Scrap Wheel Weights (Hard Lead) Prices in Michigan
Wheel Weights (Hard Lead) are currently pulling a national average of $0.14 per pound. Check the local yard prices in Michigan below to see what buyers are paying before you haul your heavy buckets to the scale.
Average Wheel Weights (Hard Lead) Price
- Low (up to $0.05): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($0.07): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($0.08+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
Pricing verified from 2 live board rates today.
Top Scrap Yards Buying Wheel Weights Michigan
Don't let your heavy buckets of wheel weights get downgraded because of hidden steel or zinc. Compare the payouts from these local buyers in Michigan, ensure your load is sorted, and always call ahead to confirm their current hard lead rates.
Reid Metals Inc
Al's Scrap Metals
Your competitors are already here. Is your yard missing from the list?
Hundreds of people search here every day for the best scrap metal prices. Start capturing ready-to-sell leads today.
🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶Wheel Weights vs. Other Lead 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.
Wheel Weights (Hard Lead) Historical 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.
Wheel Weights (Hard Lead): Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (LME)
Avg scrap yard price
World market price (LME)
Wheel Weights (Hard Lead): Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 (current) | $0.878181 | $0.38 | -$0.50 (57.1%) |
| February 2026 | $0.892971 | $0.40 | -$0.49 (55%) |
| January 2026 | $0.92151 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (39.9%) |
| December 2025 | $0.901455 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40%) |
| November 2025 | $0.918033 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (40%) |
| October 2025 | $0.907758 | $0.55 | -$0.36 (39.9%) |
| September 2025 | $0.906913 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40.2%) |
| August 2025 | $0.906455 | $0.43 | -$0.47 (52.1%) |
| July 2025 | $0.925719 | $0.56 | -$0.37 (40%) |
| June 2025 | $0.91682 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (39.8%) |
| May 2025 | $0.907029 | $0.55 | -$0.36 (39.9%) |
| April 2025 | $0.88155 | $0.53 | -$0.35 (40.1%) |
| March 2025 | $0.926848 | $0.56 | -$0.37 (40%) |
| February 2025 | $0.896882 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40%) |
| January 2025 | $0.88191 | $0.53 | -$0.35 (40.1%) |
| December 2024 | $0.914952 | $0.55 | -$0.36 (39.9%) |
| November 2024 | $0.91361 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (40%) |
| October 2024 | $0.938668 | $0.56 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| September 2024 | $0.926587 | $0.56 | -$0.37 (39.9%) |
| August 2024 | $0.920674 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (39.9%) |
| July 2024 | $0.971394 | $0.58 | -$0.39 (40.1%) |
| June 2024 | $1.000473 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| May 2024 | $1.020332 | $0.61 | -$0.41 (40%) |
| April 2024 | $0.979673 | $0.59 | -$0.39 (40%) |
| March 2024 | $0.939158 | $0.56 | -$0.38 (40%) |
| February 2024 | $0.946955 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40%) |
| January 2024 | $0.962006 | $0.58 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| December 2023 | $0.937619 | $0.56 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| November 2023 | $0.998843 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| October 2023 | $0.954132 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| September 2023 | $1.00769 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| August 2023 | $0.975368 | $0.59 | -$0.39 (39.9%) |
| July 2023 | $0.959526 | $0.58 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| June 2023 | $0.94668 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| May 2023 | $0.948729 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40%) |
| April 2023 | $0.96532 | $0.58 | -$0.39 (40.1%) |
| March 2023 | $0.954935 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| February 2023 | $0.947779 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| January 2023 | $0.995823 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| December 2022 | $1.006974 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| November 2022 | $0.954497 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| October 2022 | $0.900239 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (39.9%) |
| September 2022 | $0.851097 | $0.51 | -$0.34 (40.1%) |
| August 2022 | $0.940587 | $0.44 | -$0.50 (53.5%) |
| July 2022 | $0.89739 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40%) |
| June 2022 | $0.943147 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40%) |
| May 2022 | $0.979358 | $0.47 | -$0.51 (51.8%) |
| April 2022 | $1.085437 | $0.65 | -$0.44 (40.1%) |
| March 2022 | $1.067548 | $0.64 | -$0.43 (40%) |
| February 2022 | $1.041989 | $0.63 | -$0.42 (39.9%) |
| January 2022 | $1.055206 | $0.63 | -$0.42 (40.1%) |
| December 2021 | $1.033365 | $0.62 | -$0.41 (40%) |
| November 2021 | $1.04863 | $0.63 | -$0.42 (39.9%) |
| October 2021 | $1.051348 | $0.63 | -$0.42 (40%) |
| September 2021 | $1.00872 | $0.61 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| August 2021 | $1.045868 | $0.63 | -$0.42 (40%) |
| July 2021 | $1.060394 | $0.64 | -$0.42 (39.9%) |
| June 2021 | $0.994603 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40.1%) |
| May 2021 | $0.991113 | $0.59 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| April 2021 | $0.915917 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (40%) |
| March 2021 | $0.893019 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40.1%) |
| February 2021 | $0.94915 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| January 2021 | $0.918352 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (40.1%) |
| December 2020 | $0.919945 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (39.9%) |
| November 2020 | $0.876117 | $0.53 | -$0.35 (40%) |
| October 2020 | $0.809948 | $0.49 | -$0.32 (40.1%) |
| September 2020 | $0.86099 | $0.52 | -$0.34 (40%) |
| August 2020 | $0.884855 | $0.44 | -$0.44 (49.7%) |
| July 2020 | $0.828568 | $0.47 | -$0.36 (43.6%) |
| June 2020 | $0.79943 | $0.48 | -$0.32 (40%) |
| May 2020 | $0.743652 | $0.45 | -$0.30 (40.1%) |
| April 2020 | $0.759563 | $0.46 | -$0.30 (39.9%) |
| March 2020 | $0.788032 | $0.47 | -$0.32 (40.2%) |
| February 2020 | $0.836728 | $0.50 | -$0.34 (40.1%) |
| January 2020 | $0.876068 | $0.53 | -$0.35 (39.9%) |
| December 2019 | $0.870332 | $0.42 | -$0.45 (51.7%) |
| November 2019 | $0.921577 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (40%) |
| October 2019 | $0.989932 | $0.60 | -$0.39 (39.9%) |
| September 2019 | $0.944473 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40%) |
| August 2019 | $0.925842 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (40.1%) |
| July 2019 | $0.900535 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (39.9%) |
| June 2019 | $0.855477 | $0.42 | -$0.44 (51.5%) |
| May 2019 | $0.822411 | $0.48 | -$0.34 (41.7%) |
Wheel Weights (Hard Lead) 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.
| Date | Avg price (per lb) | Change | Range (Low/High) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/17/2026 | $0.07 / lb | -$0.05 | $0.05 - $0.08 |
| 8/27/2025 | $0.12 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.12 - $0.12 |
| 8/16/2022 | $0.10 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.10 - $0.10 |
| 5/18/2022 | $0.12 / lb | +$0.05 | $0.12 - $0.12 |
| 8/6/2020 | $0.07 / lb | -$0.05 | $0.07 - $0.07 |
| 12/9/2019 | $0.12 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.12 - $0.12 |
| 6/15/2019 | $0.14 / lb | -$0.06 | $0.14 - $0.14 |
Cash In on the Tire Shop Floor: Scrapping Wheel Weights
If you're cleaning out a tire shop or auto garage in Michigan, those heavy five-gallon buckets of wheel weights add up fast. But here is the catch: not all wheel weights are made of lead anymore. True Wheel Weights (Hard Lead) are alloyed with antimony and tin to make them rigid, which is why yards price them differently than pure, soft plumbing lead. Right now, our data shows national payouts ranging from $0.10 for mixed, unsorted buckets up to $0.30 for clean, verified lead weights, with the average hovering around $0.14 per pound.
Yard Pro Tip: The biggest mistake scrappers make with wheel weights is assuming they are all lead. You absolutely must carry a pair of side-cutters (dikes) and a magnet. Lead weights will easily dent and notch when squeezed with the cutters. Zinc weights look almost identical but are much harder and will barely scratch. Steel weights will stick to your magnet. If a yard finds zinc or steel mixed into your lead bucket, they will drop your entire load to dirty scrap steel prices.
The Teardown: Don't Lose Money at the Scale
Scrap yards hate contamination, and with wheel weights, contamination is everywhere. The steel clips attached to the lead weights are generally accepted, but the newer solid steel and zinc weights are dealbreakers for lead buyers. If you toss premium Soft Lead (Clean) (like roofing lead or pure pipe) into your bucket of hard lead wheel weights, the scale master will grade the whole thing as hard lead. That lazy sorting mistake will cost you roughly $0.33 per pound in lost profit.
- Clean Hard Lead: Verified lead wheel weights (steel clips attached are usually okay, but ask your yard).
- Soft Lead: Pure, bendable lead like roofing sheets or pipe. Keep this separate!
- The Rejects: Zinc and solid steel weights. Sort these out with a magnet and cutters.
If you have a mixed bucket of various lead scrap that isn't cleanly sorted into hard or soft grades, buyers will likely classify it as Dirty & Scrap Lead, which commands a lower rate. If you are sweeping up an indoor gun range, keep that material separated as Range Lead, which currently trades around $0.20 to $0.40/lb.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do yards pay less for wheel weights than soft lead?
Wheel weights are considered "hard lead" because they are alloyed with antimony to hold their shape on a spinning rim. Refineries have to separate these alloys to get back to pure lead, which increases processing costs. Plus, the steel clips add non-lead weight that the buyer has to account for.
How do buyers determine the price for hard lead?
Your local yard bases their payouts on the broader metals market traded on the LME. Typically, buyers will offer about 92.4% below the spot price to cover their freight, processing labor, and the eventual melting process at the refinery.
What happens if I leave zinc weights in my bucket?
Zinc completely ruins the melting process for lead smelters. If a yard buyer spots zinc weights mixed into your hard lead, they will either reject the bucket entirely or heavily downgrade the price per pound to the $0.10 mark to cover the cost of their labor sorting it out.
Wheel Weights (Hard Lead) scrap prices in Michigan on the map
The map shows cities in Michigan with Wheel Weights (Hard Lead) scrap prices. Click a marker or pick a city in the list below to see Wheel Weights (Hard Lead) prices in that location.