18 May Chicago Scrap Metal Prices – Week of May 18, 2026
Copper is the story this week. Prices across most non-ferrous grades have climbed steadily through May, with bare bright and #1 copper both pushing higher. Aluminum is holding in a reasonable range after a small pullback earlier in the month. If you have material sitting around, this is a good week to bring it in.
Copper Prices in Chicago This Week
Bare bright copper is running in the $4.80 to $5.20 per pound range at Chicago-area yards this week. #1 copper pipe and clean tubing is coming in around $4.70 to $5.10 per pound. #2 copper, which includes most mixed or painted pipe, is in the $4.60 to $4.90 range. The market has been driven by tight refined copper supply and strong demand from manufacturing and construction. Globally, copper inventories on the LME are lean, and that pressure is showing up at the yard level.
For Chicago scrappers, that difference between #1 and #2 copper matters. A bundle of clean, uncoated copper pipe grades as #1. The same pipe with solder joints, fittings, or paint attached drops to #2 and pays less per pound. If you have the time to clean it before you come in, it usually pays off. Insulated wire and Romex pay less than clean copper because of the recovery rate, so do not expect bare bright prices on wire loads.
Aluminum Prices This Week
Aluminum is running around $0.45 to $0.65 per pound in the Chicago market this week, with the spread depending heavily on grade. Extrusion and clean cast aluminum land at the higher end. Aluminum cans and mixed sheet typically fall in the middle of that range. The market dipped slightly in early May but has stabilized. Rims and radiators are still moving well for contractors and auto recyclers bringing volume loads.
Steel and Iron Prices
Ferrous prices in Chicago are holding steady this week. Light iron and appliances are trading in the $220 to $260 per net ton range. Heavier grades like P and S steel are closer to $260 to $280 per net ton. Steel prices do not move day to day the way copper does. The ferrous market set its rates at the beginning of the month and has not seen major swings since. If you are hauling iron or steel, expect stable pricing through the rest of May.
What This Means for Chicago Scrappers
Copper is about as strong as it has been in a long time, so if you have been sitting on wire, pipe, or clean copper of any kind, now is a good time to cash it out. Aluminum and steel are steady, so those loads are worth bringing in too, no rush but no reason to wait.
Bring your scrap to Central Metal Recycling at 5618 W. Fillmore St. We’re open Mon-Fri 7am-4pm and Saturday 7am-11am. Call (773) 345-8610 for today’s exact rates.
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