SMASH Recycling Morning Metals Report – August 20, 2026
Prices as of August 20, 2026 at 07:31 AM CDT.
Market screen levels only — not yard pay prices. Actual buy prices at the scale will differ based on grade, moisture, contamination, and freight. The scrolling ticker at the top of this page shows live prices and may differ from the snapshot below.
All tracked metals are lower today.
Jump to:
- Gold — $4,458/oz ▼
- Silver — $65.78/oz ▼
- PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,800 · Pt ▼ $1,793 · Pd ▼ $1,305
- Copper — $6.43/lb ▼
- Aluminum — $1.45/lb ▼
- Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
- Macro Backdrop
- CAD — USD/CAD 1.3824
SMASH Recycling Takeaways for Today
- Gold & Silver — Both are down today; pause big sales and re-quote clean lots instead of using yesterday’s higher numbers.
- PGMs — Platinum, palladium down and rhodium flat; focus on well-documented cats and cores, and push buyers to bid tight spreads.
- Copper — Price slipped again; hold mixed copper, move only clean, sorted #1 and #2 loads where you already have firm bids.
- Aluminum — Your earlier “down move will persist” call is playing out; keep dirty and mixed aluminum off the scale and ship only clean, graded loads.
- Big Picture — 0 of 8 metals higher, 6 lower, 2 flat — treat today as a price-check day, not a dump-the-yard day.
Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk
Brent Crude Oil: $94.68/bbl, up $3.29 (+3.60%) day-over-day.
US Dollar Index (DXY): 98.77, down 0.87 (-0.87%) day-over-day.
**Energy is waking up. Risk is not dead.**
Brent is pushing toward **$95**, up over **3%** today. Higher fuel costs hit shred, trucking, and your shears. Watch your cut numbers and freight.
The **dollar is softer** and long rates dipped a touch, but real yields still sit above **2%**. That keeps macro risk on the table, even with gold ripping. For now, energy costs are the main squeeze you feel in the yard.
Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator
- Spot Gold (XAU): $4,458/oz, down $60.40 (-1.34%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,518/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
**Gold is off $60.40 today, but the tape is not broken.** At **$4,458/oz**, gold is still holding a strong five-day trend, with **3 of the last 5 sessions up**. For scrap sellers, that means the market is still paying attention, but you should keep your material tight and let competition set the price.
Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid
- Spot Silver (XAG): $65.78/oz, down $1.13 (-1.68%) day-over-day. Previous close: $66.91/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Gold/Silver ratio: 67.8:1.
**Silver took a breather today, but the trend this week is still up.** Spot silver is around $65.78/oz, down about 1.7% on the day, after rising in 3 of the last 5 sessions. The gold/silver ratio near 68:1 says silver is still trading as the cheaper metal, even with energy waking up and Brent near $94.68, so keep clean silver loads, coins, and contact scrap ready for when buyers lean back in.
Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators
- Platinum (Pt): $1,793/oz, down $22.00 (-1.21%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,815/oz. MoM: +10.3%.
- Platinum 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Palladium (Pd): $1,305/oz, down $19.00 (-1.44%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,324/oz. MoM: +3.2%.
- Palladium 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Rhodium (Rh): $8,800/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $8,800/oz. MoM: +7.3%.
- Rhodium 5-day trend: ↑ 1 of last 5 sessions.
PGMs are soft today, even with energy waking up and Brent near $95. Platinum and palladium are both down about 1–1.5%, though they’ve risen in 3 of the last 5 sessions, so cat values may feel a little lighter on the scale. Rhodium is flat and still high, so mixed loads with strong rhodium content remain your best support.
Copper — Current Indicators
- COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.43/lb, down $0.0765 (-1.18%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.50/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
Copper is down today, around **$6.43/lb**, off about 8 cents, but it’s still held gains in 3 of the last 5 sessions. Energy is waking up and Brent crude near **$94.68/bbl** can keep costs and nerves higher, so don’t chase every bid, but do use this dip to test more buyers and let competition reveal the real market on your cats, wire, and chops.
Aluminum — Current Indicators
- LME Aluminum: $3,189/tonne ($1.45/lb), down $0.0196 (-1.34%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.47/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
**Aluminum slipped again today, but the drop is small and the trend still leans up.** Aluminum is at **$1.45/lb**, down about **2 cents** today, a **1.34%** move lower, even though it’s been up in 3 of the last 5 sessions. With **energy waking up** and Brent crude near **$94.68/bbl**, you should stay tight on grades and paperwork—clean, documented aluminum with clear photos and VINs or serials will still pull the best bids when you run auctions on SMASH.
Steel Scrap (Shredded (SHS), scrapmonster) — Current Indicators
- Steel Scrap Shredded (SHS) (SCRAP-SHS): $413.00/mt, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $413.00/mt.
- 5-day trend: → flat over last 5 sessions.
- HMS 1&2 (80:20) (SCRAP-HM): $366.00/mt (flat day-over-day).
Want to move PGM-bearing material, copper, aluminum, or steel scrap through competitive bidding? List your lots on SMASH Recycling and let vetted Canadian buyers compete for your scrap.
