and mixed.
• PGMs — Platinum and palladium keep slipping while rhodium sits flat; move complete, well‑documented cats now and push back on any lowball grading.
• Copper — With copper the only metal up, prioritize shipping clean #1 and #2 loads and use today’s strength to clear near‑ready inventory.
• Aluminum — With aluminum drifting lower again, only move space‑hogging or dirty alu; keep clean segregated grades off the scale if you can.
• Big Picture — 1 of 8 metals higher, 5 lower, 2 flat: sell into copper strength, stay patient on precious, and don’t dump good non‑ferrous into a soft tape.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $78.41/bbl, down $0.5600 (-0.71%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 100.61, up 0.98 (+0.98%) day-over-day.

**Energy is softer, but money is tight. That mix keeps risk appetite in check.**

Brent crude sits around **$78**, down about **0.7%** on the day. Fuel costs ease a bit for shredding, trucking, and yards, but the move is small, not a game changer yet.

The **U.S. dollar is firmer**, with DXY near **101** and USD/CAD around **1.40**. A stronger buck can lean on dollar-priced metals and makes U.S. scrap feel more expensive to foreign buyers. Yields are still high, with the 10‑year above **4%** and real yields over **2%**, so money is not cheap. Tight credit and a hawkish Fed tone keep big risk trades cautious, which can cap upside for scrap and base metals.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,246/oz, down $14.27 (-0.33%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,260/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Gold is at **$4,246/oz**, but it is still soft today, down **0.33%** and lower in **3 of the last 5 sessions**. For scrap sellers, that means the market is still strong on paper, but the pullback and a firmer dollar can trim what buyers are willing to pay right now.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $66.96/oz, down $0.9770 (-1.44%) day-over-day. Previous close: $67.94/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 63.4:1.

**Silver is slipping today, but still holding good value for your shred and melt.** Silver’s around **$66.96/oz**, down about **1.4%** on the day, even though it’s been up in **3 of the last 5 sessions**. A stronger dollar and tighter money are leaning on prices, but with a **63:1 gold/silver ratio**, buyers still need your clean silver scrap, so price dips can be a decent time to move inventory if you’ve been sitting on buckets of wire, contacts, or old silverware.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,706/oz, down $36.00 (-2.07%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,742/oz. MoM: -11.3%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,270/oz, down $32.00 (-2.46%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,302/oz. MoM: -5.5%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $8,000/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $8,000/oz. MoM: -17.9%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: → flat over last 5 sessions.

**PGM prices are soft, so don’t expect buyers to chase your cats today.** Platinum and palladium both slipped again, down a couple percent and red in 3 of the last 5 sessions. Rhodium is holding flat around $8,000, but with the dollar stronger and money tight, buyers will stay picky on PGM-heavy scrap.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.39/lb, up +$0.0160 (+0.25%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.38/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.

**Copper is still grinding higher, not spiking.** Copper sits around **$6.39/lb**, up a couple cents today and higher in **4 of the last 5 sessions**. With energy softer and the dollar firm, this looks like slow, steady strength — good time to move clean copper if your scales are full, but no need to panic-dump good cats or wire.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,404/tonne ($1.54/lb), down $0.0082 (-0.53%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.55/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum is taking a tiny step back today, not a crash.** The screen says **$1.54/lb**, down less than a cent, but it’s still up in **3 of the last 5** sessions. With oil around **$78.41/bbl** and the dollar firm, money isn’t loose, so don’t expect crazy bids, but decent, clean aluminum should still move if you price close to the sheet.

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.