Aluminum Clips & MLC Scrap Prices in Texas
Track the latest national and local payout rates for Aluminum Clips & MLC. Find top-paying scrap yards in Texas and ensure you are getting top dollar for your clean aluminum solids.
Average Aluminum Clips & MLC Price
- Low (up to $0.91): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($0.97): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($1.02+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
Pricing verified from 2 live board rates (out of 3 local buyers tracked).
Top Paying Scrap Yards for Aluminum Clips & MLC in Texas
Before you load up your truck, review the yards in Texas actively quoting Aluminum Clips & MLC. National averages currently sit around $0.70, but local scale prices vary heavily based on your volume and relationship. Always call ahead to verify their current rates and strictness on bare metal.
CMC Recycling
CMC Recycling
CMC Recycling
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🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶How Does Aluminum Clips & MLC Stack Up?
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.
Aluminum Clips & MLC Market 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.
Aluminum Clips & MLC: Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (LME)
Avg scrap yard price
World market price (LME)
Aluminum Clips & MLC: Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 (current) | $1.097176 | $0.99 | -$0.11 (9.7%) |
| February 2026 | $1.2032 | $0.98 | -$0.22 (18.2%) |
| January 2026 | $1.051423 | $0.96 | -$0.09 (8.6%) |
| December 2025 | $0.982942 | $0.91 | -$0.08 (7.7%) |
| November 2025 | $0.930043 | $0.85 | -$0.08 (8.4%) |
| October 2025 | $0.887584 | $0.82 | -$0.07 (7.8%) |
| September 2025 | $0.86119 | $0.78 | -$0.08 (9.5%) |
| August 2025 | $0.866703 | $0.80 | -$0.07 (8.2%) |
| July 2025 | $0.837774 | $0.78 | -$0.05 (6.3%) |
| June 2025 | $0.802343 | $0.77 | -$0.03 (4%) |
| May 2025 | $0.807171 | $0.78 | -$0.03 (3.6%) |
| April 2025 | $0.744003 | $0.75 | +$0.01 (1.3%) |
| March 2025 | $0.878574 | $0.92 | +$0.04 (4.4%) |
| February 2025 | $0.893382 | $0.85 | -$0.05 (5.1%) |
| January 2025 | $0.812942 | $0.79 | -$0.02 (2.3%) |
| December 2024 | $0.805026 | $0.78 | -$0.02 (2.9%) |
| November 2024 | $0.80919 | $0.77 | -$0.04 (4.9%) |
| October 2024 | $0.84811 | $0.81 | -$0.04 (4.9%) |
| September 2024 | $0.84145 | $0.73 | -$0.11 (12.8%) |
| August 2024 | $0.838665 | $0.76 | -$0.08 (9.4%) |
| July 2024 | $0.905877 | $0.80 | -$0.10 (11.5%) |
| June 2024 | $0.957757 | $0.81 | -$0.15 (15.7%) |
| May 2024 | $0.995197 | $0.87 | -$0.13 (12.9%) |
| April 2024 | $0.9588 | $0.86 | -$0.10 (10.3%) |
| March 2024 | $0.916803 | $0.87 | -$0.05 (5%) |
| February 2024 | $0.908876 | $0.76 | -$0.15 (16%) |
| January 2024 | $0.981155 | $0.93 | -$0.05 (5%) |
| December 2023 | $0.992781 | $0.94 | -$0.05 (5%) |
| November 2023 | $0.936113 | $0.80 | -$0.13 (14.1%) |
| October 2023 | $0.91751 | $0.75 | -$0.16 (18%) |
| September 2023 | $0.946997 | $0.81 | -$0.14 (14.7%) |
| August 2023 | $0.930013 | $0.88 | -$0.05 (4.9%) |
| July 2023 | $0.934068 | $0.89 | -$0.05 (5%) |
| June 2023 | $0.944237 | $0.90 | -$0.05 (5.1%) |
| May 2023 | $0.9455 | $0.80 | -$0.14 (14.9%) |
| April 2023 | $0.971563 | $0.92 | -$0.05 (5%) |
| March 2023 | $1.031729 | $0.90 | -$0.13 (12.8%) |
| February 2023 | $1.081664 | $1.03 | -$0.05 (5%) |
| January 2023 | $1.063787 | $0.92 | -$0.15 (13.7%) |
| December 2022 | $1.03949 | $0.99 | -$0.05 (5.1%) |
| November 2022 | $1.026153 | $0.85 | -$0.18 (17.3%) |
| October 2022 | $0.962755 | $0.91 | -$0.05 (5.1%) |
| September 2022 | $0.9553 | $0.79 | -$0.16 (16.9%) |
| August 2022 | $1.002665 | $0.77 | -$0.24 (23.7%) |
| July 2022 | $0.932735 | $0.81 | -$0.12 (13%) |
| June 2022 | $1.03653 | $0.96 | -$0.08 (7.6%) |
| May 2022 | $1.104181 | $0.99 | -$0.11 (10.4%) |
| April 2022 | $1.12712 | $1.07 | -$0.06 (5%) |
| March 2022 | $1.070248 | $1.02 | -$0.05 (4.9%) |
| February 2022 | $1.12205 | $1.07 | -$0.06 (5%) |
| January 2022 | $1.156365 | $1.03 | -$0.12 (10.6%) |
| December 2021 | $1.092839 | $0.90 | -$0.19 (17.6%) |
| November 2021 | $1.072407 | $0.96 | -$0.12 (10.9%) |
| October 2021 | $1.051368 | $0.76 | -$0.29 (27.5%) |
| September 2021 | $1.110613 | $0.97 | -$0.14 (12.4%) |
| August 2021 | $1.181813 | $1.08 | -$0.11 (9%) |
| July 2021 | $1.106519 | $0.97 | -$0.13 (12%) |
| June 2021 | $1.065053 | $0.92 | -$0.14 (13.4%) |
| May 2021 | $1.079274 | $0.93 | -$0.14 (13.4%) |
| April 2021 | $1.063943 | $0.91 | -$0.16 (14.7%) |
| March 2021 | $1.038232 | $0.90 | -$0.14 (13.2%) |
| February 2021 | $0.997864 | $0.81 | -$0.19 (19.1%) |
| January 2021 | $0.975019 | $0.54 | -$0.44 (44.9%) |
Aluminum Clips & MLC 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 | $1.02 / lb | +$0.02 | $1.02 - $1.02 |
| 3/13/2026 | $1.00 / lb | +$0.07 | $1.00 - $1.00 |
| 3/4/2026 | $0.93 / lb | +$0.05 | $0.91 - $0.94 |
| 2/17/2026 | $0.88 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.88 - $0.88 |
| 2/11/2026 | $0.90 / lb | -$0.03 | $0.90 - $0.90 |
| 1/15/2026 | $0.93 / lb | — no change | $0.93 - $0.93 |
| 1/14/2026 | $0.93 / lb | +$0.07 | $0.93 - $0.93 |
| 1/6/2026 | $0.86 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.86 - $0.86 |
| 12/10/2025 | $0.84 / lb | — no change | $0.84 - $0.84 |
| 11/26/2025 | $0.84 / lb | +$0.04 | $0.84 - $0.84 |
| 11/20/2025 | $0.80 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.80 - $0.80 |
| 10/27/2025 | $0.84 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.84 - $0.84 |
| 10/24/2025 | $0.82 / lb | — no change | $0.82 - $0.82 |
| 10/23/2025 | $0.82 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.82 - $0.82 |
| 10/10/2025 | $0.80 / lb | +$0.05 | $0.80 - $0.80 |
| 10/2/2025 | $0.75 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.75 - $0.75 |
| 9/17/2025 | $0.77 / lb | -$0.05 | $0.77 - $0.77 |
| 9/14/2025 | $0.82 / lb | +$0.07 | $0.82 - $0.82 |
| 9/13/2025 | $0.75 / lb | — no change | $0.75 - $0.75 |
| 8/28/2025 | $0.75 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.75 - $0.75 |
| 8/3/2025 | $0.73 / lb | -$0.06 | $0.73 - $0.73 |
| 6/23/2025 | $0.79 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.79 - $0.79 |
| 5/20/2025 | $0.83 / lb | +$0.09 | $0.83 - $0.83 |
| 4/20/2025 | $0.74 / lb | -$0.12 | $0.74 - $0.74 |
| 4/19/2025 | $0.86 / lb | -$0.07 | $0.86 - $0.86 |
| 3/28/2025 | $0.93 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.92 - $0.96 |
| 3/21/2025 | $0.97 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.96 - $0.97 |
| 3/5/2025 | $0.99 / lb | +$0.20 | $0.99 - $0.99 |
| 2/14/2025 | $0.79 / lb | -$0.07 | $0.67 - $0.85 |
| 1/26/2025 | $0.86 / lb | +$0.01 | $0.86 - $0.86 |
| 1/24/2025 | $0.85 / lb | +$0.01 | $0.85 - $0.85 |
| 12/9/2024 | $0.84 / lb | +$0.06 | $0.84 - $0.84 |
| 11/14/2024 | $0.78 / lb | — no change | $0.75 - $0.82 |
| 10/8/2024 | $0.78 / lb | -$0.07 | $0.78 - $0.78 |
| 10/7/2024 | $0.85 / lb | +$0.06 | $0.85 - $0.85 |
| 9/30/2024 | $0.79 / lb | +$0.07 | $0.79 - $0.79 |
| 9/20/2024 | $0.72 / lb | +$0.01 | $0.69 - $0.74 |
| 9/8/2024 | $0.71 / lb | +$0.06 | $0.68 - $0.73 |
| 9/7/2024 | $0.65 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.65 - $0.65 |
| 8/9/2024 | $0.67 / lb | — no change | $0.64 - $0.69 |
| 8/7/2024 | $0.67 / lb | +$0.01 | $0.67 - $0.67 |
| 7/17/2024 | $0.66 / lb | -$0.07 | $0.62 - $0.71 |
| 6/22/2024 | $0.73 / lb | -$0.01 | $0.73 - $0.73 |
| 6/15/2024 | $0.74 / lb | +$0.08 | $0.74 - $0.74 |
| 6/14/2024 | $0.66 / lb | -$0.09 | $0.64 - $0.67 |
| 6/13/2024 | $0.75 / lb | -$0.03 | $0.75 - $0.75 |
| 6/1/2024 | $0.78 / lb | +$0.04 | $0.78 - $0.78 |
| 5/27/2024 | $0.74 / lb | +$0.03 | $0.74 - $0.74 |
| 4/24/2024 | $0.71 / lb | +$0.21 | $0.65 - $0.77 |
| 2/29/2024 | $0.50 / lb | -$0.07 | $0.42 - $0.56 |
| 11/30/2023 | $0.57 / lb | +$0.03 | $0.57 - $0.57 |
| 10/31/2023 | $0.54 / lb | -$0.07 | $0.54 - $0.54 |
| 10/4/2023 | $0.61 / lb | +$0.08 | $0.61 - $0.61 |
| 10/1/2023 | $0.53 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.53 - $0.53 |
| 9/30/2023 | $0.55 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.54 - $0.55 |
| 5/28/2023 | $0.53 / lb | -$0.09 | $0.50 - $0.56 |
| 3/25/2023 | $0.62 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.62 - $0.62 |
| 1/28/2023 | $0.66 / lb | +$0.15 | $0.64 - $0.68 |
| 11/27/2022 | $0.51 / lb | +$0.07 | $0.50 - $0.52 |
| 9/29/2022 | $0.44 / lb | -$0.11 | $0.42 - $0.48 |
| 8/19/2022 | $0.55 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.55 - $0.55 |
| 8/12/2022 | $0.59 / lb | +$0.12 | $0.58 - $0.61 |
| 7/6/2022 | $0.47 / lb | -$0.33 | $0.40 - $0.54 |
| 5/20/2022 | $0.80 / lb | -$0.01 | $0.79 - $0.80 |
| 1/29/2022 | $0.81 / lb | +$0.24 | $0.62 - $0.92 |
| 12/29/2021 | $0.57 / lb | -$0.22 | $0.57 - $0.57 |
| 12/26/2021 | $0.79 / lb | +$0.12 | $0.79 - $0.79 |
| 12/2/2021 | $0.67 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.62 - $0.69 |
| 10/28/2021 | $0.65 / lb | +$0.21 | $0.62 - $0.68 |
| 10/15/2021 | $0.44 / lb | -$0.26 | $0.44 - $0.44 |
| 9/25/2021 | $0.70 / lb | +$0.07 | $0.67 - $0.72 |
| 8/3/2021 | $0.63 / lb | -$0.06 | $0.60 - $0.67 |
| 6/14/2021 | $0.69 / lb | — no change | $0.67 - $0.72 |
| 5/10/2021 | $0.69 / lb | +$0.07 | $0.69 - $0.69 |
| 4/22/2021 | $0.62 / lb | -$0.06 | $0.62 - $0.62 |
| 4/21/2021 | $0.68 / lb | +$0.14 | $0.68 - $0.68 |
| 3/6/2021 | $0.54 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.54 - $0.54 |
| 2/26/2021 | $0.58 / lb | +$0.11 | $0.57 - $0.59 |
| 1/28/2021 | $0.47 / lb | +$0.05 | $0.44 - $0.50 |
| 1/20/2021 | $0.42 / lb | -$0.04 | $0.39 - $0.43 |
Maximizing Payouts on Aluminum Clips & MLC
If you are hauling clean aluminum punchings, plate scraps, or heavy solids, you are likely sitting on Aluminum Clips & MLC (Mixed Low Copper). This is a premium industrial grade. Buyers want uncoated, unpainted aluminum with bare minimum impurities. Right now, scrap yards are paying anywhere from $0.55 to $1.02 per pound for properly prepped loads. The tighter you sort, the closer you get to the top of that national average of $0.70.
Because this grade is tied closely to the LME exchange, yard payouts typically hover about 3.7% below spot. Mills demand pure melt stock, which means scrap buyers at the scale are incredibly strict. One bad piece of contamination can tank your entire ticket.
The Scale Survival Guide: Prepping Your MLC
Not all shiny metal makes the cut. To secure the premium $1.02 payout, your material must be absolutely free of dirt, oil, plastic, and iron. Here is how veterans ensure their loads pass inspection:
- Strip the contamination: Remove any tape, vinyl decals, rubber grommets, or heavy grease.
- Watch for Zinc: Die-cast zinc looks exactly like aluminum but is noticeably heavier. Toss it in the wrong bin, and the yard buyer will instantly drop your grade.
- Zero Steel Tolerance: Run a magnet through the bin. A single hidden steel bolt means you are getting paid for dirty aluminum.
Yard Pro Tip: When dealing with Aluminum Clips & MLC, always check punched holes and sheared edges for leftover steel rivets or drill shavings. Mills despise iron contamination in low-copper aluminum melts. If a scale master runs a magnet over your gaylord box and picks up even one steel shaving stuck in a clip, they will likely downgrade the entire load to breakage or dirty aluminum.
The Cost of Lazy Sorting
Throwing all your aluminum into one bucket is a rookie mistake. If your Aluminum Clips & MLC contains painted pieces, light foil, or iron screws, the yard will downgrade the entire load. Selling premium MLC as Aluminum Foil & Light Gauge will cost you roughly $0.60 per pound at the scale. Over a heavy gaylord box, that is hundreds of dollars left on the table. For context, yards are currently paying $0.30 to $0.70/lb and $0.72 to $0.87/lb for other clean aluminum grades. Sort it right, or lose your shirt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly makes aluminum qualify as MLC?
MLC stands for Mixed Low Copper. It consists of bare, uncoated, and unpainted aluminum clippings, solids, and punchings. It must be completely free of iron, plastic, hair wire, and heavy zinc or magnesium alloys.
Why is my local yard paying below the national average?
National averages sit at $0.70, but local prices in Texas depend on freight costs to the nearest mill and the volume you bring. Peddlers bringing in a single bucket will almost always get a lower tier price than a fabrication shop dropping off three gaylord boxes of pristine clips.
Can I mix Aluminum 5052 with my MLC?
Generally, clean Aluminum 5052 (Plate) can be grouped into MLC at many yards if it is uncoated, but dedicated 5052 might fetch a slightly different premium depending on the specific buyer's mill contracts. Always ask your scale master before mixing alloys to ensure you don't dilute the value of either grade.
Aluminum Clips & MLC scrap prices in Texas on the map
The map shows cities in Texas with Aluminum Clips & MLC scrap prices. Click a marker or pick a city in the list below to see Aluminum Clips & MLC prices in that location.