Copper Radiator Scrap Prices
As of October 2, 2026, scrap yards are paying about $2.34 to $3.05 per pound for copper and brass radiators, or $5.15 to $6.73 per kg. That's 36% to 47% of the COMEX copper price of $6.49. A radiator is copper tubes and brass tanks bought as one item, so it pays well below clean copper.
Every copper grade is on the scrap copper prices page, and every metal is on the scrap metal prices hub.
What yards pay for copper radiators
- Per pound
- $2.34 to $3.05
- Per kilogram
- $5.15 to $6.73
Estimated yard price: 36% to 47% of the COMEX copper price ($6.49/lb as of October 2, 2026). Ranges cover the spread between yards.
Estimates checked against posted yard boards on September 18, 2026.
Radiator calculator
Enter the weight. The estimate uses the per-pound range in the price card above. Add a yard's quote to see where it lands in that range.
Estimated payout
$23.37 to $30.52
At $2.34 to $3.05 per lb.
Yards pay on their own scale after grading, and boards differ by region, so use the range to judge a quote.
COMEX copper, the price behind radiators
Radiators are priced as a fixed share of this benchmark, so the copper chart is the timing signal for a radiator sale too.
What counts as a copper radiator
Auto and truck radiators with copper tubes and brass tanks. Steel brackets and plastic tanks knock the price down further.
Check the core before anything else. Scratch through the paint on a tube: copper shows salmon-orange, aluminum shows silver. An aluminum core is much lighter for its size and isn't this grade, so ask the yard what it pays for those.
Unbolt or cut off the steel brackets and drain the coolant before you go. Keep radiators out of your copper and brass bins, since they sell on their own line. Air-conditioner coils look similar but are copper tubing through aluminum fins, and they sell as ACR coil.
What lowers the price of a radiator
- 1Steel brackets. Steel left bolted on knocks the price down. Unbolt it or cut it off before you go.
- 2Plastic tanks. Plastic tanks in place of brass ones lower what the radiator brings.
- 3Coolant left inside. Coolant is weight the yard won't pay for. Drain it.
- 4Aluminum radiators mixed in. An aluminum core in a pile of copper radiators can get the pile graded down.
Related grades
Nearby grades and what they bring per pound. The full board is on the scrap copper prices page.
Where this estimate comes from
The estimate is the live COMEX copper price times the share yards typically pay for this grade (36% to 47%). The share was set by dividing posted yard prices by the same day's benchmark, using these public boards, and last checked on September 18, 2026:
- Rockaway Recycling (New Jersey), posted board of September 18, 2026
- Central Metal Recycling (Chicago), posted board, mid-September 2026
- MetalRecap national price survey, September 17, 2026
- ScrapMonster North American grade spreads, June 2026
Published by MetalCharts, a free precious metals resource providing real-time prices, interactive charts, educational guides, and portfolio management tools. All market data sourced from COMEX, LBMA, and LME.
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