Scrap Aluminium Prices in Australia
Aluminium is light, abundant, and one of the most-recycled metals in the world. In Australia, it reaches scrap yards from window frames, vehicle parts, beverage cans, and a long list of household and trade sources. Prices vary substantially by grade — clean extrusion pays close to half the LME spot, while mixed cans and coated sheet pay much less. For volume sellers, sorting is the difference between a fair return and a wasted trip.
30-day price trend
Aluminium grades and Sydney payouts (per kg)
Estimated yard payouts in Sydney. Other cities adjust by ±5–20% depending on transport distance to smelters.
| Grade | Payout rate | Est. mid (AUD/kg) | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium Extrusion Clean, uncoated aluminium profiles used for window and door frames. Highest-paying common aluminium grade. | 65% | $2.95 | $2.51 – $3.39 |
| Cast Aluminium Cast aluminium components, typically thicker and used in automotive or industrial parts. Pays slightly less than extrusion due to alloy variability. | 55% | $2.50 | $2.12 – $2.87 |
| Aluminium Sheet Rolled aluminium sheet, often used in roofing, signage, or vehicle panels. | 50% | $2.27 | $1.93 – $2.61 |
| Aluminium Cans (UBC) Used beverage containers. Lowest aluminium grade because of paint, varnish, and steel-end contamination. Earn more via Container Deposit Scheme if available in your state. | 45% | $2.04 | $1.74 – $2.35 |
Where to sell aluminium
Payouts vary by city based on transport distance to smelters and ports. Sydney sets the national benchmark; remote cities pay less.
How aluminium is graded
Australian scrap yards typically use four aluminium grades: extrusion, cast, sheet, and cans (UBC), in descending order of payout. The grades reflect both the underlying alloy composition and the cost the refiner faces in processing the material.
Extrusion aluminium is the cleanest common grade — uniform alloy, predictable composition, free from heavy coatings. Window and door frames, ladder rails, sliding door tracks, aluminium awnings, and shopfront cladding all fall into this category when stripped of paint. Most extrusion alloy in Australia is 6061 or 6063 series, both well understood by refiners. This grade typically pays 60-70% of the LME spot.
Cast aluminium includes engine blocks, cylinder heads, gearbox housings, pump bodies, mag wheels, and many BBQ components. Cast alloys vary more in their composition because casting requires different flow characteristics than extrusion, and the alloying elements (silicon, copper, magnesium) affect the melt value. Yards pay 50-60% of bare extrusion rates.
Sheet aluminium covers rolled stock used in roofing, signage, vehicle panels, boat hulls, and ute trays. Sheet products are often coated, painted, or anodised, which lowers the grade. Clean unpainted sheet rates above coated sheet; both fall below extrusion and cast.
Cans (UBC) sit at the bottom — printed coatings, steel pull-tabs on older designs, and the high surface-area-to-mass ratio increase processing cost. For most Australian sellers, the Container Deposit Scheme returns more per can than scrapping, so genuine UBC volume at yards tends to be out-of-state, damaged, or pre-CDS cans.
Anodised aluminium and aluminium with steel attachments (“irony aluminium”) have their own discounted rates between sheet and cans, depending on how much non-aluminium material is mixed in.
Where aluminium comes from in Australian homes
Aluminium is everywhere once you start looking, and Australian homes are particularly rich sources because of climate, age of stock, and the prevalence of certain Australian-specific products.
Window and door frames are the biggest single residential source. Older homes were built with timber frames; from the 1970s onward, aluminium became standard for new builds and replacements. A standard double-hung window has 4-8kg of extrusion aluminium; a sliding glass door can have 25kg or more. Demolition jobs and window-replacement work generate substantial volumes.
Hills hoists and similar rotary clotheslines are partly aluminium — the arms and hub castings on most models, with a steel central mast. Heritage Hills hoists are an Australian institution and a steady source of aluminium for demolition contractors.
Aluminium ladders (extension and step) are pure clean extrusion. Replacement is common because of safety standards changes and corrosion in coastal areas.
Automotive components — alloy wheels, radiators (newer models), engine parts, ute trays — are a major source for mechanics and panel beaters. Mag wheels are especially valuable because they’re clean cast at meaningful weights (8-12kg each).
BBQs and outdoor furniture contain aluminium in varying proportions. Higher-end BBQ hoods, side tables, and trolleys are aluminium; cheaper models use thin coated steel. Outdoor chairs and tables are often pure aluminium extrusion and crush flat for transport.
Air conditioners use aluminium for condenser fins on both indoor and outdoor units. The fins are typically bonded to copper refrigerant lines, which most yards accept as a mixed “irony aluminium” rate.
Beverage cans — limited interest unless the CDS doesn’t apply (interstate, damaged, or commercial-volume out-of-scheme cans). Crushed cans transport efficiently and have well-understood recycling pathways.
Specialty applications include marine — aluminium dinghies, boat fittings, masts — and trade equipment like aluminium scaffolding and ute toolboxes.
Frequently asked questions
Are aluminium cans worth more through the Container Deposit Scheme or scrap? +
Container Deposit Scheme almost always. NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, ACT, NT, TAS, and SA pay 10c per eligible can — at roughly 70 cans per kilogram, that's about $7/kg via CDS versus around $1.50-2/kg at a scrap yard. The exception is older cans that predate the scheme in your state, out-of-state cans you can't legally redeem, or cans damaged beyond CDS eligibility. Scrap them in those cases only.
What's the difference between cast aluminium and extrusion? +
Cast aluminium is shaped by pouring molten metal into a mould — engine blocks, gearbox housings, pump bodies, BBQ side tables. It contains varying alloy elements depending on application, so yards pay slightly less. Extrusion is aluminium pushed through a die to make uniform shapes — window frames, sliding door tracks, ladder rails. Extrusion is usually a cleaner, more predictable alloy, so it pays the highest aluminium rate.
Why is painted aluminium downgraded? +
Paint contaminates the melt and requires extra processing to burn off, which costs the refiner. Yards either pay the lower 'painted aluminium' rate or, more commonly, the 'sheet' rate which already assumes some coating. Stripping paint chemically is rarely worth the time; for high-value extrusions like aluminium window frames, mechanical sanding can lift you back to the clean extrusion rate.
Is irony aluminium (aluminium with steel attached) worth separating? +
Yes for most items where the two are easily detachable — bolted brackets, screw-on hardware. For composites like aluminium-finned automotive radiators where the steel is woven through the aluminium structure, the separation labour exceeds the value gap. Yards offer an 'irony aluminium' grade that prices the mix at about 70-80% of clean cast rates.
Can I scrap an aluminium engine block whole? +
Yes, but drain all the oil first — oil-contaminated metal is rejected or heavily discounted. Most yards accept whole alloy engine blocks at an 'irony aluminium' grade because of the steel sleeves and bolts still attached. Removing the steel sleeves yourself bumps you to clean cast rate but requires specialised tools.
What's UBC and why does it pay less? +
UBC is the industry term for Used Beverage Containers — drink cans. They're the lowest-paying aluminium grade because of the printed coatings, the steel pull-tab tops on some older designs, and the higher proportion of light-gauge sheet relative to mass. Most beverage-can aluminium is destined back into new cans, but the recycling process is more complex than for clean extrusion.