SMASH Recycling Morning Metals Report – August 5, 2026
Prices as of August 05, 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 — $4,208/oz ▲
- Silver — $62.34/oz ▲
- PGMs — Rh ▲ $8,425 · Pt ▲ $1,750 · Pd ▲ $1,353
- Copper — $6.67/lb ▲
- Aluminum — $1.46/lb ▲
- Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
- Macro Backdrop
- CAD — USD/CAD 1.4068
SMASH Recycling Takeaways for Today
- Gold & Silver — Treat this as a sell window for clean, documented material; don’t sit on jewelry and silverware hoping for more.
- PGMs — Move converters with full photos and serial/VIN tracking; lock in today’s higher platinum/palladium/rhodium without getting cute on timing.
- Copper — Push insulated wire, motors, and chops into bids now; shop multiple buyers or run an auction to capture the extra few cents.
- Aluminum — Don’t expect a premium jump; focus on tight sorting and clean loads, and move volume as part of normal flow.
- Big Picture — Six of eight metals are higher with steel and aluminum flat, so lean into non‑ferrous sales while ferrous stays a pure throughput play.
Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk
Brent Crude Oil: $79.99/bbl, up $1.14 (+1.45%) day-over-day.
US Dollar Index (DXY): 99.67, down 0.13 (-0.13%) day-over-day.
**Energy is creeping up again, and that always matters for your yard.**
Brent crude is back pushing $80, up about 1.5% on the day. That’s not a spike, but it’s pressure. Higher fuel and power costs tend to support scrap prices, but they also squeeze yard margins and freight on every load.[20]
The macro risk picture is mixed. The U.S. dollar index is a touch softer, but the broader dollar is still firm, which can weigh on export flows. Long‑term rates eased a bit, and inflation expectations ticked lower, which takes some heat out of the “panic” trade in gold and other hedges. Real 10‑year yields are still positive, so big money stays focused on bonds, not metals, keeping macro support for scrap and base metals cautious rather than wild.
Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator
- Spot Gold (XAU): $4,208/oz, up +$126.00 (+3.09%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,082/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
**Gold is still hot, and that keeps scrap gold in play for your yard.** Spot is at **$4,208/oz**, up **$126** on the day, with **4 of the last 5 sessions higher**. A softer dollar helps, and Brent crude near **$79.99/bbl** adds some macro support to the broader metals tone. For sellers, clean, documented gold lots still get the most attention, and buyers stay sharp when the market is moving like this.
Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid
- Spot Silver (XAG): $62.34/oz, up +$2.78 (+4.66%) day-over-day. Previous close: $59.56/oz.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.
- Gold/Silver ratio: 67.5:1.
**Silver is running hot again, and buyers know it.** Silver is around **$62/oz**, up about **5%** today and green in **4 of the last 5 sessions**.[14] That move, plus a softer dollar and energy creeping up, says your silver cats, jewelry, and flatware should get real attention in bids — don’t dump it, but don’t sleep on it either.
Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators
- Platinum (Pt): $1,750/oz, up +$22.00 (+1.27%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,728/oz. MoM: +7.2%.
- Platinum 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Palladium (Pd): $1,353/oz, up +$20.00 (+1.50%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,333/oz. MoM: +7.8%.
- Palladium 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
- Rhodium (Rh): $8,425/oz, up +$50.00 (+0.60%) day-over-day. Previous close: $8,375/oz. MoM: +3.4%.
- Rhodium 5-day trend: ↑ 2 of last 5 sessions.
**PGM prices are firm today, so your cats and PGM scrap are not cheap inventory.** Platinum at **$1,750**, palladium at **$1,353**, and rhodium at **$8,425** are all up on the day, with platinum and palladium higher in 3 of the last 5 sessions and rhodium up in 2 of 5, while energy is creeping higher and Brent is sitting just under **$80** again. That combo means recycling stays attractive for buyers, so you should expect real interest in well-documented converters and PGM-rich industrial scrap, but still shop your loads and use competition to find the true market.
Copper — Current Indicators
- COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.67/lb, up +$0.0375 (+0.57%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.64/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 5 of last 5 sessions.
**Copper is grinding higher, and that’s good news if you’ve got non‑ferrous to move.** Copper is around **$6.67/lb**, up about **4 cents** today and green **5 days in a row**, so the short‑term trend is clearly up.[11][6] With the dollar a bit softer and **energy creeping up again** (Brent near **$80/bbl**), your processing and trucking costs won’t get cheaper, so this is a solid window to ship clean copper loads while buyers stay active.[11][1]
Aluminum — Current Indicators
- LME Aluminum: $3,229/tonne ($1.46/lb), up +$0.0001 (+0.01%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.46/lb.
- 5-day trend: ↑ 5 of last 5 sessions.
**Aluminum is grinding higher, but not breaking out.** Aluminum sits around **$1.46/lb**, basically flat, but it’s been up five days in a row, so the grind is real, not noise. With Brent crude near $80 and energy costs creeping up again, expect mills to stay price-sensitive, but steady demand means your clean aluminum, UBCs, and extrusions should keep moving if you’re sharp on grading and documentation.
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.
