SMASH Recycling Morning Metals Report – July 30, 2026

Prices as of July 30, 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 — $4,075/oz ▼
• Silver — $58.20/oz ▼
• PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,250 · Pt ▲ $1,621 · Pd ▲ $1,269
• Copper — $6.46/lb ▲
• Aluminum — $1.45/lb ▲
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.4083

SMASH Recycling Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Use this dip to clear clean gold and silver scrap now; don’t overhold, just tighten inventory and move good material.
• PGMs — Platinum and palladium are firm, so prioritize pulling cats and PGM-bearing scrap, document serials, and shop bids before committing.
• Copper — With copper up ~9 cents, move clean #1 and #2 copper in full, well-sorted loads and avoid sitting on mixed wire.
• Aluminum — Aluminum is creeping higher, so strip steel and contaminants, separate cast vs sheet, and be ready to sell tidy, photo-documented loads.
• Big Picture — Mixed board today (4 up, 2 down, 2 flat), so you should lean into strong movers like copper and PGMs while using precious metal softness to clean up inventory.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $90.10/bbl, down $0.3000 (-0.33%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 100.68, down 0.83 (-0.82%) day-over-day.

**Energy stays rich, dollar slips — risk tone still favors metals.**

Brent crude sits just above **$90**, down about **30 cents** on the day. That’s still high fuel cost for shredders, trucking, and export moves, even with the small pullback.

The U.S. dollar is softer, with DXY under **101** and broad USD indexes ticking lower. A weaker dollar usually supports metal prices and export flows, but bond yields are still firm, and inflation expectations just pushed higher. Net effect: energy is expensive, money isn’t cheap, and risk is still very real. Stay tight on costs and watch your fuel and freight on every load.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,075/oz, down $5.80 (-0.14%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,081/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold is still expensive, but today it’s drifting, not ripping.** Gold sits around **$4,075/oz**, down a few bucks on the day, after rising in **3 of the last 5 sessions**, so momentum is soft but not broken.[2] Energy prices are still rich and the dollar slipped, which keeps the backdrop friendly for metals, but buyers will stay picky on gold scrap at these levels — expect tight bids and do your homework before you move heavy jewelry or bullion lots.[2]

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $58.20/oz, down $0.0510 (-0.09%) day-over-day. Previous close: $58.25/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 70.0:1.

**Silver’s still expensive, but it’s catching its breath.** Silver sits around **$58/oz**, down a few cents today, but it’s been up in **3 of the last 5 sessions**, helped by firm energy and a softer dollar that still favor metals.[3][1] The gold/silver ratio near **70:1** says silver is cheaper relative to gold, so if you’re sitting on clean silver scrap, buyers still care — you just don’t want to assume last week’s highs will stick without real bids in front of you.[3][8]

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,621/oz, up +$5.00 (+0.31%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,616/oz. MoM: +4.8%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,269/oz, up +$17.00 (+1.36%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,252/oz. MoM: +6.3%.
• 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 firming up, with **platinum at $1,621** and **palladium at $1,269**, both ticking higher in recent sessions. Rhodium is holding flat at **$8,250**, and with energy still rich and the dollar slipping, the tone leans supportive for metals, so you should watch cats and PGM-rich scrap closely and be ready to move when bids line up with your numbers.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.46/lb, up +$0.0880 (+1.38%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.37/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.

**Copper’s paying up — don’t sleep on your cats and wire this week.** Copper is around **$6.46/lb**, up about **9 cents** today and higher in 4 of the last 5 sessions.[7][4] With Brent crude still near **$90/bbl** and the dollar slipping, the backdrop favors metals, so it’s a good time to move clean copper while yards are bidding steady to firm.[5][12]

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,195/tonne ($1.45/lb), up +$0.0074 (+0.51%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.44/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum’s creeping higher, so don’t fall asleep on your cats and clean grades.** Aluminum is around **$1.45/lb**, up less than a penny today, with prices rising in **3 of the last 5 sessions**.[16][17] With energy still pricey and the dollar slipping, risk money leans toward metals, so this slow grind up can help you **test the market with tighter spreads instead of giving loads away on the first call**.[4][5]

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.