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Copper Prices in 2026 from Public Data: What the Monthly Series Show for Scrap Sellers
Refined copper rose 22.8% from December 2025 to September 2026. What that means for scrap prices and contracts.
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Insights · Public Data and Guides
Scrap Metal Data and Guides
Data reports and guides for people who sell, buy or research scrap metal. Written by ScrapBasin from public sources, with the source on every figure. ScrapBasin never buys, sells or brokers metal.
US producer price indexes · P = preliminaryData as of 9 October 2026
- No. 1 copper scrap · Aug 2026 P+5.5%1 month+41.2% 12 months
- No. 2 copper scrap · Aug 2026 P+1.4%1 month+52.9% 12 months
- Yellow brass scrap · Aug 2026 P+2.5%1 month+39.9% 12 months
- Aluminium base scrap · Aug 2026 P+1.2%1 month+30.6% 12 months
- Iron and steel scrap · Aug 2026 P−1.5%1 month+9.5% 12 months
- Refined copper (World Bank) · Sep 2026+1.0%1 month+45.0% 12 months
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED (public domain); World Bank Pink Sheet, CC BY 4.0, shown as a percentage change only. Calculations by ScrapBasin. Indexes, not prices or offers.
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Every article is written by ScrapBasin and lists its sources and the date they were checked.
These Series, Recomputed After Each BLS Release
The free monthly Data Note recomputes these series after each BLS release and says, in plain terms, what moved for copper, aluminium, steel and stainless scrap.
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