Average Brass Turnings Price

180-day market: price lists from 2 yards. As of 3/4/2026.
$2.45/ lb -$0.45 (10.8%)
GT = Gross Ton (2240 lbs)
Avg: $2.45
Lowest price $2.45
Highest price$2.45Who pays the most? ⟶
How to read a yard's offer
  • Low (up to $2.45): Floor price, typically for small loads.
  • Mid ($2.45): A fair deal for standard quantities.
  • High ($2.45+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
52-week price range
Over the past year, prices ranged from $2.36 to $3.62.
Mar '25Jun '25Sep '25Dec '25Today
Market response to COMEX pricing
Spread vs. exchange (180-day avg): ~54.4% (-$2.92/lb). Typical spread for this grade: 37%–49%
⚠️ Local prices haven’t caught up with the exchange yet
Market snapshot
Downward trend. Prices have been falling over the past month.
Pricing verified from 2 live board rates today.

Top Paying Scrap Yards {v_misto-state-big}

Don't let your heavy drums of brass shavings get aggressively downgraded for excessive oil or moisture. Below is a list of buyers in New Jersey actively grading and pricing Brass Turnings. Always call ahead to verify their fluid deduction policies and compare rates before you back your truck onto the scale.

💼 Scrap yard owners: Post your buy prices and get more customers
By price
By date
Updated 17 days ago

Sgt. Scrap

Listed as: Mixed Brass Turnings
9105 Burrough Dover Ln, Pennsauken, NJ 08110 Get Directions
$2.45 / lb
Updated 17 days ago

Sgt. Scrap

Listed as: Mixed Brass Turnings
610 Crescent Blvd, Gloucester City, NJ 08030 Get Directions
$2.45 / lb

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Brass Turnings vs. Solid Brass Grades

The #1 rule at scrap yards: if you mix grades, they’ll weigh everything at the lowest rate. See the price gap below — if you have higher-value metal, always sort and weigh each grade separately to avoid leaving money on the table.

Sort separately
Brass EDM Wire Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$3.00 / lb How to sort?
Mix it with Brass Turnings?They’ll pay $2.45 for all of it
Loss if not sorted:-$0.55 per lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Red Brass Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$4.00 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Water Meters Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$3.80 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Plumbing Brass Based on 3 scrap yards
Avg price:$2.95 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Brass Shells Based on 4 scrap yards
Avg price:$2.71 / lb
Trend (6m): +5.9%
Price analytics
Yellow Brass Solids Based on 5 scrap yards
Avg price:$2.46 / lb
Trend (30d): +5.4%
Price analytics
Refinery Brass Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$1.65 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Irony Brass Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.75 / lb
Trend (6m): -19.2%
Price analytics

Brass Turnings Price Trends

This chart shows where the market is headed. If the line is climbing, prices are rising — you might get a better deal in a few days. If it’s dropping, don’t wait: sell today before yards lower their buy prices further.

Brass Turnings: Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (COMEX)

Avg scrap yard price

$2.45
Scrap metal dealers
Spread: -$2.92/lb
vs. exchange

World market price (COMEX)

$5.3745
✓ For 99.9% pure refined metal
💡 Why is the scrap yard price lower than the exchange? The COMEX price is the global benchmark for 99.99% pure refined metal traded in large institutional contracts. The gap between COMEX and what you pocket is the yard’s margin — it covers sorting, cleaning, transport to the mill, and protects them against sudden price drops.

Brass Turnings: Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History

Analyst take: This month’s average spread between scrap yard prices and the world market for Brass Turnings is 54.4%. That’s in line with the typical range for this grade (51%–57%). Local yards are offering fair market rates. Check offers in your area ↑
PeriodWorld price (per lb)Scrap yard price (per lb)Spread vs. exchange
March 2026 (current)$5.767857$2.95-$2.82 (48.9%)
February 2026$5.880136$3.36-$2.52 (42.8%)
January 2026$5.894887$3.54-$2.36 (40%)
December 2025$5.497742$3.30-$2.20 (40%)
November 2025$5.064033$3.07-$1.99 (39.3%)
October 2025$5.050242$3.03-$2.02 (40.1%)
September 2025$4.662367$2.80-$1.86 (40%)
August 2025$4.477984$2.70-$1.78 (39.8%)
July 2025$5.482645$3.28-$2.20 (40.2%)
June 2025$4.883233$2.89-$2.00 (40.9%)
May 2025$4.686194$2.81-$1.87 (40%)
April 2025$4.654267$2.74-$1.91 (41.1%)
March 2025$4.919484$2.95-$1.97 (40%)
February 2025$4.558107$2.74-$1.82 (40%)
January 2025$4.269774$2.62-$1.65 (38.7%)
December 2024$4.157855$2.50-$1.66 (40%)
November 2024$4.199383$2.52-$1.68 (40%)
October 2024$4.431839$2.66-$1.77 (40%)
September 2024$4.292683$2.66-$1.63 (38%)
August 2024$4.121839$2.47-$1.65 (40%)
July 2024$4.375242$2.63-$1.75 (40%)
June 2024$4.491083$2.71-$1.78 (39.7%)
May 2024$4.75471$2.85-$1.90 (40%)
April 2024$4.363717$2.62-$1.74 (40%)
March 2024$3.983645$2.39-$1.59 (40%)
February 2024$3.801776$2.28-$1.52 (40%)
January 2024$3.811306$2.29-$1.52 (40%)
December 2023$3.871226$2.37-$1.50 (38.7%)
November 2023$3.720817$2.31-$1.41 (37.8%)
October 2023$3.609306$2.17-$1.44 (40%)
September 2023$3.759833$2.32-$1.44 (38.3%)
August 2023$3.776097$2.27-$1.51 (40%)
July 2023$3.8455$2.31-$1.54 (40%)
June 2023$3.804983$2.28-$1.52 (40%)
May 2023$3.751484$2.25-$1.50 (40%)
April 2023$4.007367$2.40-$1.60 (40%)
March 2023$4.02821$2.42-$1.61 (40%)
February 2023$4.06475$2.44-$1.63 (40%)
January 2023$4.115113$2.47-$1.65 (40%)
December 2022$3.820726$2.29-$1.53 (40%)
November 2022$3.674017$2.27-$1.40 (38.1%)
October 2022$3.430419$2.06-$1.37 (40%)
September 2022$3.455283$2.07-$1.38 (40%)
August 2022$3.616468$2.02-$1.59 (44%)
July 2022$3.4195$2.05-$1.37 (40%)
June 2022$4.118667$2.47-$1.65 (40%)
May 2022$4.257274$2.29-$1.97 (46.3%)
April 2022$4.649533$2.79-$1.86 (40%)
March 2022$4.707694$2.83-$1.88 (40%)
February 2022$4.502304$2.70-$1.80 (40%)
January 2022$4.4345$2.66-$1.77 (40%)
December 2021$4.338768$2.60-$1.74 (40.1%)

Brass Turnings Scrap Price History — Daily Data

A day-by-day market snapshot in exact numbers. Every day we aggregate buy prices from local scrap yards, recording the average, low, and high. Use this table to track real price movement over recent days.

DateAvg price (per lb)ChangeRange (Low/High)
3/4/2026$2.45 / lb-$1.05$2.45 - $2.45
2/17/2026$3.50 / lb+$0.38$3.50 - $3.50
11/23/2025$3.12 / lb+$0.10$3.12 - $3.12
11/11/2025$3.02 / lb— no change$3.02 - $3.02
10/8/2025$3.02 / lb+$0.25$3.02 - $3.02
9/5/2025$2.77 / lb+$0.07$2.77 - $2.77
8/24/2025$2.70 / lb-$0.13$2.70 - $2.70
7/1/2025$2.83 / lb+$0.20$2.83 - $2.83
4/21/2025$2.63 / lb-$0.06$2.63 - $2.63
1/19/2025$2.69 / lb+$0.06$2.69 - $2.69
1/9/2025$2.63 / lb-$0.25$2.63 - $2.63
9/26/2024$2.88 / lb+$0.20$2.88 - $2.88
9/19/2024$2.68 / lb-$0.07$2.68 - $2.68
6/18/2024$2.75 / lb+$0.25$2.75 - $2.75
12/16/2023$2.50 / lb— no change$2.50 - $2.50
11/17/2023$2.50 / lb+$0.05$2.50 - $2.50
9/30/2023$2.45 / lb+$0.02$2.45 - $2.45
11/27/2022$2.43 / lb+$0.83$2.43 - $2.43
8/12/2022$1.60 / lb-$0.50$1.50 - $1.70
5/23/2022$2.10 / lb+$0.17$2.05 - $2.20
5/14/2022$1.93 / lb-$0.48$1.80 - $2.20

Maximizing Your Payout on Brass Turnings

If you run a lathe or mill, you know that machine shops churn out tons of Brass Turnings—also known in the trade as swarf, chips, or borings. Right now, scrap yards are paying anywhere from $1.60 to $2.45 per pound based on how clean and dry your load is. If you're hauling New Jersey, understand that buyers are extremely cautious with turnings. Because these shavings have a massive surface area and naturally hold onto cutting fluids and coolants, the scale master is heavily scrutinizing your drums for liquid weight and cross-contamination.

Keeping Your Swarf Clean and Profitable

Separation is the golden rule of the scrap game. Throwing pristine, high-value Brass EDM Wire into a barrel of oily Brass Turnings is a massive unforced error. That careless move will cost you roughly $1.05 per pound right out of your pocket, because the yard will just pay the lower turning price for the entire drum. Keep your solid, high-grade scrap far away from your borings.

Yard Pro Tip: Machine shops frequently cut different metals on the exact same equipment. Before you seal up a drum of Brass Turnings, drag a strong neodymium magnet through the pile to catch any stray steel or iron shavings. Even a 1% or 2% iron contamination rate gives a picky scale master the perfect excuse to downgrade your entire load to a dirty brass or breakage price. Always sweep and clean your trays between metal runs!

Understand the Market Spread

Knowing where your material sits in the pricing hierarchy keeps you from getting shortchanged. For context, clean Brass Shells are currently commanding around $2.35 to $3.10/lb, while dirty Brass Breakage fetches $1.25 to $1.35/lb. Because turnings have that high surface-area-to-volume ratio and usually require a burn-off process to remove machining oils before smelting, they melt less efficiently than solids. That is why they price lower than heavy clean yellow brass.

Material ConditionExpected Action at the Scale
Dry, uniform yellow brass chipsTop tier pricing, minimal or zero deductions.
Heavy oil and coolant mixed inSignificant moisture weight deductions applied before payout.
Mixed with steel/aluminum boringsSevere price downgrade or total load rejection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do scrap yards deduct weight for Brass Turnings?

Turnings are a direct byproduct of machining, which means they are almost always coated in cutting oil and water-soluble coolants. Scrap yards simply do not pay for liquids. Expect a standard tare weight deduction to account for the fluid so you hit that true $1.95 average payout for the actual metal.

Can I mix aluminum or steel chips with my brass swarf?

Absolutely not. Mixed turnings are a complete nightmare for smelters and refiners. If a yard catches aluminum or steel swarf mixed into your brass buckets, they will instantly downgrade the load or refuse it entirely. Always clean your machining equipment thoroughly between different metal jobs.

How do commodity markets impact the price of turnings?

Like all copper-based alloys, Brass Turnings closely follow the major global exchanges like the COMEX. Because of the extra processing required to clean, dry, and melt swarf without excessive oxidation, you can generally expect the scale price for turnings to sit roughly 54.4% below the spot price for clean solid brass.