SMASH Recycling Morning Metals Report – August 21, 2026
Prices as of August 21, 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 higher today.
Jump to:
- Gold — $4,585/oz ▲
- Silver — $69.46/oz ▲
- PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,800 · Pt ▲ $1,875 · Pd ▲ $1,340
- Copper — $6.61/lb ▲
- Aluminum — $1.47/lb ▲
- Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
- Macro Backdrop
- CAD — USD/CAD 1.3785
SMASH Recycling Takeaways for Today
- Gold & Silver — Clean, sorted loads still deserve a bid. Pull out plated, wire, and mixed junk now so you are not selling into noise.
- PGMs — Hold your better cats until they are documented. Photo the lot, verify serials, and send clean packs to buyers who know what they are seeing.
- Copper — Price your copper today, not next week. Move borderline wire, tubing, and chop now before the market gives back these gains.
- Aluminum — Clear mixed and dirty aluminum now. Separate the clean stuff from clips, paint, and breakage so you do not leave money in the pile.
- Big Picture — 6 of 8 metals are higher today, so competition can help reveal the market.
Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk
Brent Crude Oil: $94.07/bbl, up $0.7800 (+0.84%) day-over-day.
US Dollar Index (DXY): 98.68, down 0.96 (-0.96%) day-over-day.
**Energy is firm, but the “risk‑off” mood is easing a bit.**
Brent sits near **$94** and WTI is holding in the mid‑80s, so fuel stays pricey for your trucks and shears. Higher pump costs squeeze yard margins and freight, even if metal prices hold.
The U.S. dollar is softer, with DXY under **99** and USD/CAD around **1.38**, so the big “safe dollar” trade has cooled a touch. Ten‑year yields eased to about **4.65%**, but real yields are still above **2%**, which keeps some weight on gold and risk assets. For scrap, this backdrop says steady demand with pockets of stress, not panic.
Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator
- Spot Gold (XAU): $4,585/oz, up +$63.60 (+1.41%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,521/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
Gold is jumping again, trading near **$4,585/oz**, up about **1.4%** on the day. With the dollar easing and fuel still pricey, more investors are parking cash in gold, and that spillover helps your scrap values too. If you’re sitting on gold cats, boards, or jewelry, this is a good time to know your weights and costs before you sell.
Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid
- Spot Silver (XAG): $69.46/oz, up +$1.26 (+1.85%) day-over-day. Previous close: $68.20/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
- Gold/Silver ratio: 66.0:1.
Silver is trading around **$69.46/oz and up about 1.8% today**, with gains in 4 of the last 5 sessions. The gold/silver ratio near **66:1** says silver is still cheap versus gold, and a softer dollar plus firm energy gives some support to prices while the recent “risk-off” mood eases a bit.
Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators
- Platinum (Pt): $1,875/oz, up +$39.00 (+2.12%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,836/oz. MoM: +15.3%.
- Platinum 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
- Palladium (Pd): $1,340/oz, up +$24.00 (+1.82%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,316/oz. MoM: +5.6%.
- 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: → flat over last 5 sessions.
**PGM prices have a bit more spark this week, but this still isn’t a panic rally.** Platinum and palladium are inching higher, with platinum up a little over 2% and palladium up just under 2%, helped by a softer dollar and a slightly better risk mood in markets. Rhodium is still stuck in the same range, so cat cores with heavy rhodium exposure aren’t getting a lift yet.
Copper — Current Indicators
- COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.61/lb, up +$0.1290 (+1.99%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.48/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
Copper is up about **13 cents** today, near **$6.61/lb**, with 3 green days in the last week. The dollar is a bit softer and energy is still firm, so the mood has shifted from fear to cautious risk‑on instead of full‑blown panic. Fuel is still expensive for your trucks and shears, but this kind of grind‑higher move in copper helps your cats, wire, and brass feel a little less heavy on the floor.
Aluminum — Current Indicators
- LME Aluminum: $3,240/tonne ($1.47/lb), up +$0.0240 (+1.66%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.45/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
Aluminum is **up again**, trading around **$1.47/lb**, with a small 2 cent move higher and strength in 3 of the last 5 sessions. With the dollar easing a bit and fuel still pricey, this kind of slow grind up makes sense, so treat your clean and twitch as a firm market, not a fire sale.
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.
