Scrap Metal Prices in Wollongong
Wollongong's industrial base — steelmaking at Port Kembla, coal exports — means strong yards that handle large ferrous loads. Bluescope's presence keeps regional steel prices benchmarked.
Current scrap metal prices in Wollongong
Spot price equivalents adjusted for Wollongong's regional rate (0.95×). Actual yard payouts apply the grade-specific payout rate on top — typically 12–78% of spot depending on grade.
| Metal | Sydney spot | Wollongong equiv. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | $21.31 | $20.25 | Grades & payouts → |
| Aluminium | $4.36 | $4.14 | Grades & payouts → |
| Brass | $16.05 | $15.25 | Grades & payouts → |
| Steel | $0.42 | $0.40 | Grades & payouts → |
| Stainless Steel | $2.29 | $2.17 | Grades & payouts → |
| Lead | $2.72 | $2.58 | Grades & payouts → |
| Zinc | $5.37 | $5.10 | Grades & payouts → |
| Nickel | $22.33 | $21.21 | Grades & payouts → |
How Wollongong compares
Scrap yards in Wollongong pay roughly 5% below the Sydney national benchmark (0.95× regional adjustment). Among Australian regional centres, rates here are closest to Central Coast (0.94×). Proximity to major ports and smelter networks keeps Wollongong's rates close to the national best.
Where the yards are in Wollongong
Wollongong's yards sit south of the CBD on the flat land between the escarpment and the steelworks. Unanderra has the densest run, with several recyclers along Berkeley Road and Five Islands Road, including a large demolition-recycling operator and family independents. Kembla Grange on the Princes Highway pairs a copper and brass specialist with a car-removal operation, and Albion Park Rail further south handles scrap steel, car bodies and non-ferrous.
North of the city, Bellambi and Woonona have smaller non-ferrous yards for the northern suburbs. The region is described as the largest single concentration of heavy industry in Australia, so contractor and demolition scrap from Port Kembla dominates what these yards see, with residential and trade loads on top.
Where Wollongong's metal goes
The Port Kembla steelworks is an integrated blast-furnace plant producing around five million tonnes a year. It uses scrap as a supplement, with about 24 per cent recycled content on average, but it is not a scrap-fed mill, and its owner has said a scrap-fed electric arc furnace is not viable at that scale. Most Illawarra ferrous is therefore trucked north: Wollongong is 85 km south of Sydney, and the Rooty Hill electric arc furnace is a further 40 km or so west of the Sydney CBD. That trip is short enough that prices track Sydney closely.
What's different about selling in Wollongong
NSW rules apply: registered dealers, no cash, seller details recorded for every sale, and no vehicle bodies without identifiers. Drink containers go through Return and Earn for 10 cents each. The distinctive local factor is the steelworks and the southern coalfield: shutdowns, relines and mine maintenance release large volumes of heavy plate and machinery scrap in bursts, and yards here are used to weighbridge loads that would be exceptional in most regional centres. Small sellers should not expect a premium for being near a steel mill; the mill's scrap comes through contractors, not the public.
Rules for selling scrap in New South Wales
- Governing law
- Scrap Metal Industry Act 2016 and Scrap Metal Industry Regulation 2024, administered by the NSW Police Force. Any business dealing in scrap metal must be registered with NSW Police (registration lasts three years).
- Photo ID
- Yes, for every sale. The dealer must record each transaction including the parties involved, and the Regulation prescribes the photo identification a seller can use: an Australian driver licence (NSW or another jurisdiction), a NSW Photo Card, or a foreign driver licence subject to conditions. No weight or value threshold is set out in the sources reviewed.
- Cash payments
- Cash is banned. Section 12 of the Act prohibits a dealer paying for scrap metal with cash, a cheque payable to cash, or in kind, and from advertising cash payment. All trade must be paid electronically or by cheque. The 2020 statutory review paper lists a $1,100 penalty notice for the dealer.
- Scrapping a vehicle
- Dealers must not buy or dispose of an unidentified motor vehicle (section 14), so the VIN must be intact. If you sell a car with its plates to a wrecker, submit a notice of disposal to Service NSW. If you sold it without plates or it was written off, cancel the registration and return the plates to a service centre, within 14 days for a written-off vehicle, bringing proof of identity, the cancellation form and the plates.
- Container deposit scheme
- Return and Earn, 10 cents per eligible container, running since December 2017. From mid-2027 the scheme expands to wine and spirit bottles, cordial and concentrate containers, and larger containers up to 3 litres.
- Also worth knowing
- The dealer must keep transaction records (date, parties, description of the metal, payment method) for three years and must report suspected stolen scrap metal to police (section 13). Dealers are exempt from recording a vehicle's identifier if it was crushed, cubed or shredded before the transaction.
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 New South Wales scrap markets
Yards across New South Wales pay rates relative to their distance from major smelters and ports. Sydney is the state capital and typically has the most competitive rates in the state.
Popular items: what they're worth in Wollongong
Estimated scrap value at Wollongong yards. Assumes properly prepared material (oil drained, copper stripped from motors, refrigerant degassed where required).
Scrap yards in Wollongong
9 scrap yards listed in the Wollongong area with addresses, phone numbers, and ratings. Browse all 9 yards →
Frequently asked questions about scrap metal in Wollongong
Where are the best scrap metal yards in Wollongong? +
Our yard directory lists Wollongong 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 Wollongong pay less than Sydney for scrap metal? +
The 5% gap to Sydney reflects transport costs. Metal sold in Wollongong eventually travels to a smelter or export port — typically via Sydney — 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 Wollongong? +
Copper, by a wide margin. Clean bare-bright copper currently pays around $15.79 per kilogram in Wollongong. 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 Wollongong scrap yards require photo ID? +
Yes for most non-ferrous metals and always for lead-acid batteries and catalytic converters. New South Wales 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 NSW cities have scrap yards? +
Yes — Albury, Central Coast, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, and others all have active scrap yards covered on this site. Sydney (the New South Wales 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 Wollongong 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 Wollongong yards close early on weekends or operate reduced hours, so confirm opening times before transport.