Blog

later post  |  index  |  earlier post

Is there a link between copper and brass prices?

  Tuesday, 18 July 2023

As two of the most popular types of metal, copper and brass usually fetch good prices with scrap dealers. But are these scrap metal prices related? If demand for copper goes up, will brass prices increase too? In this article we look at what affects the price of copper and brass.

Which is more expensive, copper or brass?

When we talk about copper and brass, we are not really talking about two different metals. Brass is actually a copper alloy with a large zinc content, and can also contain metals like tin, iron, aluminium, lead and silicon. Brass is strong, machinable, conductive and corrosion-resistant, and is widely used in marine engineering. Its high zinc content makes for a pliable and strong alloy and increases its ductility and strength.

Pure copper is popular because of its widespread use in electrical wiring, cabling, plumbing and telecommunications. It is expensive and increasingly environmentally unsustainable to source new copper, so recycled copper is always in high demand. Bare bright copper, #1 and #2 copper, copper tanks and braziery copper command higher prices than brass.

How are copper and brass prices determined?

A number of different factors can affect the scrap metal prices of copper and brass. Prices may vary from region to region, with some metals in shorter supply in one area of the country than another. Metal is traded on the commodity markets, and this will provide an insight into how prices are fluctuating in the UK and globally.

If scrap yards have their own treatment facility, like at ASM Metal Recycling, this will help to dampen down local prices. Dealers will not need to factor in the costs of sending metals elsewhere to be weighed, sorted, crushed, sheared and baled. Some dealers will specialise in certain metals and will pay more for the type of metal that they want.

Is there a link between copper and brass prices?

Yes, just as there are great similarities between the two metals in terms of their content, there is a link between the prices of copper and brass. As copper is one of the essential components of brass, their prices tend to rise and fall together. Over the last few years, we have seen the prices of brass and copper increase significantly, but copper is always leading the way. We can provide you with up-to-date scrap metal prices, just give us a call. The prices of copper and brass continue to rise, and global demand shows no sign of abating.

Sell your scrap copper and brass to ASM

We’re always ready to buy good quality scrap copper and brass. Copper and brass are among the metals we recycle most, and the better grades command competitive scrap metal prices. We will grade the metal we receive and use digital scales to give you the most accurate weight and value for your scrap copper and brass.

Contact us today to enquire about selling your scrap copper and brass.

later post  |  index  |  earlier post

---