Scrap Metal Prices in Canberra
Canberra has a smaller scrap market than its population suggests — limited heavy industry means most volume comes from government surplus, demolition, and residential. Several yards in Mitchell and Hume.
Current scrap metal prices in Canberra
Spot price equivalents adjusted for Canberra's regional rate (0.93×). Actual yard payouts apply the grade-specific payout rate on top — typically 12–78% of spot depending on grade.
| Metal | Sydney spot | Canberra equiv. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | $20.94 | $19.47 | Grades & payouts → |
| Aluminium | $4.47 | $4.15 | Grades & payouts → |
| Brass | $15.80 | $14.70 | Grades & payouts → |
| Steel | $0.42 | $0.39 | Grades & payouts → |
| Stainless Steel | $2.31 | $2.15 | Grades & payouts → |
| Lead | $2.70 | $2.51 | Grades & payouts → |
| Zinc | $5.38 | $5.00 | Grades & payouts → |
| Nickel | $22.58 | $21.00 | Grades & payouts → |
How Canberra compares
Scrap yards in Canberra pay roughly 7% below the Sydney national benchmark (0.93× regional adjustment). Among Australian capital cities, rates here are closest to Perth (0.92×). Rates here reflect moderate transport costs to the nearest capital for export and processing.
Where the yards are in Canberra
Canberra's yards are confined to its handful of light-industrial suburbs. Hume, on the south-eastern edge beside the NSW border, holds the territory's largest ferrous and non-ferrous yard, run by a national recycler, plus car-removal operators. Mitchell, the industrial estate north of the city in Gungahlin, has a drop-off yard for the northern suburbs. Fyshwick and Symonston, the older inner-south industrial areas, have long-standing recyclers and metal traders.
On the eastern fringe, Beard and Oaks Estate and, just over the border, Queanbeyan add wreckers and merchants. Vehicle removal and car recycling are the most advertised services in the region, reflecting how little industrial scrap there is to compete for.
Where Canberra's metal goes
Nothing is processed in the ACT. Canberra is 285 km from Sydney, and the nearest scrap-fed mill is the electric arc furnace at Rooty Hill in Sydney's west, so heavy ferrous is trucked up the Hume and Federal highways. That 285 km leg, combined with a small industrial base, is why a city of almost half a million pays regional rather than capital-city prices.
What's different about selling in Canberra
The ACT has no equivalent of the NSW cash ban. Scrap buyers in the territory come under the Second-hand Dealers Act 1906, a licensing and record-keeping law still in force and administered by the Justice and Community Safety Directorate, and most yards ask for photo ID as a matter of course; Queanbeyan yards sit in NSW, where registered dealers cannot pay cash and must record seller details. The ACT Container Deposit Scheme, run by Return-It, pays 10 cents a container and has cash-back depots as well as reverse vending machines. Supply reflects the economy: the public service is about a quarter of all jobs, so scrap comes from construction, office and government fit-out strip-outs, and household vehicles rather than factories, with the light rail depot at Mitchell one of the few heavy-industrial sites in town.
Rules for selling scrap in Australian Capital Territory
- Governing law
- No scrap-specific Act. Second-hand dealers are licensed by Access Canberra under the Traders (Licensing) Act 2016 (in force), and the Second-hand Dealers Act 1906 (listed as in force) sets dealer record duties. Neither fetched page mentions scrap metal, and second-hand goods are defined as goods of a kind prescribed under the regulations, so whether a given scrap yard is covered could not be confirmed.
- Cash payments
- No cash ban was found in the fetched ACT legislation.
- Container deposit scheme
- ACT Container Deposit Scheme (ACT CDS), 10 cents per eligible container, since 30 June 2018.
- Also worth knowing
- A licensed dealer who fails to make, keep or hand over the prescribed records faces 20 penalty units per breach (section 6), so expect the dealer to record the transaction.
Summarised from the legislation and government guidance linked on our state-by-state rules guide. Rules change; confirm with the yard before you go.
Popular items: what they're worth in Canberra
Estimated scrap value at Canberra yards. Assumes properly prepared material (oil drained, copper stripped from motors, refrigerant degassed where required).
Scrap yards in Canberra
6 scrap yards listed in the Canberra area with addresses, phone numbers, and ratings. Browse all 6 yards →
Frequently asked questions about scrap metal in Canberra
Where are the best scrap metal yards in Canberra? +
Our yard directory lists Canberra 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 Canberra pay less than Sydney for scrap metal? +
The 7% gap to Sydney reflects transport costs. Metal sold in Canberra eventually travels to a smelter or export port — typically via the state capital — 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 Canberra? +
Copper, by a wide margin. Clean bare-bright copper currently pays around $15.19 per kilogram in Canberra. 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 Canberra scrap yards require photo ID? +
Yes for most non-ferrous metals and always for lead-acid batteries and catalytic converters. Australian Capital Territory legislation requires yards to record seller identification on regulated transactions, primarily to deter metal theft. A driver's licence is the most commonly accepted form. Cash payments above certain thresholds may require additional documentation under state-specific regulations.
Are there other scrap markets near Canberra? +
Canberra is the main scrap market in its state for now. Larger loads may be worth transporting interstate if the freight cost is offset by a meaningfully better payout — particularly for high-value loads like clean copper.
When is the best time of week to bring a load to a Canberra yard? +
Tuesday through Thursday mornings generally produce the best experience. Yards are less crowded than Mondays (when weekend volume arrives), prices are stable mid-week, and weighbridge wait times are shorter. Many Canberra yards close early on weekends or operate reduced hours, so confirm opening times before transport.