Scrap metal prices in Indianapolis as of September 2026: bare bright copper $4.50 per pound, #1 copper $4.40, yellow brass $2.70, aluminum cans $0.60, 304 stainless $0.35. Steel pays by the ton — $70 for rebar up to $215 for auto cast, with appliances at $175 (ScrapMonster, September 2026). Every yard sets its own board, and boards change daily.
Last updated: September 2026
Junk removal companies in Indianapolis don’t publish scrap prices. We get why — the numbers move every day, and most haulers would rather you not do the math at all.
We’re taking the opposite bet. Indy Pickup 1111 runs on scrap metal — every washer, water heater, and bed frame we collect for $11 gets processed through our own salvage yard on Stanley Avenue. We watch these price boards for a living. So here’s the honest version: what metal pays in Indianapolis right now, where to sell it yourself, and the math on when hauling your own scrap is worth it — and when it flatly isn’t.
Current Scrap Metal Prices in Indianapolis (September 2026)
One thing before the table: there is no single official price. Every yard posts its own board each morning based on the commodity exchanges, its freight costs, and what the yard across town is paying. The figures below come from ScrapMonster’s Indianapolis price index, updated September 10, 2026. Treat them as the neighborhood, not the house number — and call the yard before you load the truck.
| Metal | Grade | Indianapolis Price (Sept 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | Bare bright | $4.50/lb |
| #1 copper | $4.40/lb | |
| #2 copper | $4.30/lb | |
| Brass | Yellow brass | $2.70/lb |
| Aluminum | Cans | $0.60/lb |
| Al/Cu radiators | $2.60/lb | |
| Stainless steel | 304 | $0.35/lb |
| Magnetic stainless | $0.15/lb | |
| Steel / iron | Auto cast | $215/ton |
| Sheet iron / white goods (appliances) | $175/ton | |
| Rebar | $70/ton |
Source: ScrapMonster Indianapolis price index, September 10, 2026. Prices fluctuate daily; confirm with the yard before hauling.
Look at the bottom of that table, because that’s where most homeowners’ metal lives. Old appliances, water heaters, and bed frames get bought as “white goods” or “sheet iron” — $175 per ton in Indianapolis right now, which works out to under nine cents a pound (ScrapMonster, September 2026). Some yards pay less and won’t bother with small iron loads at all: Rockaway Recycling, a New Jersey yard that posts its full board daily, pays $110 per gross ton for light iron with a 500-pound minimum (Rockaway Recycling, September 2026). Keep those numbers in mind. They’re the whole story of the drop-off-vs-pickup math below.
Why Do Scrap Prices Change Every Day?
Scrap prices change daily because yards price off the COMEX and LME commodity exchanges, then subtract their own processing, freight, and margin. When copper futures move, every board in Indianapolis moves within a day or two. That’s why a price you saw online last week — or this morning — may not be the price at the scale.
And 2026 has been a wild year to be pricing copper. COMEX copper set a then-record $6.72 per pound on May 13, 2026, eased to $6.13 by late June (Investing News Network, 2026), then pushed to a new all-time high of $6.83 in August (Trading Economics, 2026). It was still trading at $6.56 on September 11 (ScrapMonster, 2026). According to Ruilin Wang, Associate Director for Copper-Zinc at S&P Global Energy, “Supply chain obstacles have now layered on top” of an already tight market — her assessment of how shipping disruptions compounded copper’s supply-side risks this year. Wang projects LME copper will average $12,600 per metric ton in 2026, 26 percent above the 2025 average (Investing News Network, 2026).
What does that mean for the person with a garage full of metal in Greenwood? Two things. First, copper and brass are unusually valuable right now — if you have clean copper pipe or wire, this is a good year to sell it. Second, don’t expect the exchange price. Yards pay a discount off COMEX to cover sorting, freight, and their own risk, which is why Indianapolis boards show $4.30 to $4.50 while the exchange prints around $6.50.
We explain the full sorting hierarchy — which metals are worth real money and which are basically freight — in our guide to what scrap metal is worth money.
Where Can I Sell Scrap Metal in Indianapolis?
If you’re hauling your own scrap, these are established Indianapolis yards that buy from the public. Hours change and some materials need to be called in first, so phone ahead — and bring a photo ID, which yards typically require for scrap sales.
| Scrap Yard | Address | Phone | Posted Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zore's Recycling | 1300 N. Mickley Ave., Bldg 5, Indianapolis | (317) 244-0700 | Mon–Fri 8am–4:30pm, Sat 8am–12:30pm |
| Ray's Farnsworth Metal Recycling | 3602 S. Farnsworth St., Indianapolis | (317) 481-8501 | Mon–Fri 8am–4:30pm, Sat 8am–12pm |
| J. Solotken & Co. | 6701 English Ave., Indianapolis | (317) 638-5566 | Mon–Fri 7:30am–3:30pm (scrap receiving) |
A few notes from experience. Farnsworth focuses on aluminum, copper, and brass, and won’t take pressure-sealed containers like propane tanks or fire extinguishers — most yards won’t. Zore’s takes household scrap from cans to appliances. And every yard weighs you in, weighs you out, and pays on the difference, so unload anything in your truck bed that isn’t for sale.
Full disclosure: we’re not neutral here. Indy Pickup 1111 would rather pick your metal up for $11 than send you across town. But we’d rather send you to a yard with accurate expectations than have you waste a Saturday hauling 80 pounds of light iron for gas money. Which brings us to the math.
Not sure your pile is worth a yard trip? Anything that’s mostly metal rides for a flat $11 — washers, water heaters, grills, mowers, fencing, the works. See the $11 Pickup List →
Drop-Off vs. $11 Pickup: The Real Math
Here’s the decision framework, using current Indianapolis prices:
| Your Load | Yard Payout (Sept 2026) | Your Cost to Haul | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 lbs clean copper pipe/wire | ~$215–$225 at $4.30–$4.50/lb | Gas + 1–2 hours | Haul it yourself. Real money. |
| 200 lbs mixed steel & appliances | ~$15–$18 at the $175/ton white-goods rate | Gas + 1–2 hours + loading help | Book the $11 pickup. You’d net almost nothing. |
| One washer (~150–200 lbs) | ~$13–$18 — if the yard takes small iron loads at all | Gas + your back + a helper | Book the $11 pickup. Not close. |
The copper row is why scrappers exist. Fifty pounds of bare bright at Indianapolis board prices is over $200 — absolutely worth the trip, and we’ll say so plainly.
The steel rows are why we exist. At Indianapolis white-goods rates of $175 per ton — under nine cents a pound — 200 pounds of appliance steel grosses about $17 before gas (ScrapMonster, September 2026), and some yards won’t weigh iron loads under 500 pounds at all (Rockaway Recycling, 2026). Two hours of loading, driving, and waiting in the scale line to maybe break even. Paying $11 to have it disappear from your driveway isn’t lazy; it’s arithmetic. That’s the deal 2,173 Google reviewers have rated 4.9 stars, and it’s the model our whole operation is built on — the metal’s scrap value is our margin, so the $11 flat fee only has to cover fuel and operating costs.
Our rule of thumb: sort out your copper, brass, and aluminum and sell those yourself. Let us take the steel. You keep the metal worth real money; we handle the metal that’s only worth money at truckload scale.
The biggest piece of scrap you own is a junk car. Our sister company Cash Car Heroes pays cash for junk cars with free towing — same family, same yard. Don’t sell a whole car at scrap-steel rates. Get a Cash Offer →
Scrap Metal Price Trends for 2026
Where are prices headed? Short version: copper strong, steel steady, aluminum uncertain.
Copper is the story of the year. After May’s record and August’s higher one, analysts stayed bullish — S&P Global Energy’s $12,600-per-ton average forecast runs 26 percent above 2025, with electrification, AI data centers, and grid expansion holding demand up while supply stays tight (Investing News Network, 2026). Proposed U.S. copper tariffs were still whipsawing futures in mid-September (Trading Economics, 2026). For sellers, high and choppy beats low and stable: watch the board and sell on the up weeks.
Steel and iron don’t swing like copper. Indianapolis boards currently pay $70 to $215 per ton depending on grade, with appliance-grade white goods at $175 (ScrapMonster, September 2026). It moves with construction and mill demand — slowly.
Stainless and aluminum sit in the middle: 304 stainless at $0.35 a pound, and aluminum anywhere from $0.15 for breakage to $2.60 for clean radiators, depending entirely on grade (ScrapMonster, September 2026).
We update this post quarterly, so the numbers you’re reading track the current market. For what happens to the metal after it’s sold — ours and yours — see our Indianapolis scrap metal recycling guide. Contractors with renovation tear-out loads should read our scrap removal guide for contractors; commercial volume changes the math.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current scrap metal price in Indianapolis?
As of September 2026, Indianapolis yards are paying roughly $4.30 to $4.50 per pound for copper, $2.70 for yellow brass, $0.60 for aluminum cans, $0.35 for 304 stainless, and $70 to $215 per ton for steel depending on grade, with appliances at $175 (ScrapMonster, September 2026). Boards change daily, so call the yard the morning you plan to sell.
How much is copper worth per pound in Indianapolis?
Indianapolis boards showed bare bright copper at $4.50 per pound, #1 copper at $4.40, and #2 copper at $4.30 in September 2026 (ScrapMonster, 2026). That’s a discount off the COMEX exchange price — which hit a record $6.83 in August 2026 (Trading Economics, 2026) — because yards subtract processing, freight, and margin. Clean, stripped wire earns the top grade.
Is it worth scrapping a washer?
Usually not. A washer is mostly steel, priced as white goods at $175 per ton in Indianapolis — under nine cents a pound, about $13 to $18 for the machine (ScrapMonster, September 2026) — and some yards won’t weigh iron loads under 500 pounds (Rockaway Recycling, 2026). After gas and an hour or two, you’re near zero. Indy Pickup 1111 hauls washers from your driveway for a flat $11.
Where can I sell scrap metal in Indianapolis?
Established Indianapolis yards that buy from the public include Zore’s Recycling on N. Mickley Avenue, Ray’s Farnsworth Metal Recycling on S. Farnsworth Street, and J. Solotken & Co. on English Avenue. Call ahead for hours and current prices, bring a photo ID, and know your metal types before you get in the scale line.
Do scrap metal prices change daily?
Yes. Yards reset their boards each morning based on COMEX and LME exchange prices, freight costs, and local competition, and a board can even shift between morning and afternoon on volatile days. Any price list online — including this one — is a snapshot. Confirm by phone before loading, especially for copper and brass, which move the most.
Why do scrap yards pay less than the COMEX copper price?
The exchange price is for refined, delivery-ready metal. A yard buying your pipe still has to sort it, process it, freight it to a mill, and carry the risk that prices drop before it ships. That overhead comes out of your payout — which is why Indianapolis boards paid $4.30 to $4.50 per pound in September 2026 while COMEX traded around $6.50 (ScrapMonster, 2026).
Skip the scale line. Flat $11, same-day and next-day stops from Greenwood to Carmel, Avon to New Palestine. Call or text (317) 350-1111 or book online — we cover the whole metro. Book Your $11 Pickup →
One last honest note: if you read this whole post and decide to haul your own copper, good — that’s exactly what we’d do with copper. And when the leftover pile of steel is still sitting in the garage next weekend, check what qualifies for the $11 pickup and we’ll come get it.