SMASH Recycling Morning Metals Report – July 28, 2026

Prices as of July 28, 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.

Jump to:

• Gold — $4,031/oz ▼
• Silver — $57.33/oz ▼
• PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,250 · Pt ▼ $1,595 · Pd ▼ $1,244
• Copper — $6.31/lb ▼
• Aluminum — $1.43/lb ▼
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.4114

SMASH Recycling Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — With both down, widen spreads and only pay up for clean, documented jewelry, coins, and silver scrap.
• PGMs — Platinum and palladium are weaker with rhodium flat; sort and hold marginal cats, and move only full, well-documented PGM loads.
• Copper — Price slipped about 8 cents; tighten buy prices, clear high-grade copper you’ve already packed, and avoid overpaying on mixed wire.
• Aluminum — Drifting lower; keep buying but lower yard pays on new intakes and focus on moving clean, segregated aluminum loads.
• Big Picture — 0 of 8 metals higher today, 6 lower and 2 flat, so stay defensive on buy prices and use auctions to let buyers fight over your best non-ferrous and cat loads.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $87.10/bbl, down $0.6400 (-0.73%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 101.56, up 0.13 (+0.13%) day-over-day.

**Energy is drifting lower, but the real story today is higher real yields and risk off.**

Brent sits around **$87**, down about **$0.64**, so energy isn’t driving panic today. Diesel and freight shouldn’t see a big shock from this move.

The risk side is heavier. The **US dollar** is firm, with DXY near **101.5**, and CAD soft at **1.41** — that pressures export flows and non‑ferrous tied to FX. Real **10‑year yields** are up around **2.5%**, which usually drags on gold and silver and can cool risk appetite. For you, that means buyers stay selective, and weaker yards may get more conservative on bids and inventory until rates or the dollar blink.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,031/oz, down $41.80 (-1.03%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,073/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold slipped today, but it’s still very expensive, so your clean gold scrap is worth real money.** Spot gold is around **$4,031/oz**, down about 1% on the day, but it’s been up in 3 of the last 5 sessions, and higher real yields plus a stronger dollar are cooling some of the heat in the trade. With energy steady and no big panic story, you’re in a price-check zone, not a fire-sale moment, so focus on well-documented, high-purity gold-bearing material when you shop bids.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $57.33/oz, down $1.06 (-1.82%) day-over-day. Previous close: $58.39/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 70.3:1.

**Silver’s taking a breather today, but the tape still favors prepared sellers, not gamblers.** Silver is around **$57.33/oz**, down about **2% today**, even though it’s been up in **3 of the last 5 sessions**. With the gold/silver ratio near **70:1** and higher real yields pushing risk off, you should expect buyers to stay picky on silver-bearing scrap—clean, documented material with good photos and clear packing lists will move first, while mixed or low-grade cats and cores see tighter bids and more questions.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,595/oz, down $20.00 (-1.24%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,615/oz. MoM: -1.2%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,244/oz, down $27.00 (-2.12%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,271/oz. MoM: +4.7%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $8,250/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $8,250/oz. MoM: +6.5%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: ↑ 1 of last 5 sessions.

**PGM prices are soft today, so buyers have the upper hand on most cats.** Platinum and palladium are both drifting lower, with three down sessions in the last five days, so expect tighter bids and more pushback on your converter prices. Rhodium is holding flat and still much richer per ounce, but with only one up day in the last week, you’re not seeing a real breakout yet, especially with higher real yields and risk-off sentiment keeping pressure on the whole precious side while Brent sits near $87 and not driving the tape.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.31/lb, down $0.0780 (-1.22%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.39/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Copper slipped again today, so buyers will lean a little harder on your bids.** Copper is around **$6.31/lb**, down about **8 cents** and lower in **3 of the last 5 sessions**, as higher real yields and a stronger dollar keep pressure on metals instead of any big demand shock.[1] You don’t need to panic, but if you’ve got clean, documented copper ready to go, expect tighter numbers and use auctions to force real price discovery instead of taking the first phone quote.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,149/tonne ($1.43/lb), down $0.0099 (-0.69%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.44/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum is soft today at $1.43/lb, down less than a cent.** The tape is a little shaky, but the 5-day trend is still up in 3 of the last 5 sessions, so clean, sorted material can still draw interest.

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.