Scrap Metal Prices in Hervey Bay
Hervey Bay yards serve a coastal residential market with relatively modest volume. Most large loads consolidate at Maryborough or Bundaberg.
Current scrap metal prices in Hervey Bay
Spot price equivalents adjusted for Hervey Bay's regional rate (0.86×). Actual yard payouts apply the grade-specific payout rate on top — typically 12–78% of spot depending on grade.
| Metal | Sydney spot | Hervey Bay equiv. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | $21.31 | $18.33 | Grades & payouts → |
| Aluminium | $4.36 | $3.75 | Grades & payouts → |
| Brass | $16.05 | $13.80 | Grades & payouts → |
| Steel | $0.42 | $0.36 | Grades & payouts → |
| Stainless Steel | $2.29 | $1.97 | Grades & payouts → |
| Lead | $2.72 | $2.34 | Grades & payouts → |
| Zinc | $5.37 | $4.62 | Grades & payouts → |
| Nickel | $22.33 | $19.20 | Grades & payouts → |
How Hervey Bay compares
Scrap yards in Hervey Bay pay roughly 14% below the Sydney national benchmark (0.86× regional adjustment). Among Australian regional centres, rates here are closest to Mildura (0.86×). Rates here reflect moderate transport costs to Brisbane for export and processing.
Where the yards are in Hervey Bay
Hervey Bay has no single scrap precinct. The industrial estate at Dundowran, west of Pialba along Industrial Avenue, has a small recycler, and Wondunna, behind Urangan, has a can and scrap operator. The nearest full-service yard is at Maryborough, on Ann Street, about 30 km to the south-west, which buys all metals and handles vehicle disposal for the whole Fraser Coast.
Buyers are small independents and skip-hire firms running scrap trailers. No national recycler operates in the city. For anything beyond a ute load it is common to ring Maryborough as well as the Hervey Bay operators, because the Maryborough yard sees more volume and can quote on heavier grades.
Where Hervey Bay's metal goes
Nothing is processed on the Fraser Coast. Consolidated loads travel about 290 km south, a three and a half hour highway drive, to Brisbane, where the shredder at Wacol and the metals site at Pinkenba in the Port of Brisbane sit. The freight bill for that trip, shared between the local collector and the consolidating yard, is what keeps Hervey Bay rates under the capital.
What's different about selling in Hervey Bay
Queensland's Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act means the buyer must sight ID such as a driver licence and record your name and address; cash is not currently banned for scrap in Queensland, though new scrap theft laws are before Parliament. Containers for Change pays 10 cents a container, and the Wondunna operator is a return point as well as a scrap buyer. Hervey Bay is a tourism and retirement town, built around whale watching and ferries to K'gari, so scrap is mostly household appliances, caravans, boat trailers and building offcuts from new housing. The November to April storm season brings a lift in damaged roofing and fencing.
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 linked on our state-by-state rules guide. Rules change; confirm with the yard before you go.
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 Hervey Bay
Estimated scrap value at Hervey Bay yards. Assumes properly prepared material (oil drained, copper stripped from motors, refrigerant degassed where required).
Scrap yards in Hervey Bay
5 scrap yards listed in the Hervey Bay area with addresses, phone numbers, and ratings. Browse all 5 yards →
Frequently asked questions about scrap metal in Hervey Bay
Where are the best scrap metal yards in Hervey Bay? +
Our yard directory lists Hervey Bay 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 Hervey Bay pay less than Sydney for scrap metal? +
The 14% gap to Sydney reflects transport costs. Metal sold in Hervey Bay 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 Hervey Bay? +
Copper, by a wide margin. Clean bare-bright copper currently pays around $14.30 per kilogram in Hervey Bay. 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 Hervey Bay scrap yards require photo ID? +
Yes for most non-ferrous metals and always for lead-acid batteries and catalytic converters. Queensland 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.
What other QLD cities have scrap yards? +
Yes — Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Gladstone, 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.
When is the best time of week to bring a load to a Hervey Bay 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 Hervey Bay yards close early on weekends or operate reduced hours, so confirm opening times before transport.