Below is a quick market update. It’s been a while since I sent one out—chalk it up to the doldrums of summer, I suppose. Haha.
The market has been fairly steady and flat, with not much major news to report. After the turbulence at the beginning of the year—tariffs and other global developments—it seems things have quieted down a bit.
We’ve seen quite a bit of pushback from the mills when it comes to lowering scrap prices. As is typical in the summer, prices tend to decline cyclically. Whether that’s due to idle mills, increased electricity costs, or a general seasonal slowdown, it’s a familiar pattern. This year, we can add tariffs and continued market uncertainty to the mix, which gives mills more leverage to push prices down with scrap suppliers.
Overall, I’d describe the market as relatively steady. Some aluminum grades have increased and held their value, while copper has been a bit erratic.
Steel and stainless markets have been nearly flat. While we’d all like to see scrap prices rise, flat isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
All in all, the market continues to show strength and resiliency. Just when it seems like things might drop off, they hold steady or bounce back. After navigating 2024 and the years prior, I think there’s something positive to be taken from that.
As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
ARTICLE: https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/us-scrap-trends-outlook-september-2025/