Scrap Metal Prices in Rockhampton
Rockhampton's beef and coal-handling economy supports a stable scrap market. Several long-established yards service Central Queensland mining contractors.
Current scrap metal prices in Rockhampton
Spot price equivalents adjusted for Rockhampton's regional rate (0.85×). Actual yard payouts apply the grade-specific payout rate on top — typically 12–78% of spot depending on grade.
| Metal | Sydney spot | Rockhampton equiv. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | $20.56 | $17.47 | Grades & payouts → |
| Aluminium | $4.62 | $3.92 | Grades & payouts → |
| Brass | $15.61 | $13.27 | Grades & payouts → |
| Steel | $0.42 | $0.36 | Grades & payouts → |
| Stainless Steel | $2.37 | $2.01 | Grades & payouts → |
| Lead | $2.65 | $2.25 | Grades & payouts → |
| Zinc | $5.57 | $4.74 | Grades & payouts → |
| Nickel | $23.31 | $19.82 | Grades & payouts → |
How Rockhampton compares
Scrap yards in Rockhampton pay roughly 15% below the Sydney national benchmark (0.85× regional adjustment). Among Australian regional centres, rates here are closest to Mandurah (0.85×). Rates here reflect moderate transport costs to Brisbane for export and processing.
Where the yards are in Rockhampton
Rockhampton's yards are split across the river and the highway. West Rockhampton, on Lion Creek Road, has the largest local recycler with a licensed public weighbridge. On the north side, Kawana and Parkhurst hold the wreckers and a second cluster of buyers. Gracemere, 10 minutes west along the Capricorn Highway, has two more operators serving the saleyards and the mining traffic heading inland.
There is no national recycler yard here; the market is locally owned independents, vehicle wreckers offering free wreck removal, and trailer-based collectors covering Yeppoon, Emu Park and Mount Morgan. Most take all metals, and the weighbridge at West Rockhampton is the usual reference point for heavy loads.
Where Rockhampton's metal goes
Nothing is shredded in Rockhampton. The nearest export outlet is the Port of Gladstone, roughly 110 km south on the Bruce Highway, which lists scrap metal among its exports. Brisbane, with the Wacol shredder and the Pinkenba port site, is 630 km away. Yards here consolidate and truck south, and that freight leg is the main reason Central Queensland rates sit under the capital.
What's different about selling in Rockhampton
Queensland's Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act requires the yard to sight ID such as a driver licence and record the seller's details; cash remains legal for scrap in Queensland for now, with new scrap theft laws under consideration. Containers for Change refunds 10 cents a container. Beef is the local industry, with two large abattoirs on the south-eastern outskirts and one of the country's biggest livestock exchanges at Gracemere, so cattle yards, trailers and meatworks plant are common scrap. The coalfields to the west, the Stanwell power station and the Shoalwater Bay training area add contractor volume. Rockhampton lies inside the coastal zone north of Bundaberg considered most susceptible to cyclones, with the season running November to April.
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 Rockhampton
Estimated scrap value at Rockhampton yards. Assumes properly prepared material (oil drained, copper stripped from motors, refrigerant degassed where required).
Scrap yards in Rockhampton
3 scrap yards listed in the Rockhampton area with addresses, phone numbers, and ratings. Browse all 3 yards →
Frequently asked questions about scrap metal in Rockhampton
Where are the best scrap metal yards in Rockhampton? +
Our yard directory lists Rockhampton 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 Rockhampton pay less than Sydney for scrap metal? +
The 15% gap to Sydney reflects transport costs. Metal sold in Rockhampton 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 Rockhampton? +
Copper, by a wide margin. Clean bare-bright copper currently pays around $13.63 per kilogram in Rockhampton. 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 Rockhampton 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 Rockhampton 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 Rockhampton yards close early on weekends or operate reduced hours, so confirm opening times before transport.