SMASH Recycling Morning Metals Report – August 26, 2026
Prices as of August 26, 2026 at 07:30 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 — $4,627/oz ▼
- Silver — $68.85/oz ▼
- PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,800 · Pt ▸ $1,856 · Pd ▼ $1,316
- Copper — $6.70/lb ▼
- Aluminum — $1.47/lb ▸
- Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
- Macro Backdrop
- CAD — USD/CAD 1.3839
SMASH Recycling Takeaways for Today
- Gold & Silver — With both prices ticking lower, tighten spreads and move slower on big loads unless buyers push to lock in.
- PGMs — Platinum and rhodium are flat while palladium drifts down; focus on clean cats and strong photo docs to keep bids firm.
- Copper — Dip is tiny, but trend has stayed stronger than I called last week; keep moving #1/#2 and insulated while demand is there.
- Aluminum — Price is flat and my “clear it now” call was early; no need to fire-sale mixed and dirty, ship only when you’ve got full, well-sorted loads.
- Big Picture — Zero metals up, half down, half flat; expect buyers to nitpick grades and paperwork, so tighten your inventory, photos, and BOLs before posting loads.
Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk
Brent Crude Oil: $85.32/bbl, down $0.8300 (-0.96%) day-over-day.
US Dollar Index (DXY): 98.95, up 0.15 (+0.15%) day-over-day.
**Oil is easing, but the real story is higher real yields and a firmer dollar.**
Brent slips under pressure, trading around **$85/bbl**, down almost a buck today. Energy is still not cheap, but this pullback takes a bit of heat out of freight and shredder fuel costs.
The **10‑year at 4.70%** with inflation expectations near **2.3%** keeps real yields high. Strong real yields plus a steady **DXY near 99** mean the dollar still bites. That supports gold volatility and keeps risk appetite choppy, which can spill into export bids and hedge appetite for metal.
Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator
- Spot Gold (XAU): $4,627/oz, down $42.50 (-0.91%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,670/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
**Gold is still firm at $4,627/oz, but today it backed off $42.50.** That pullback fits the stronger dollar and higher real yields story, even with gold up in 4 of the last 5 sessions. Scrap sellers should watch the tape, but don’t expect a straight line up.
Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid
- Spot Silver (XAG): $68.85/oz, down $0.2080 (-0.30%) day-over-day. Previous close: $69.05/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
- Gold/Silver ratio: 67.2:1.
**Silver is softer today, but the tape still leans firm.** It’s at **$68.85/oz**, down about **21 cents**, yet it has **closed higher in 4 of the last 5 sessions**. A **67.2:1 gold/silver ratio** and a firmer **dollar** are keeping a lid on it, even with better price discovery than a one-buyer scrap deal.
Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators
- Platinum (Pt): $1,856/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $1,856/oz. MoM: +14.9%.
- Platinum 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Palladium (Pd): $1,316/oz, down $3.00 (-0.23%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,319/oz. MoM: +3.5%.
- Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Rhodium (Rh): $8,800/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $8,800/oz. MoM: +6.7%.
- Rhodium 5-day trend: → flat over last 5 sessions.
Platinum is holding steady and still looks like the strongest PGM for scrap right now. Palladium is slipping again and rhodium is stuck in a flat range, so don’t chase last month’s cat quotes. With oil easing around $85/bbl and the dollar firmer, expect more pressure on weaker PGMs and price your cores with discipline, not hope.
Copper — Current Indicators
- COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.70/lb, down $0.0095 (-0.14%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.71/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
Copper is still strong, even with today’s tiny dip to **$6.70/lb**. The dollar is firmer and real yields are up, so the market is pausing, not crashing. Copper has pushed higher in **3 of the last 5 sessions**, so don’t mistake today’s red number for a trend change.
Aluminum — Current Indicators
- LME Aluminum: $3,243/tonne ($1.47/lb), flat day-over-day. Previous close: $1.47/lb.
- 5-day trend: → flat over last 5 sessions.
**Aluminum is flat at $1.47/lb, and that tells you the market is waiting.** The stronger dollar and higher real yields are leaning on metals, while Brent near $85/bbl is not giving this market much lift. If you’ve got mixed or clean aluminum piling up, this is a price-discovery market, not a chase market.
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): $391.00/mt (up +$25.00 (+6.83%) 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.
