Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – May 21, 2026

Prices as of May 21, 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 — $4,506/oz ▼
• Silver — $74.83/oz ▼
• PGMs — Rh ▼ $9,650 · Pt ▼ $1,923 · Pd ▼ $1,327
• Copper — $6.26/lb ▼
• Aluminum — $1.66/lb ▲
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.3751

Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Both are down again; if you can, hold clean jewelry, coins, and bars for a bounce, and only dump low-grade or damaged material that’s eating storage space.
• PGMs — Prices slipped across platinum, palladium, and rhodium; slow your catalytic converter and PGM scrap sales and shop bids hard before you move anything.
• Copper — With copper off about 6 cents and my last “sell the next uptick” call proving early, stay patient on big wire and tube loads and move only what you need for cash flow.
• Aluminum — Aluminum is one of the few bright spots; use this strength to clear out baled siding, extrusions, and rims while yards are still paying up.
• Big Picture — 1 of 8 metals is higher today, so this is a selective selling day: lean into aluminum, stay cautious and picky on most other metals.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $107.46/bbl, up $1.93 (+1.83%) day-over-day.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent crude is up again, near $107.50 per barrel, gaining almost 2% on the day. Higher fuel costs keep pressure on shredder, trucking, and torch costs, and can squeeze yard margins if scale prices don’t adjust fast enough. The dollar index is a bit softer while USD/CAD holds around 1.38, so cross‑border flows into Canadian mills stay attractive for U.S. sellers.

On the risk side, bond yields keep creeping higher, with the 10‑year near 4.7% even as inflation expectations edge down. That mix can cool big-ticket buying like autos and construction later this year, but recent auto production data is still ticking up, which is good for future scrap supply. For now, the energy tape is firm and funding costs are rising, a combo that favors lean inventories and quick turns at the yard.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,506/oz, down $37.42 (-0.82%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,543/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Gold is still very high at $4,506 an ounce, but it is down a bit today and has fallen in 3 of the last 5 sessions. Scrap sellers and recyclers should watch prices closely, since strong fuel costs can still squeeze yard margins and push offers around from day to day.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $74.83/oz, down $0.8350 (-1.10%) day-over-day. Previous close: $75.67/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 60.2:1.

Silver is down to about $74.80/oz today, off a little more than 1% and weaker in 3 of the last 5 sessions, even as gold still trades about 60 times higher on a ratio basis. With Brent crude near $107.50 and fuel costs climbing, yards may be slower to raise scale prices on clean silver scrap, so strong, sorted loads and good pictures or assays will matter more when you shop offers.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,923/oz, down $21.00 (-1.08%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,944/oz. MoM: -5.2%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,327/oz, down $26.00 (-1.92%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,353/oz. MoM: -13.0%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $9,650/oz, down $50.00 (-0.52%) day-over-day. Previous close: $9,700/oz. MoM: -4.9%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: ↓ 5 of last 5 sessions.

PGM prices are slipping today, with platinum, palladium, and rhodium all down again. Scrap buyers may lower bids on cats and other PGM items, while higher fuel costs from $107+ Brent crude keep pressure on yard and transport costs.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.26/lb, down $0.0605 (-0.96%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.32/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Copper is still very high at about $6.26 per pound, but it slipped about 6 cents today and has been down in 3 of the last 5 sessions. Yards may trim scale prices a bit, especially with fuel costs rising, so sellers with light volumes can still do well now, while big holders might watch for the next bounce.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,655/tonne ($1.66/lb), up +$0.0107 (+0.65%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.65/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Aluminum is up again, now around $1.66 per pound, with prices rising in 3 of the last 5 sessions. Yards may stay cautious on scale prices because high fuel costs are cutting into trucking and processing margins, so expect only small bumps at the scale for now.

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.