Scrap Metal Prices in Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Kalgoorlie is a major gold mining centre — Super Pit operations and mining contractors drive heavy industrial scrap volume despite the small population.
Current scrap metal prices in Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Spot price equivalents adjusted for Kalgoorlie-Boulder's regional rate (0.84×). Actual yard payouts apply the grade-specific payout rate on top — typically 12–78% of spot depending on grade.
| Metal | Sydney spot | Kalgoorlie-Boulder equiv. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | $21.31 | $17.90 | Grades & payouts → |
| Aluminium | $4.36 | $3.66 | Grades & payouts → |
| Brass | $16.05 | $13.48 | Grades & payouts → |
| Steel | $0.42 | $0.35 | Grades & payouts → |
| Stainless Steel | $2.29 | $1.92 | Grades & payouts → |
| Lead | $2.72 | $2.28 | Grades & payouts → |
| Zinc | $5.37 | $4.51 | Grades & payouts → |
| Nickel | $22.33 | $18.75 | Grades & payouts → |
How Kalgoorlie-Boulder compares
Scrap yards in Kalgoorlie-Boulder pay roughly 16% below the Sydney national benchmark (0.84× regional adjustment). Among Australian regional centres, rates here are closest to Mackay (0.84×). The lower payout reflects Kalgoorlie-Boulder's distance from major smelters and ports — transport costs to processing facilities reduce what yards can pay sellers.
Where the yards are in Kalgoorlie-Boulder
West Kalgoorlie is the city's industrial suburb, home to the airport and its small, medium and heavy industrial estates, and it is where the main scrap yard sits. That yard belongs to a Perth-headquartered recycler that also runs sites in Karratha and Port Hedland, and its Kalgoorlie business is built around mine-site demolition, clean-ups and battery recycling rather than walk-in trade.
A separate operator at Binduli specialises in collecting scrap, tyres and oils from mining operations on the Golden Mile. Household sellers are a small part of the market, and yards are geared to weighbridge loads from contractors.
Where Kalgoorlie-Boulder's metal goes
No metal is processed in Kalgoorlie. Perth is 595 km west, about six hours by road train, and the state's largest shredder is at Kwinana Beach on Perth's southern edge. Esperance and its port are 391 km south. Which route a given load takes depends on the buyer, but either way scrap travels hundreds of kilometres before it is worth anything, and that freight is the main deduction in local prices.
What's different about selling in Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Western Australia regulates scrap through the Pawnbrokers and Second-hand Dealers Act 1994: since 1 December 2020 anyone buying scrap copper, brass or bronze must hold a second-hand dealer licence, take 100 points of identification from every seller and report each transaction to police, though cash itself is not banned. Containers for Change, the state's 10-cent container refund scheme, has run since October 2020 and was widened to most drink containers from July 2026, so cans are usually worth more at a refund point than on the aluminium scale. Gold and nickel mining employ about a quarter of the workforce, the Super Pit has a mine plan running to 2035, and the scrap that matters here is heavy: haul-truck bodies, grinding mill liners, structural steel and cable from mine sites, sold by contractors in volume rather than by residents in a trailer.
Rules for selling scrap in Western Australia
- Governing law
- No scrap-specific Act. The Pawnbrokers and Second-hand Dealers Act 1994 and Regulations 1996 apply, but the Regulations (as at 11 June 2025) exclude ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal from the definition of second-hand goods except gold, silver, copper and copper alloy (including bronze and brass). Only dealers in scrap copper, brass, bronze, gold or silver need a WA Police second-hand dealer licence.
- Photo ID
- For copper, copper alloy, gold or silver, the licensed dealer must verify the seller's identity to at least 100 points using the checks in regulation 13 (photo documents score higher). For steel, aluminium and other scrap outside the Act no statutory ID requirement was found, although yards may set their own.
- Cash payments
- No cash ban. The licensing change that took effect on 1 December 2020 did not stop cash payment (as reported by the building industry's PACT Site Security), although licensed dealers must record and report copper and copper alloy transactions.
- Scrapping a vehicle
- To cancel a vehicle licence, surrender the number plates at a DTMI service centre or regional agent (or lodge Form VL14 if the plates are lost or stolen) and apply for a pro rata refund of licence fees. Vehicles on the Written-Off Vehicles Register need the date of the accident on the refund application.
- Container deposit scheme
- Containers for Change, 10 cents per eligible container, since 1 October 2020. Expanded from 1 July 2026 to almost all drink containers between 150 mL and 3 litres.
- Also worth knowing
- PACT Site Security reported that the December 2020 change carries penalties of $2,000 to $5,000 and up to 12 months imprisonment for individuals, or fines up to $20,000 for companies, and that dealers must hold copper for 14 days without altering it. Those points come from an industry body, not from the regulation text.
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 Western Australia scrap markets
Yards across Western Australia pay rates relative to their distance from major smelters and ports. Perth is the state capital and typically has the most competitive rates in the state.
Popular items: what they're worth in Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Estimated scrap value at Kalgoorlie-Boulder yards. Assumes properly prepared material (oil drained, copper stripped from motors, refrigerant degassed where required).
Scrap yards in Kalgoorlie-Boulder
2 scrap yards listed in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder area with addresses, phone numbers, and ratings. Browse all 2 yards →
Frequently asked questions about scrap metal in Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Where are the best scrap metal yards in Kalgoorlie-Boulder? +
Our yard directory lists Kalgoorlie-Boulder 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 Kalgoorlie-Boulder pay less than Sydney for scrap metal? +
The 16% gap to Sydney reflects transport costs. Metal sold in Kalgoorlie-Boulder eventually travels to a smelter or export port — typically via Perth — 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 Kalgoorlie-Boulder? +
Copper, by a wide margin. Clean bare-bright copper currently pays around $13.96 per kilogram in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. 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 Kalgoorlie-Boulder scrap yards require photo ID? +
Yes for most non-ferrous metals and always for lead-acid batteries and catalytic converters. Western Australia 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 WA cities have scrap yards? +
Yes — Albany, Bunbury, Geraldton, Mandurah, and others all have active scrap yards covered on this site. Perth (the Western Australia 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 Kalgoorlie-Boulder 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 Kalgoorlie-Boulder yards close early on weekends or operate reduced hours, so confirm opening times before transport.