Scrap Metal Prices in Burnie
Estimated scrap yard payouts in Burnie on : about $12.18/kg for bare bright copper, $2.27/kg for aluminium extrusion, $7.12/kg for yellow brass. These are our estimates from MetalpriceAPI market prices × typical payout rates × Burnie's 0.78× regional factor, not quotes from Burnie yards; call a yard before you go. Where these numbers come from.
Burnie is a port city on Tasmania's north-west coast, serving the surrounding agricultural and forestry regions. Scrap activity is modest, with rates reflecting transport costs to mainland processors via the Bass Strait shipping route.
Current scrap metal prices in Burnie
Spot price equivalents adjusted for Burnie's regional rate (0.78×). Actual yard payouts apply the grade-specific payout rate on top — typically 12–78% of spot depending on grade.
| Metal | Sydney spot | Burnie equiv. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | $20.01 | $15.61 | Grades & payouts → |
| Aluminium | $4.48 | $3.50 | Grades & payouts → |
| Brass | $15.21 | $11.86 | Grades & payouts → |
| Steel | $0.42 | $0.33 | Grades & payouts → |
| Stainless Steel | $2.41 | $1.88 | Grades & payouts → |
| Lead | $2.75 | $2.15 | Grades & payouts → |
| Zinc | $5.46 | $4.26 | Grades & payouts → |
| Nickel | $23.83 | $18.59 | Grades & payouts → |
Where these numbers come from
| Figure | Value | Source | Type | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper spot price | A$20.01/kg | MetalpriceAPI (LME-linked market data) | Market data feed | |
| Aluminium spot price | A$4.48/kg | MetalpriceAPI (LME-linked market data) | Market data feed | |
| Brass spot price | A$15.21/kg | Calculated: 67% copper + 33% zinc (MetalpriceAPI) | Our calculation from feed prices | |
| Steel spot price | A$0.42/kg | Fixed site estimate of A$0.42/kg | Fixed estimate, not a market feed | |
| Stainless Steel spot price | A$2.41/kg | Calculated: 8% nickel (MetalpriceAPI) + a fixed A$0.50/kg chromium allowance | Our calculation, partly a fixed estimate | |
| Lead spot price | A$2.75/kg | MetalpriceAPI (LME-linked market data) | Market data feed | |
| Zinc spot price | A$5.46/kg | MetalpriceAPI (LME-linked market data) | Market data feed | |
| Nickel spot price | A$23.83/kg | MetalpriceAPI (LME-linked market data) | Market data feed | |
| Burnie regional factor | 0.78× | Our model (freight distance and yard rate differences) | Our estimate | |
| Grade payout rates | 12–78% of spot | Our estimate from published yard rate cards | Our estimate |
Spot prices are converted to Australian dollars per kilogram. Yard payouts are our estimates (spot × grade payout rate × regional factor), not quotes from any yard. Set when the site launched on 2026-05-16 and not updated since. No live steel scrap price feed is used. The chromium allowance is a fixed figure set on 2026-05-16, not a market price. Full detail: methodology.
How Burnie compares
Scrap yards in Burnie pay roughly 22% below the Sydney national benchmark (0.78× regional adjustment). Among Australian regional centres, rates here are closest to Albany (0.76×). The lower payout reflects Burnie's distance from major smelters and ports — transport costs to processing facilities reduce what yards can pay sellers.
Where the yards are in Burnie
Burnie's scrap yards are in the small industrial suburbs either side of the city. Wivenhoe and South Burnie, three kilometres south-east near the old paper mill site, have the main yard, and Camdale on the western side toward Somerset holds a depot of a mainland-based collector. Stowport, inland, has a wrecker that also buys metal.
The buyers are a scrap exporter, statewide locally owned recyclers, and a couple of small independents. Only a few fixed yards serve the whole north-west coast, so Devonport, 46 kilometres east, is the only nearby comparison.
Where Burnie's metal goes
Burnie is Tasmania's largest general cargo port, moving over five million tonnes a year and nearly half the state's containerised freight, so metal from the north-west can be containerised at the wharf for the mainland or export without a long road leg. The alternative processing point is the Bell Bay industrial estate, roughly 200 kilometres east via Launceston. Having a port at the end of the street helps, but Bass Strait freight still comes out of every payout, and Burnie sits at the low end of this site's Tasmanian adjustments.
What's different about selling in Burnie
The 2010 closure of the pulp and paper mill ended the city's biggest source of industrial scrap. Today supply is forestry equipment, dairy and vegetable farms, west-coast mining gear passing through the port, and households. Tasmania's Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 1994 requires identification and records but does not ban cash. Recycle Rewards pays 10 cents per eligible drink container. Hobart is 325 kilometres away, Launceston 147.
Sources for the Burnie sections above (last checked ):
Rules for selling scrap in Tasmania
- Governing law
- No scrap-specific Act. The Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 1994 applies and does not mention scrap metal specifically. Dealers do not hold a licence but must give the nearest police station at least one month's written notice before starting business.
- Photo ID
- Section 9 says a dealer must not receive goods unless the seller produces documentary proof of identity showing their correct name and address. The Act sets no points system, weight or value threshold, so expect to show ID for any sale to a dealer covered by the Act.
- Cash payments
- No cash ban. The Act contains no payment method rules.
- Container deposit scheme
- Recycle Rewards, 10 cents per eligible container, launched 1 May 2025. Most aluminium, glass, plastic, steel and carton containers between 150 mL and 3 litres are accepted.
- Also worth knowing
- Dealers must keep prescribed records of second-hand goods bought above a prescribed value (section 10) and must not alter or dispose of goods within 7 days of receiving them (section 11). ABLIS refers dealers to the Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Regulations 2026 for record-keeping detail.
Summarised from the legislation and government guidance below (more on our state-by-state rules guide). Rules change; confirm with the yard before you go.
Other Tasmania scrap markets
Yards across Tasmania pay rates relative to their distance from major smelters and ports. Hobart is the state capital and typically has the most competitive rates in the state.
Popular items: what they're worth in Burnie
Estimated scrap value at Burnie yards. Assumes properly prepared material (oil drained, copper stripped from motors, refrigerant degassed where required).
Scrap yards in Burnie
We don't list any yards in Burnie yet — submit one to help build the directory. View directory page →
Frequently asked questions about scrap metal in Burnie
Where are the best scrap metal yards in Burnie? +
Our yard directory lists Burnie yards with addresses, phone numbers and Google ratings, but we don't rank them — the best yard for you depends on the metal, the load size and who is paying well that week. The practical approach is to call 2-3 yards before transporting a load: published rates are useful guides, but actual offers vary by day, load size, and material quality.
Why does Burnie pay less than Sydney for scrap metal? +
The 22% gap to Sydney reflects transport costs. Metal sold in Burnie eventually travels to a smelter or export port — typically via Hobart — and yards price the freight cost into their offer. Our regional adjustment is modelled from observed yard rates plus distance to processing facilities.
What's the highest-paying scrap metal in Burnie? +
Copper, by a wide margin. Our estimate for clean bare-bright copper in Burnie is around $12.18 per kilogram (spot price × 78% payout rate × 0.78 regional factor). Brass and aluminium follow, with steel paying the least per kilogram but compensating through volume — most ferrous loads are weighed on commercial weighbridges where small differences in rate matter less than tonnage.
Do Burnie scrap yards require photo ID? +
Section 9 says a dealer must not receive goods unless the seller produces documentary proof of identity showing their correct name and address. The Act sets no points system, weight or value threshold, so expect to show ID for any sale to a dealer covered by the Act. (No scrap-specific Act. The Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 1994 applies and does not mention scrap metal specifically. Dealers do not hold a licence but must give the nearest police station at least one month's written notice before starting business.; last checked 2026-09-02.)
Can I be paid cash for scrap metal in Burnie? +
No cash ban. The Act contains no payment method rules. (Last checked 2026-09-02.)
What other TAS cities have scrap yards? +
Yes — Devonport, Hobart, Launceston all have active scrap yards covered on this site. Hobart (the Tasmania capital) generally has the most yards and most competitive rates in the state.