SMASH Recycling Morning Metals Report – July 21, 2026

Prices as of July 21, 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.

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• Gold — $4,060/oz ▲
• Silver — $58.91/oz ▲
• PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,200 · Pt ▲ $1,621 · Pd ▲ $1,260
• Copper — $6.51/lb ▲
• Aluminum — $1.44/lb ▲
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.4054

SMASH Recycling Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Own the mistake: prices ripped higher, so stop holding; move clean, documented gold/silver scrap and push bids up on cats and e-scrap.
• PGMs — With platinum and palladium climbing and rhodium steady, tighten spreads and ship well-sorted cat loads now while buyers are paying for quality cores.
• Copper — I was wrong calling no near-term pop; at $6.51/lb and up almost 3%, don’t sit on bright wire and #1 — move volume while buyers are chasing.
• Aluminum — Price is up, not drifting down like I said; clear low-grade and mixed aluminum now instead of stockpiling and use photos/packing lists to keep deductions tight.
• Big Picture — 6 of 8 metals higher, 2 flat — this is a sell-into-strength day, so get clean, documented loads in front of more buyers.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $90.66/bbl, up $1.59 (+1.79%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 101.00, up 0.27 (+0.27%) day-over-day.

**Oil is hot. Rates are firm. Risk tone is still tight.**

Brent is back above **$90**, up almost 2%. That keeps fuel and torch costs pointed higher, and it supports bids on oil-linked plays like gold and silver as Middle East risk stays in the mix.[6][7]

The U.S. dollar is firm (DXY around **101**, USD/CAD at **1.40**), so export flows face a headwind.[6] Yields are still high with a real 10‑year near **2.3%**, which keeps the overall risk tone cautious even as auto and industrial production grind higher.[6] For you, that means energy stays a cost problem, money’s not cheap, and buyers will stay picky on riskier metal and cat loads.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,060/oz, up +$56.50 (+1.41%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,004/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold just punched through $4,060/oz, and buyers are noticing.** Gold is up 1.4% today and has climbed in 3 of the last 5 sessions, even with a firmer US dollar and hot oil in the background. With this kind of tape, expect more interest on clean, well-documented gold-bearing scrap, but buyers will still pick through junk and pay up only when the photos, weights, and paperwork look tight.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $58.91/oz, up +$2.70 (+4.81%) day-over-day. Previous close: $56.20/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 68.9:1.

**Silver is up hard, and scrap buyers will notice.** Spot is around **$58.91/oz**, with the metal up **4.81%** and **3 of the last 5 sessions** higher, while the **68.9:1 gold/silver ratio** still leaves room for silver to keep catching up.[1]

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,621/oz, up +$35.00 (+2.21%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,586/oz. MoM: -2.6%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,260/oz, up +$23.00 (+1.86%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,237/oz. MoM: +1.6%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $8,200/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $8,200/oz. MoM: +2.5%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: ↑ 2 of last 5 sessions.

**PGM prices are firming up, but buyers still have the upper hand.** Platinum and palladium are both up today, with palladium showing the better short-term trend, while rhodium is flat but off recent lows.[2][4] With the dollar firm and oil hot, expect converter buyers to stay picky and pay up mainly for clean, well-documented cats and tight, photo-backed packing lists.[2][4]

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.51/lb, up +$0.1805 (+2.85%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.33/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Copper’s hot again — don’t pretend your buyers haven’t noticed.** Copper is around **$6.51/lb**, up about 18 cents, with gains in **3 of the last 5 sessions** and oil running hot in the background. With that kind of tape, expect buyers to sharpen their pencils, tighten spreads, and push back on dream numbers, but you should still shop your cats, chops, and wire around instead of locking in the first offer.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,176/tonne ($1.44/lb), up +$0.0174 (+1.22%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.42/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum is up to $1.44/lb, but the tape is still choppy.** It rose about 2 cents today, yet it has fallen in 3 of the last 5 sessions, so sellers should treat this as a firmer bounce, not a clean trend. [6][10] Brent crude is still hot, and that can keep support under industrial metals, while the stronger dollar can cap the move. Clean, well-sorted aluminum still gets the best look from buyers.

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.