Scrap Metal Prices in Perth
Perth's isolation from East Coast smelters means higher transport costs, which scrap yards pass on as lower payouts. Mining services drive much of the local non-ferrous scrap flow.
Current scrap metal prices in Perth
Spot price equivalents adjusted for Perth's regional rate (0.92×). Actual yard payouts apply the grade-specific payout rate on top — typically 12–78% of spot depending on grade.
| Metal | Sydney spot | Perth equiv. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | $20.56 | $18.91 | Grades & payouts → |
| Aluminium | $4.62 | $4.25 | Grades & payouts → |
| Brass | $15.61 | $14.36 | Grades & payouts → |
| Steel | $0.42 | $0.39 | Grades & payouts → |
| Stainless Steel | $2.37 | $2.18 | Grades & payouts → |
| Lead | $2.65 | $2.44 | Grades & payouts → |
| Zinc | $5.57 | $5.13 | Grades & payouts → |
| Nickel | $23.31 | $21.45 | Grades & payouts → |
How Perth compares
Scrap yards in Perth pay roughly 8% below the Sydney national benchmark (0.92× regional adjustment). Among Australian capital cities, rates here are closest to Canberra (0.93×). Rates here reflect moderate transport costs to the nearest capital for export and processing.
Where the yards are in Perth
Perth's scrap trade sits in the same industrial belts that carry the rest of the city's freight. Welshpool and Kewdale, about 11 km east of the CBD near the airport, hold the large national recyclers and the ferrous processors that take truckloads from demolition and manufacturing. Malaga in the north-east is a dense industrial precinct with a second cluster of yards and smaller independents.
South of the river the trade thins out until Bibra Lake, a large light-industrial suburb where independent yards buy from tradies and households across Cockburn and Fremantle. Kwinana Beach, 42 km south of the CBD, is the heavy end: a traditional industrial suburb with a refinery, alumina and chemical plants, and the state's biggest metal recycling site. Car-removal operators are spread across all of these.
Where Perth's metal goes
Western Australia's largest metal shredder is at Kwinana Beach, so ferrous scrap bought anywhere in the metro area ends up on a truck heading there. Containers and general cargo leave through Fremantle's Inner Harbour, with the Outer Harbour at Kwinana handling bulk minerals. Because both the shredder and the port are inside the metro area, Perth carries none of the long-haul freight that drags down regional WA prices; the gap to east-coast rates comes from the smaller pool of competing buyers and from the distance to eastern smelters.
What's different about selling in Perth
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. Kwinana's refineries and chemical plants, and the mining-services workshops in the eastern precincts, generate steady industrial ferrous and stainless volumes, which is why Perth yards tend to be well set up for large loads and less patient with unsorted small ones.
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.
Popular items: what they're worth in Perth
Estimated scrap value at Perth yards. Assumes properly prepared material (oil drained, copper stripped from motors, refrigerant degassed where required).
Scrap yards in Perth
54 scrap yards listed in the Perth area with addresses, phone numbers, and ratings. Browse all 54 yards →
Frequently asked questions about scrap metal in Perth
Where are the best scrap metal yards in Perth? +
Our yard directory lists Perth 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 Perth pay less than Sydney for scrap metal? +
The 8% gap to Sydney reflects transport costs. Metal sold in Perth 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 Perth? +
Copper, by a wide margin. Clean bare-bright copper currently pays around $14.75 per kilogram in Perth. 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 Perth 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, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and others all have active scrap yards covered on this site.
When is the best time of week to bring a load to a Perth 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 Perth yards close early on weekends or operate reduced hours, so confirm opening times before transport.