Smash Scrap Morning Metals Report – September 16, 2026

[DATA ALERT: Silver: settled +0.86% away from the 2026-09-15 morning print ($63.15 -> $63.69) — this move was never published in an article (unpublished settle step); Platinum: settled +1.31% away from the 2026-09-15 morning print ($1,755.00 -> $1,778.00) — this move was never published in an article (unpublished settle step); Palladium: settled +1.18% away from the 2026-09-15 morning print ($1,272.00 -> $1,287.00) — this move was never published in an article (unpublished settle step); Copper: settled +0.94% away from the 2026-09-15 morning print ($6.41 -> $6.47) — this move was never published in an article (unpublished settle step) — verify before publishing]

Prices as of September 16, 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 — $4,339/oz ▲
• Silver — $64.54/oz ▲
• PGMs — Rh ▸ $9,550 · Pt ▲ $1,785 · Pd ▲ $1,289
• Copper — $6.51/lb ▲
• Aluminum — $1.49/lb ▲
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.3917

Smash Scrap Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Use today’s pop to move clean, documented cats and jewelry; tighten photos and BOLs so picky buyers can still stretch.
• PGMs — With platinum and palladium inching up and rhodium flat, sort and tag high-grade cores by serial and VIN, and shop them across multiple buyers instead of taking the first bid.
• Copper — Copper is about 4 cents higher; weigh and log your bright, #1, and #2 loads in an inventory tool and test the market with small auctions instead of dumping full loads on one call.
• Aluminum — With aluminum up about a cent, bundle clean extrusion and sheet, separate off-spec, and use photos plus packing lists to push buyers on price discovery rather than accepting yard-board numbers.
• Big Picture — Six of eight tracked metals are higher today, two are flat, so you should lean into competition and auctions for price discovery instead of guessing off yesterday’s sheet.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $107.44/bbl, down $0.8800 (-0.81%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 99.71, up 0.59 (+0.60%) day-over-day.

**Energy is still pricey, but the real story today is dollar strength and rising yields.**

Brent sits around **$107** and ticked down less than a buck, so your diesel math barely moves today. The bigger shift is in risk, not fuel.

The US dollar is firm, with DXY pushing near **100** and USD/CAD at **1.39**. That helps U.S. cash buyers and makes life tougher for CAD sellers on export tons.

Yields keep grinding up. The 10‑year is near **5%** and real yields sit around **2.6%**, which is bad news for gold, silver, and anything “risk-on.” Higher real rates pull money toward cash and treasuries, not shiny metal or speculative scrap plays.

Bottom line for you: energy costs stay high, the dollar is strong, and real yields are rising. That mix keeps risk appetite tight, so expect buyers to stay picky on loads, cores, and non‑ferrous until something in this trifecta breaks.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,339/oz, up +$45.10 (+1.05%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,294/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold is up to $4,339/oz, but the move is still choppy.** It has been down in 3 of the last 5 sessions, and a stronger dollar plus higher yields can keep buyers cautious. For scrap sellers, that means the market is open, but price discovery may stay messy.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $64.54/oz, up +$0.8480 (+1.33%) day-over-day. Previous close: $63.69/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 67.2:1.

Silver is up today and holding ground, even with a strong dollar breathing down its neck. At **$64.54/oz**, up about **85 cents** and higher in **3 of the last 5 sessions**, this is a decent spot to test buyers on silver loads and cores, but expect them to push hard on photos, serials, and BOLs before they stretch on price.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,785/oz, up +$7.00 (+0.39%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,778/oz. MoM: +2.5%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,289/oz, up +$2.00 (+0.16%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,287/oz. MoM: -2.3%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $9,550/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $9,550/oz. MoM: +9.2%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: → flat over last 5 sessions.

Platinum and palladium are **nudging up**, with three green sessions in the last five, so cats and PGM loads still have a bid. Rhodium is **dead flat**, so don’t expect hero numbers there today, especially with a strong dollar and diesel still pricey off Brent around $107.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.51/lb, up +$0.0450 (+0.70%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.47/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Copper is at **$6.51/lb**, up about 4 cents today, with 3 green sessions out of the last 5. The move is modest, but in a strong dollar, high-energy world, seeing copper up tells you buyers still need metal. Use this strength to test bids on clean #1 and bright, but expect tight spreads with that firm DXY and diesel still riding Brent around **$107**.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,276/tonne ($1.49/lb), up +$0.0107 (+0.73%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.48/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Aluminum is **up today at $1.49/lb**, but the trend is still choppy with 3 down days in the last 5. With the dollar stronger and Brent around **$107**, buyers stay picky, so clean, well-documented aluminum loads and clear packing lists matter if you want them to stretch on price.

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.