Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – May 15, 2026

Prices as of May 15, 2026 at 12:31 PM UTC.

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.

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• Gold — $4,550/oz ▼
• Silver — $77.98/oz ▼
• PGMs — Rh ▼ $9,925 · Pt ▼ $1,983 · Pd ▼ $1,402
• Copper — $6.31/lb ▼
• Aluminum — $1.62/lb ▼
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.3725

Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — With both down hard, hold higher‑grade jewelry and coins if you can, but move low‑grade, mixed, or damaged lots to free cash and floor space.
• PGMs — With platinum and palladium sliding, ship only must‑move cat loads; stockpile cleaner, higher‑yield PGM material for a bounce.
• Copper — After a 27‑cent drop, pause large clean‑copper sales and sort aggressively by grade so you’re ready to hit the scale fast on the next uptick.
• Aluminum — With prices off about 3 cents and trend still soft, move dirty/low‑value aluminum now but keep clean segregated grades for a better board.
• Big Picture — All 8 tracked metals are weak or flat today, so protect margin with tighter buy prices and shorter quote windows until the slide eases.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $108.00/bbl, up $1.80 (+1.69%) day-over-day.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent crude is up again, near $108 a barrel, gaining about $1.80 (+1.7%). Higher fuel costs keep squeezing truckers and processors, so yards should plan for rising freight and shear costs to stick around. Power and diesel surcharges from haulers are more likely, not less, at these levels.

Inflation is still creeping higher, with the CPI edging up, and India’s wholesale prices just jumped on a 25% fuel spike. That mix of stronger energy and steady inflation keeps metal a “hard asset” play, even with some pressure from stronger yields and a firm U.S. dollar versus the Canadian dollar (USD/CAD ~1.37). Net result: costs are rising faster than prices in many spots, so expect tight buy levels as yards protect margin.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,550/oz, down $105.50 (-2.27%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,656/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 4 of last 5 sessions.

Gold is still very high at $4,550 an ounce, but it is down 2.27% today and has fallen in four of the last five sessions. Scrap sellers and recyclers should expect good value, but prices may stay shaky for now. Higher Brent crude near $108 a barrel also keeps truck and plant costs high, which can squeeze buy prices.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $77.98/oz, down $5.76 (-6.87%) day-over-day. Previous close: $83.74/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 58.4:1.

Silver is under pressure today, around $78/oz, down almost 7% and weaker in 3 of the last 5 sessions. With Brent crude near $108 and fuel costs still climbing, yards may keep buy prices tight, so high‑grade silver can probably wait for a better bounce while low‑grade and mixed lots still make sense to move for cash flow.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,983/oz, down $79.00 (-3.83%) day-over-day. Previous close: $2,062/oz. MoM: -6.1%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,402/oz, down $24.00 (-1.68%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,426/oz. MoM: -9.3%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $9,925/oz, down $50.00 (-0.50%) day-over-day. Previous close: $9,975/oz. MoM: -0.2%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: → flat over last 5 sessions.

PGM prices are softer today, with platinum and palladium both down and rhodium mostly flat. Scrap sellers should expect more cautious buying, but higher fuel costs still keep yard and freight costs high, which can support firm bid levels for now.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.31/lb, down $0.2670 (-4.06%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.58/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Copper is softer today at $6.31 a pound, down about 27 cents. The 5-day trend is still weak, so scrap sellers may want to move clean copper soon if they need cash. Higher Brent crude near $108 a barrel can keep freight and yard costs high, but it is not enough to stop today’s copper dip.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,579/tonne ($1.62/lb), down $0.0336 (-2.03%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.66/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Aluminum is around $1.62 per pound today, down about 3 cents and lower in 3 of the last 5 sessions. Demand looks soft, so yards may trim buy prices, but high fuel and trucking costs still squeeze margins, so expect tight spreads to continue.

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: Silver (6.9%) 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.