Scrap Metal Prices in Gladstone
Estimated scrap yard payouts in Gladstone on : about $14.05/kg for bare bright copper, $2.62/kg for aluminium extrusion, $8.21/kg for yellow brass. These are our estimates from MetalpriceAPI market prices × typical payout rates × Gladstone's 0.90× regional factor, not quotes from Gladstone yards; call a yard before you go. Where these numbers come from.
Gladstone hosts Boyne Smelters' aluminium operation, the Port of Gladstone, and major LNG terminals. Industrial scrap volume punches well above the population.
Current scrap metal prices in Gladstone
Spot price equivalents adjusted for Gladstone's regional rate (0.90×). Actual yard payouts apply the grade-specific payout rate on top — typically 12–78% of spot depending on grade.
| Metal | Sydney spot | Gladstone equiv. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | $20.01 | $18.01 | Grades & payouts → |
| Aluminium | $4.48 | $4.03 | Grades & payouts → |
| Brass | $15.21 | $13.69 | Grades & payouts → |
| Steel | $0.42 | $0.38 | Grades & payouts → |
| Stainless Steel | $2.41 | $2.17 | Grades & payouts → |
| Lead | $2.75 | $2.48 | Grades & payouts → |
| Zinc | $5.46 | $4.91 | Grades & payouts → |
| Nickel | $23.83 | $21.45 | 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 | |
| Gladstone regional factor | 0.90× | 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 Gladstone compares
Scrap yards in Gladstone pay roughly 10% below the Sydney national benchmark (0.90× regional adjustment). Among Australian regional centres, rates here are closest to Albury (0.90×). Rates here reflect moderate transport costs to Brisbane for export and processing.
Where the yards are in Gladstone
Gladstone's yards sit inside the port and heavy-industry precinct rather than in a suburban estate. Callemondah, the rail and port support suburb, has the national recycler on Bensted Street and a waste contractor's depot that also takes metal. South Trees Drive, beside the alumina berths, has a branch of a Queensland chain, and Hanson Road in Gladstone Central carries the sheet-metal and fabrication shops.
Buyers are the national yard and the state chain, both taking ferrous and non-ferrous, plus a few car-removal operators. There is little of the small-independent layer found in other regional cities, because the trade here is dominated by contractor and plant scrap from the refineries, smelter and terminals.
Where Gladstone's metal goes
Gladstone is one of the few regional centres whose scrap leaves by sea locally. The Port of Gladstone, Queensland's largest multi-commodity port, lists scrap metal among its exports alongside alumina, aluminium, cement and coal. The yards are within the port precinct, so ferrous scrap avoids the 517 km run to Brisbane. Non-ferrous still competes with southern buyers, and there is no shredder here, which is why rates sit a little below the capital despite the wharf next door.
What's different about selling in Gladstone
Under Queensland's Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act a yard must sight identification such as a driver licence and record the seller's name and address; cash is not currently prohibited for scrap in Queensland, though new laws are under consideration. Containers for Change refunds 10 cents a container. The alumina refinery on the old meatworks site, the Yarwun chemical and refinery precinct, the coal terminals at Barney Point and Clinton, the power station and the cement works all shed plant steel, aluminium and copper during maintenance shutdowns, and that is when the biggest lots arrive. Gladstone sits within the coastal zone north of Bundaberg rated most susceptible to cyclones, with the season running November to April.
Sources for the Gladstone sections above (last checked ):
Rules for selling scrap in Queensland
- Governing law
- No stand-alone scrap metal Act. Scrap metal is treated as second-hand property under the Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 2003, administered by the Office of Fair Trading. The Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 (introduced 4 March 2026; the committee recommended it be passed in April 2026) would insert a definition of scrap metal and tighten seller ID. As at 2 September 2026 the Parliament's bills page still listed it at the second reading stage, and the current consolidated Act (as at 5 December 2024) does not mention scrap metal.
- Photo ID
- Under the current Act (section 47) the dealer must obtain and verify the seller's name and address before acquiring goods; the Act itself does not specify photo ID. Once the 2026 amendments commence, scrap metal sellers will need to give their name, date of birth and residential address, verified by sighting photo ID with a unique identifier (driver licence, passport or photo ID card), plus a second document if the photo ID does not show the address.
- Cash payments
- No cash ban. The Act contains no payment method rules, and the Department of Justice confirmed the 2026 Bill does not include a prohibition on cash payments, describing a cash ban as a future policy matter.
- Scrapping a vehicle
- To cancel Queensland registration, complete the cancellation of registration form (F3517) and hand in both number plates unless they are personalised or already surrendered. A vehicle under 16 years old that is written off, including by parts stripping or dismantling, must be added to the written-off vehicle register.
- Container deposit scheme
- Containers for Change, 10 cents per eligible container, started 1 November 2018.
- Also worth knowing
- The 2026 Bill would require every scrap metal transaction, regardless of value, to be recorded in the dealer's transaction register, remove the 7 working day holding period for scrap metal, raise the penalty for unlicensed scrap dealing to 400 penalty units or 2 years, and add escalating penalties for dealers who repeatedly fail to report suspected stolen scrap metal to police.
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.
Sources (last checked ):
- qld.gov.au: legal requirements
- legislation.qld.gov.au: act 2003 073
- parliament.qld.gov.au: 5826t271 (PDF)
- parliament.qld.gov.au: 5826t482 (PDF)
- documents.parliament.qld.gov.au: Response to Submissions Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 (PDF)
- parliament.qld.gov.au: Bills this Parliament
- qld.gov.au: container refund about
- statements.qld.gov.au
- containersforchange.com.au: qld
- qld.gov.au: cancel
Other Queensland scrap markets
Yards across Queensland pay rates relative to their distance from major smelters and ports. Brisbane is the state capital and typically has the most competitive rates in the state.
Popular items: what they're worth in Gladstone
Estimated scrap value at Gladstone yards. Assumes properly prepared material (oil drained, copper stripped from motors, refrigerant degassed where required).
Scrap yards in Gladstone
We don't list any yards in Gladstone yet — submit one to help build the directory. View directory page →
Frequently asked questions about scrap metal in Gladstone
Where are the best scrap metal yards in Gladstone? +
Our yard directory lists Gladstone 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 Gladstone pay less than Sydney for scrap metal? +
The 10% gap to Sydney reflects transport costs. Metal sold in Gladstone eventually travels to a smelter or export port — typically via Brisbane — 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 Gladstone? +
Copper, by a wide margin. Our estimate for clean bare-bright copper in Gladstone is around $14.05 per kilogram (spot price × 78% payout rate × 0.90 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 Gladstone scrap yards require photo ID? +
Under the current Act (section 47) the dealer must obtain and verify the seller's name and address before acquiring goods; the Act itself does not specify photo ID. Once the 2026 amendments commence, scrap metal sellers will need to give their name, date of birth and residential address, verified by sighting photo ID with a unique identifier (driver licence, passport or photo ID card), plus a second document if the photo ID does not show the address. (No stand-alone scrap metal Act. Scrap metal is treated as second-hand property under the Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 2003; last checked 2026-09-02.)
Can I be paid cash for scrap metal in Gladstone? +
No cash ban. The Act contains no payment method rules, and the Department of Justice confirmed the 2026 Bill does not include a prohibition on cash payments, describing a cash ban as a future policy matter. (Last checked 2026-09-02.)
What other QLD cities have scrap yards? +
Yes — Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Gold Coast, and others all have active scrap yards covered on this site. Brisbane (the Queensland capital) generally has the most yards and most competitive rates in the state.