304 Stainless Steel Scrap Prices in Texas
Check real-time 304 Stainless Steel scrap prices in Texas. Local scales are currently paying between $0.30 and $0.50 per pound depending on whether the material is clean or has heavy attachments.
Average 304 Stainless Steel Price
- Low (up to $0.32): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($0.39): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($0.50+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
Pricing verified from 4 live board rates (out of 5 local buyers tracked).
Best Paying Scrap Yards for 304 Stainless Steel Texas
Don't haul your 304 stainless to the first yard you see in Texas. Payouts vary depending on a yard's direct-to-mill relationships and current inventory, so compare local quotes against the national average of $0.34 per pound. Always call ahead to confirm their grading rules and minimum weight requirements for premium pricing.
CMC Recycling
Astro City Scrap Metal
CMC Recycling
CMC Recycling
CMC Recycling
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🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶How 304 Stainless Steel Stacks Up Against Other 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.
304 Stainless Steel Price Trends & Market History
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.
304 Stainless Steel: Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (LME)
Avg scrap yard price
World market price (LME)
304 Stainless Steel: Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 (current) | $7.841267 | $1.24 | -$6.60 (84.1%) |
| February 2026 | $7.846832 | $2.23 | -$5.62 (71.6%) |
| January 2026 | $8.09 | $3.39 | -$4.70 (58.1%) |
| December 2025 | $6.824471 | $1.97 | -$4.86 (71.1%) |
| November 2025 | $6.698093 | $0.55 | -$6.15 (91.8%) |
| October 2025 | $6.907923 | $2.28 | -$4.63 (67%) |
| September 2025 | $6.933847 | $0.98 | -$5.95 (85.9%) |
| August 2025 | $6.901329 | $2.79 | -$4.11 (59.5%) |
| July 2025 | $6.957161 | $3.56 | -$3.40 (48.9%) |
| June 2025 | $6.90039 | $3.15 | -$3.75 (54.4%) |
| May 2025 | $7.089084 | $3.23 | -$3.86 (54.4%) |
| April 2025 | $7.016723 | $3.04 | -$3.98 (56.7%) |
| March 2025 | $7.337168 | $1.83 | -$5.51 (75%) |
| February 2025 | $6.967771 | $2.68 | -$4.29 (61.6%) |
| January 2025 | $7.050497 | $3.19 | -$3.86 (54.8%) |
| December 2024 | $7.09689 | $3.24 | -$3.86 (54.4%) |
| November 2024 | $7.17788 | $3.25 | -$3.92 (54.7%) |
| October 2024 | $7.710884 | $3.62 | -$4.09 (53.1%) |
| September 2024 | $7.435537 | $2.17 | -$5.26 (70.8%) |
| August 2024 | $7.453077 | $3.43 | -$4.02 (54%) |
| July 2024 | $7.492252 | $3.42 | -$4.07 (54.3%) |
| June 2024 | $8.077503 | $3.35 | -$4.73 (58.6%) |
| May 2024 | $8.950684 | $3.60 | -$5.35 (59.8%) |
| April 2024 | $8.30665 | $3.71 | -$4.60 (55.4%) |
| March 2024 | $7.984839 | $4.79 | -$3.19 (40%) |
| February 2024 | $7.453924 | $3.27 | -$4.18 (56.1%) |
| January 2024 | $7.388119 | $4.43 | -$2.96 (40%) |
| December 2023 | $7.580055 | $4.55 | -$3.03 (40%) |
| November 2023 | $7.753813 | $3.57 | -$4.18 (54%) |
| October 2023 | $8.366145 | $3.24 | -$5.13 (61.3%) |
| September 2023 | $9.03705 | $4.15 | -$4.89 (54.1%) |
| August 2023 | $9.420097 | $5.65 | -$3.77 (40%) |
| July 2023 | $9.725887 | $5.84 | -$3.89 (40%) |
| June 2023 | $9.83506 | $5.90 | -$3.93 (40%) |
| May 2023 | $10.182919 | $4.71 | -$5.47 (53.8%) |
| April 2023 | $10.81192 | $6.49 | -$4.33 (40%) |
| March 2023 | $10.626477 | $4.88 | -$5.75 (54.1%) |
| February 2023 | $12.121661 | $7.27 | -$4.85 (40%) |
| January 2023 | $12.867948 | $5.83 | -$7.04 (54.7%) |
| December 2022 | $13.219468 | $7.93 | -$5.29 (40%) |
| November 2022 | $11.57742 | $5.20 | -$6.38 (55.1%) |
| October 2022 | $9.99011 | $5.99 | -$4.00 (40%) |
| September 2022 | $10.35239 | $4.64 | -$5.72 (55.2%) |
| August 2022 | $10.066768 | $3.23 | -$6.84 (67.9%) |
| July 2022 | $9.821994 | $4.78 | -$5.04 (51.3%) |
| June 2022 | $11.784327 | $6.67 | -$5.12 (43.4%) |
| May 2022 | $12.890613 | $6.01 | -$6.88 (53.4%) |
| April 2022 | $15.040157 | $9.03 | -$6.02 (40%) |
| March 2022 | $16.964532 | $10.18 | -$6.79 (40%) |
| February 2022 | $10.79895 | $6.48 | -$4.32 (40%) |
| January 2022 | $10.022952 | $3.99 | -$6.04 (60.2%) |
| December 2021 | $9.042761 | $3.15 | -$5.89 (65.2%) |
| November 2021 | $9.019177 | $4.46 | -$4.56 (50.5%) |
| October 2021 | $8.762029 | $2.86 | -$5.91 (67.4%) |
| September 2021 | $8.825403 | $2.83 | -$6.00 (68%) |
| August 2021 | $8.67921 | $4.76 | -$3.92 (45.1%) |
| July 2021 | $8.555339 | $4.39 | -$4.17 (48.7%) |
| June 2021 | $8.163057 | $3.73 | -$4.43 (54.3%) |
| May 2021 | $7.995468 | $3.68 | -$4.31 (54%) |
| April 2021 | $7.47665 | $2.27 | -$5.20 (69.6%) |
| March 2021 | $7.439232 | $3.65 | -$3.79 (50.9%) |
| February 2021 | $8.454471 | $3.42 | -$5.04 (59.6%) |
| January 2021 | $8.180506 | $1.35 | -$6.83 (83.5%) |
304 Stainless Steel 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/18/2026 | $0.34 / lb | -$0.16 | $0.34 - $0.34 |
| 3/12/2026 | $0.50 / lb | +$0.14 | $0.50 - $0.50 |
| 2/26/2026 | $0.36 / lb | -$0.03 | $0.36 - $0.36 |
| 2/17/2026 | $0.39 / lb | +$0.06 | $0.32 - $0.45 |
| 1/15/2026 | $0.33 / lb | +$0.04 | $0.33 - $0.33 |
| 1/14/2026 | $0.29 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.29 - $0.29 |
| 1/1/2026 | $0.31 / lb | +$0.05 | $0.31 - $0.31 |
| 12/10/2025 | $0.26 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.26 - $0.26 |
| 12/3/2025 | $0.30 / lb | -$0.01 | $0.30 - $0.30 |
| 11/26/2025 | $0.31 / lb | +$0.04 | $0.31 - $0.31 |
| 11/20/2025 | $0.27 / lb | -$0.05 | $0.27 - $0.27 |
| 11/10/2025 | $0.32 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.32 - $0.32 |
| 11/3/2025 | $0.30 / lb | +$0.01 | $0.30 - $0.30 |
| 10/10/2025 | $0.29 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.29 - $0.29 |
| 10/7/2025 | $0.33 / lb | +$0.03 | $0.33 - $0.33 |
| 10/2/2025 | $0.30 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.30 - $0.30 |
| 9/24/2025 | $0.34 / lb | -$0.01 | $0.34 - $0.34 |
| 9/22/2025 | $0.35 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.35 - $0.35 |
| 9/14/2025 | $0.33 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.33 - $0.33 |
| 9/13/2025 | $0.37 / lb | +$0.04 | $0.37 - $0.37 |
| 8/28/2025 | $0.33 / lb | +$0.01 | $0.31 - $0.35 |
| 8/3/2025 | $0.32 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.30 - $0.34 |
| 6/23/2025 | $0.36 / lb | +$0.04 | $0.36 - $0.36 |
| 5/20/2025 | $0.32 / lb | +$0.05 | $0.32 - $0.32 |
| 4/20/2025 | $0.27 / lb | -$0.09 | $0.27 - $0.27 |
| 4/19/2025 | $0.36 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.36 - $0.36 |
| 3/28/2025 | $0.40 / lb | -$0.10 | $0.40 - $0.40 |
| 3/25/2025 | $0.50 / lb | +$0.11 | $0.50 - $0.50 |
| 3/21/2025 | $0.39 / lb | +$0.08 | $0.39 - $0.39 |
| 3/5/2025 | $0.31 / lb | -$0.09 | $0.24 - $0.38 |
| 2/14/2025 | $0.40 / lb | +$0.14 | $0.40 - $0.40 |
| 1/26/2025 | $0.26 / lb | -$0.12 | $0.26 - $0.26 |
| 12/9/2024 | $0.38 / lb | -$0.03 | $0.38 - $0.38 |
| 11/14/2024 | $0.41 / lb | +$0.01 | $0.41 - $0.41 |
| 10/7/2024 | $0.40 / lb | -$0.01 | $0.40 - $0.40 |
| 9/20/2024 | $0.41 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.41 - $0.41 |
| 9/8/2024 | $0.39 / lb | +$0.03 | $0.39 - $0.39 |
| 8/9/2024 | $0.36 / lb | -$0.03 | $0.33 - $0.38 |
| 7/17/2024 | $0.39 / lb | -$0.05 | $0.37 - $0.42 |
| 6/15/2024 | $0.44 / lb | +$0.04 | $0.44 - $0.44 |
| 6/14/2024 | $0.40 / lb | -$0.06 | $0.40 - $0.40 |
| 6/1/2024 | $0.46 / lb | -$0.09 | $0.46 - $0.46 |
| 5/28/2024 | $0.55 / lb | +$0.16 | $0.55 - $0.55 |
| 4/24/2024 | $0.39 / lb | -$0.01 | $0.36 - $0.41 |
| 2/29/2024 | $0.40 / lb | +$0.01 | $0.36 - $0.43 |
| 11/30/2023 | $0.39 / lb | +$0.01 | $0.39 - $0.39 |
| 10/31/2023 | $0.38 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.38 - $0.38 |
| 10/4/2023 | $0.42 / lb | -$0.03 | $0.39 - $0.45 |
| 10/1/2023 | $0.45 / lb | +$0.07 | $0.39 - $0.50 |
| 9/30/2023 | $0.38 / lb | -$0.03 | $0.35 - $0.40 |
| 5/28/2023 | $0.41 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.38 - $0.43 |
| 3/25/2023 | $0.43 / lb | -$0.08 | $0.41 - $0.45 |
| 1/28/2023 | $0.51 / lb | +$0.12 | $0.51 - $0.51 |
| 11/27/2022 | $0.39 / lb | +$0.07 | $0.35 - $0.43 |
| 9/29/2022 | $0.32 / lb | -$0.01 | $0.28 - $0.37 |
| 8/19/2022 | $0.33 / lb | +$0.08 | $0.33 - $0.33 |
| 8/12/2022 | $0.25 / lb | -$0.05 | $0.24 - $0.27 |
| 7/6/2022 | $0.30 / lb | -$0.41 | $0.28 - $0.32 |
| 5/20/2022 | $0.71 / lb | -$0.13 | $0.68 - $0.75 |
| 1/29/2022 | $0.84 / lb | +$0.06 | $0.76 - $0.94 |
| 1/4/2022 | $0.78 / lb | +$0.06 | $0.78 - $0.78 |
| 12/29/2021 | $0.72 / lb | -$0.05 | $0.72 - $0.72 |
| 12/26/2021 | $0.77 / lb | +$0.03 | $0.77 - $0.77 |
| 12/2/2021 | $0.74 / lb | +$0.05 | $0.70 - $0.81 |
| 10/28/2021 | $0.69 / lb | +$0.04 | $0.68 - $0.72 |
| 10/15/2021 | $0.65 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.65 - $0.65 |
| 9/25/2021 | $0.69 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.65 - $0.72 |
| 9/17/2021 | $0.71 / lb | — no change | $0.71 - $0.71 |
| 8/3/2021 | $0.71 / lb | +$0.14 | $0.67 - $0.74 |
| 6/14/2021 | $0.57 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.55 - $0.60 |
| 5/10/2021 | $0.55 / lb | +$0.09 | $0.55 - $0.55 |
| 4/22/2021 | $0.46 / lb | -$0.08 | $0.38 - $0.53 |
| 4/21/2021 | $0.54 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.54 - $0.54 |
| 4/11/2021 | $0.58 / lb | +$0.06 | $0.58 - $0.58 |
| 3/6/2021 | $0.52 / lb | -$0.09 | $0.52 - $0.52 |
| 2/26/2021 | $0.61 / lb | +$0.07 | $0.58 - $0.65 |
| 1/28/2021 | $0.54 / lb | -$0.03 | $0.54 - $0.54 |
| 1/20/2021 | $0.57 / lb | +$0.06 | $0.54 - $0.60 |
Maximize Your Payout on 304 Stainless Steel
If you are tearing out commercial kitchen prep tables, brewery vats, or industrial food processing equipment, you are likely sitting on a pile of 304 Stainless Steel. This is the workhorse of the non-magnetic stainless family. Right now, our market data shows scrap yards are paying a national average of $0.34 per pound. However, if you show up with unprepared material—think heavy plastic handles, steel brackets, or rubber gaskets still attached—expect to see quotes drop down to the $0.30 range. On the flip side, perfectly clean, sheared 304 can push toward the top end of the market, fetching up to $0.50.
Yard Pro Tip: 304 stainless is fundamentally non-magnetic, but heavy cold-working (like severe bending, deep drawing, or machining) can make the edges hold a slight magnetic pull. Don't let a rookie scale operator downgrade your premium 304 load to cheaper 400-series stainless just because their magnet lightly grabs a bent corner. If they push back, tell them to hit it with a grinder—304 throws short, thin, reddish-orange sparks, while 400 series throws long, bright white steel sparks.
The Prep: Don't Let Cross-Contamination Kill Your Ticket
The scale never lies, but it will definitely punish a lazy peddler. 304 is often referred to interchangeably with 18/8 Stainless Steel in the scrap game, but it is crucial to keep it separate from higher-nickel alloys. If you toss premium 316 Stainless Steel into your standard 304 or generic 300 Series Stainless Steel gaylord box, the buyer will simply pay you the lower rate for the entire lot. You are essentially throwing away roughly $0.43 per pound on that 316 material by not taking five minutes to sort it.
| Condition | What It Means | Impact on Price |
|---|---|---|
| Clean 304 | No attachments, no steel screws, no rubber or plastic. Pure alloy. | Maximum payout (Near the $0.50 mark) |
| Dirty 304 | Has non-stainless attachments, foam insulation, or heavy grime. | Significant downgrade (Closer to $0.30) |
Market Drivers: Tracking the Nickel
The value of your 304 stainless scrap is heavily tied to the global nickel market, usually traded on the LME. Because 304 contains roughly 8% nickel, any major shifts in international supply chains or industrial manufacturing will directly impact what you get paid in Texas. Typically, scrap buyers offer rates that float around 95% below the spot price of prime nickel to account for their own processing, baling, and freight costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes 304 stainless different from 316?
While both are high-quality, non-magnetic alloys, 316 contains molybdenum, which significantly increases its corrosion resistance, especially in marine or chemical environments. Because of this extra alloying element, the national range for 316 sits at $0.70 to $0.90/lb, which is higher than standard 304.
Why is a magnet sticking to my 304 stainless?
While pure 304 is non-magnetic, physical stress from bending, rolling, or pressing changes the crystal structure slightly, making those specific bent areas faintly magnetic. If a magnet sticks hard to a flat, unworked surface, you likely have 400-series stainless or plain steel, not 304.
What is the current average price for 304 Stainless Steel?
Based on national data, clean 304 stainless is averaging $0.34 per pound. Remember that local yards Texas will adjust their daily board prices based on their own downstream mill relationships and freight expenses.
304 Stainless Steel scrap prices in Texas on the map
The map shows cities in Texas with 304 Stainless Steel scrap prices. Click a marker or pick a city in the list below to see 304 Stainless Steel prices in that location.