Aluminum price per pound today
Aluminum (sheet)
$1.10/ lb
-5.92%
Updated 20:06:34 UTC
The ticker shows the LME spot price translated to USD per pound. Yard cash-payouts run lower — typical clean-sheet aluminum pays 65–75% of LME spot, which means at a $1.20/lb LME reference, you're realistically pocketing $0.78–$0.90/lb for clean sheet. Aluminum's per-pound number is much lower than copper's, but the volume and accessibility of aluminum scrap make it a workhorse of consistent scrapping income.
Why aluminum prices are lower than copper
Per pound, aluminum trades at roughly 15–25% of copper's price. The reasons are structural:
- Aluminum is more abundant — bauxite reserves are plentiful relative to copper ore, so the supply curve sits lower.
- Recycling is energy-cheap relative to primary — secondary aluminum production uses roughly 5% of the energy that primary smelting does, which keeps a ceiling on secondary pricing.
- Most uses tolerate alloyed metal — auto and packaging applications don't require ultra-pure metal, increasing the usable supply.
But aluminum compensates with:
- Higher volume per source — a single scrap car carries far more aluminum (by weight) than copper.
- Easier sorting — aluminum is non-magnetic and visually distinctive, so a magnet pass and a grade-by-eye check do most of the work.
- More consistent demand — packaging and automotive applications drive steady volumes year over year.
Per-pound by grade
| Grade | Typical % of clean sheet |
|---|---|
| Sheet (mill grade, clean) | 100% (reference) |
| Extrusion (clean) | 90–100% |
| Cast (wheels, blocks, cookware) | 55–75% |
| UBC (baled, to spec) | 70–85% |
| UBC (loose) | 50–70% |
| Painted / coated | 55–75% |
| Mixed / unsorted | 40–60% |
At a $1.20/lb LME reference, clean sheet pays roughly $0.78–$0.90/lb in cash; cast lands at $0.45–$0.65; baled UBC at $0.55–$0.78; painted siding at $0.48–$0.66. Local market and yard variance is real — calling two or three yards before driving is almost always worth it.
Daily price drivers
- Energy prices — aluminum smelting is electricity-intensive; industrial-power costs in China, Europe, and Quebec move the LME contract.
- Auto sector demand — EV battery housings, body panels, and structural castings continue to displace steel.
- Aluminum can recycling rates — UBC supply tracks recycling participation; mill recycled-content commitments tighten or loosen the bid.
- Bauxite supply disruptions — Guinea and Australia produce most of the world's bauxite; political or shipping disruptions ripple through to LME pricing in weeks.