SMASH Recycling Morning Metals Report – August 27, 2026

Prices as of August 27, 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.

Jump to:

• Gold — $4,595/oz ▼
• Silver — $68.28/oz ▼
• PGMs — Rh ▼ $8,775 · Pt ▼ $1,820 · Pd ▼ $1,296
• Copper — $6.56/lb ▼
• Aluminum — $1.46/lb ▼
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.3876

SMASH Recycling Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Prices are soft; move old jewelry and coins if you need cash, but don’t rush clean, documented cats.
• PGMs — All down today; bundle converters by grade, photos, and serials and use SMASH auctions to let buyers fight it out.
• Copper — With copper off about 5 cents, avoid panic; tighten fray allowances and ship only well-sorted, heavy loads.
• Aluminum — Dip is small; top off trucks with clean 6063 and extrusion, but hold mixed, hairy aluminum if you can.
• Big Picture — 0 of 8 metals higher and 7 lower today, so expect buyers to stay picky and push harder on grading and paperwork.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $87.04/bbl, up $0.4800 (+0.55%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 99.20, up 0.20 (+0.20%) day-over-day.

**Energy is firm, but the real risk is still rates and the dollar.**

Brent sits near **$87** and is up about fifty cents this morning, but still below last week’s FRED print near **$88**.[Brent Crude Oil][Brent] Oil is not the main story today. It’s steady, not spiking.

The risk lens is still **interest rates and the dollar**. The 10-year is at **4.64%**, down a touch, but real yields stay high around **2.3%** versus inflation expectations.[10Y Yield][Inflation Exp.] DXY is up to **99.2**, and **USD/CAD 1.3876** keeps North American pricing tilted toward a strong U.S. dollar.[US Dollar Index (DXY)][USD/CAD]

For you, that means one thing: watch financing and FX more than fuel. High real yields and a firm dollar can cap metal rallies even when energy holds up.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,595/oz, down $13.80 (-0.30%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,609/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold is still strong, even with today’s small pullback.** Spot sits around **$4,595/oz**, down about 0.3%, after popping over $4,700 yesterday, so you’re seeing normal noise, not a crash. With Brent near **$87** and the dollar a bit firmer, rates and the greenback are still the main pressure points, so price swings like this matter if you’re timing cat loads or jewelry for melt, but they don’t change the bigger story: gold is holding near record levels, and clean, well-documented scrap still gets attention from buyers.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $68.28/oz, down $0.5290 (-0.77%) day-over-day. Previous close: $68.81/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 67.3:1.

Silver is still **expensive**, but it’s taking a breather today. Price is around **$68.28/oz**, down about **53 cents** on the day, while the gold/silver ratio near **67:1** says silver is still riding the precious metals story, not scrap alone. For you, this means decent payout on silver loads, even with today’s small dip. The dollar and rates are still the real drivers, not oil at **$87 Brent**, so watch currency moves more than energy when you plan your sales.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,820/oz, down $14.00 (-0.76%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,834/oz. MoM: +14.0%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,296/oz, down $18.00 (-1.37%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,314/oz. MoM: +4.3%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $8,775/oz, down $25.00 (-0.28%) day-over-day. Previous close: $8,800/oz. MoM: +6.4%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: ↓ 1 of last 5 sessions.

PGMs are soft today, so expect **more cautious cat bids** from buyers. Platinum and palladium are both down again, with rhodium slipping but still very high, so yards should focus on tight core sorting, clean pulls, and good photos to help buyers price the load and find value even in a slower tape.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.56/lb, down $0.0520 (-0.79%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.62/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

Copper is **$6.56/lb today, down about 5 cents**, but still holding most of this week’s gains. The dollar is a bit stronger and that’s leaning on copper, even though energy stays firm around $87 oil. Recent action is choppy, so expect buyers to point to today’s dip while you look at the bigger 5‑day uptrend when you price your next load.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,209/tonne ($1.46/lb), down $0.0071 (-0.49%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.46/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum is soft again today, and buyers know it.** The price sits near **$1.46/lb**, down just under a cent, and has slipped in **3 of the last 5 sessions**. With the dollar firm and energy steady around **$87 Brent**, this drift looks more like slow pressure than panic, so if you can, stay picky on what cats and non‑ferrous you move today.

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.