Scrap Copper & Brass Radiators (Clean) Prices in South Carolina
Tracking the latest daily payouts for Copper & Brass Radiators (Clean) in South Carolina. Check national averages and find local yards paying top dollar for your fully prepped radiators.
Average Copper & Brass Radiators (Clean) Price
- Low (up to $2.06): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($2.12): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($2.31+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
Pricing verified from 6 live board rates today.
Top Paying Scrap Yards for Clean Copper & Brass Radiators South Carolina
Don't just dump your heavy radiators at the first scale you find. Buyers in South Carolina have varying rates based on their current inventory and smelter contracts. Compare local yard prices against the national benchmarks below, and always call ahead to confirm their daily dock rate before hauling your load.
CMC Recycling
CMC Recycling
CMC Recycling
CMC Recycling
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 ⟶Comparing Copper & Brass Radiators to 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.
Historical Price Trends for Copper & Brass Radiators
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.
Copper & Brass Radiators (Clean): Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (COMEX)
Avg scrap yard price
World market price (COMEX)
Copper & Brass Radiators (Clean): Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 (current) | $5.764324 | $2.65 | -$3.11 (54%) |
| February 2026 | $5.880136 | $2.80 | -$3.08 (52.3%) |
| January 2026 | $5.894887 | $3.54 | -$2.36 (40%) |
| December 2025 | $5.497742 | $2.74 | -$2.75 (50.1%) |
| November 2025 | $5.064033 | $3.04 | -$2.03 (40%) |
| October 2025 | $5.050242 | $3.03 | -$2.02 (40%) |
| September 2025 | $4.662367 | $2.80 | -$1.87 (40%) |
| August 2025 | $4.477984 | $2.69 | -$1.79 (40%) |
| July 2025 | $5.482645 | $2.87 | -$2.62 (47.7%) |
| June 2025 | $4.883233 | $2.61 | -$2.27 (46.5%) |
| May 2025 | $4.686194 | $2.55 | -$2.14 (45.6%) |
| April 2025 | $4.654267 | $2.79 | -$1.86 (40%) |
| March 2025 | $4.919484 | $2.62 | -$2.30 (46.7%) |
| February 2025 | $4.558107 | $2.74 | -$1.82 (40%) |
| January 2025 | $4.269774 | $2.56 | -$1.71 (40%) |
| 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 | $2.58 | -$1.72 (40%) |
| August 2024 | $4.121839 | $2.47 | -$1.65 (40%) |
| July 2024 | $4.375242 | $2.63 | -$1.75 (40%) |
| June 2024 | $4.491083 | $2.70 | -$1.80 (40%) |
| 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 | $2.09 | -$1.71 (45.1%) |
| January 2024 | $3.811306 | $2.29 | -$1.52 (40%) |
| December 2023 | $3.871226 | $2.32 | -$1.55 (40%) |
| November 2023 | $3.720817 | $2.23 | -$1.49 (40%) |
| October 2023 | $3.609306 | $2.07 | -$1.54 (42.7%) |
| September 2023 | $3.759833 | $2.07 | -$1.69 (45.1%) |
| 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 | $2.05 | -$1.98 (49%) |
| 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 | $1.94 | -$1.73 (47.2%) |
| October 2022 | $3.430419 | $2.06 | -$1.37 (40%) |
| September 2022 | $3.455283 | $2.07 | -$1.38 (40%) |
| August 2022 | $3.616468 | $2.09 | -$1.52 (42.2%) |
| July 2022 | $3.4195 | $1.93 | -$1.49 (43.6%) |
| June 2022 | $4.118667 | $2.42 | -$1.70 (41.2%) |
| May 2022 | $4.257274 | $2.32 | -$1.94 (45.6%) |
| 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 | $2.02 | -$2.42 (54.5%) |
| December 2021 | $4.332226 | $2.28 | -$2.05 (47.4%) |
| November 2021 | $4.367567 | $2.62 | -$1.75 (40%) |
| October 2021 | $4.432371 | $2.30 | -$2.13 (48.1%) |
| September 2021 | $4.2864 | $2.24 | -$2.04 (47.7%) |
| August 2021 | $4.302984 | $2.58 | -$1.72 (40%) |
| July 2021 | $4.347452 | $2.61 | -$1.74 (40%) |
| June 2021 | $4.388783 | $2.63 | -$1.76 (40%) |
| May 2021 | $4.618871 | $2.77 | -$1.85 (40%) |
| April 2021 | $4.192633 | $2.17 | -$2.03 (48.4%) |
| March 2021 | $4.084726 | $2.45 | -$1.63 (40%) |
| February 2021 | $3.861 | $2.10 | -$1.76 (45.5%) |
| January 2021 | $3.607435 | $2.02 | -$1.59 (44.1%) |
| December 2020 | $3.546903 | $2.13 | -$1.42 (40%) |
| November 2020 | $3.21755 | $1.93 | -$1.29 (40%) |
| October 2020 | $3.060177 | $1.84 | -$1.22 (40%) |
| September 2020 | $3.0352 | $1.82 | -$1.21 (40%) |
| August 2020 | $2.909726 | $1.75 | -$1.16 (40%) |
| July 2020 | $2.867581 | $1.72 | -$1.15 (40%) |
| June 2020 | $2.5983 | $1.56 | -$1.04 (40%) |
| May 2020 | $2.377403 | $1.43 | -$0.95 (40%) |
| April 2020 | $2.28595 | $1.37 | -$0.91 (40%) |
| March 2020 | $2.356968 | $1.41 | -$0.94 (40%) |
| February 2020 | $2.574707 | $1.54 | -$1.03 (40.1%) |
| January 2020 | $2.66275 | $1.58 | -$1.08 (40.7%) |
Copper & Brass Radiators (Clean) 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4/2026 | $1.47 / lb | -$0.56 | $1.47 - $1.47 |
| 2/17/2026 | $2.03 / lb | -$0.35 | $1.66 - $2.31 |
| 12/22/2025 | $2.38 / lb | +$0.72 | $2.38 - $2.38 |
| 12/17/2025 | $1.66 / lb | +$0.23 | $1.66 - $1.66 |
| 7/12/2025 | $1.43 / lb | -$0.38 | $1.43 - $1.43 |
| 7/11/2025 | $1.81 / lb | — no change | $1.81 - $1.81 |
| 6/30/2025 | $1.81 / lb | +$0.01 | $1.81 - $1.81 |
| 5/24/2025 | $1.80 / lb | — no change | $1.80 - $1.80 |
| 3/28/2025 | $1.80 / lb | +$0.18 | $1.68 - $1.85 |
| 2/29/2024 | $1.62 / lb | -$0.18 | $1.50 - $1.85 |
| 10/31/2023 | $1.80 / lb | +$0.30 | $1.80 - $1.80 |
| 9/30/2023 | $1.50 / lb | +$0.51 | $1.50 - $1.50 |
| 3/25/2023 | $0.99 / lb | -$0.19 | $0.99 - $0.99 |
| 11/27/2022 | $1.18 / lb | -$0.68 | $0.95 - $1.40 |
| 8/12/2022 | $1.86 / lb | +$0.36 | $1.86 - $1.86 |
| 7/6/2022 | $1.50 / lb | -$0.11 | $1.50 - $1.50 |
| 5/20/2022 | $1.61 / lb | +$0.19 | $1.50 - $1.72 |
| 1/29/2022 | $1.42 / lb | +$0.02 | $1.40 - $1.46 |
| 1/8/2022 | $1.40 / lb | +$0.13 | $1.40 - $1.40 |
| 12/31/2021 | $1.27 / lb | -$0.65 | $1.27 - $1.27 |
| 12/28/2021 | $1.92 / lb | +$0.62 | $1.92 - $1.92 |
| 10/28/2021 | $1.30 / lb | — no change | $1.30 - $1.30 |
| 9/25/2021 | $1.30 / lb | -$0.77 | $1.30 - $1.30 |
| 4/22/2021 | $2.07 / lb | +$0.80 | $2.07 - $2.07 |
| 4/21/2021 | $1.27 / lb | -$0.48 | $1.20 - $1.48 |
| 2/26/2021 | $1.75 / lb | +$0.15 | $1.75 - $1.75 |
| 1/16/2021 | $1.60 / lb | +$0.13 | $1.57 - $1.63 |
Heavy Metal Cash: Maximizing Your Copper & Brass Radiators
Old-school heavy automotive and industrial radiators are some of the most lucrative items you can haul across the scale. Right now, our tracking data shows yards paying a national average of $2.85 per pound for perfectly clean Copper & Brass Radiators. Depending on local demand and how well you have stripped the units, payouts typically range from a floor of $2.10 to a ceiling of $3.43. These heavy hitters are tied tightly to the copper market, meaning daily scale prices usually hover about 60% below the COMEX spot price.
The Grinder's Guide to Clean Prep
You do not get the clean rate just by asking nicely. Yards in South Carolina have strict grading rules. If your brass radiator still has steel side brackets, iron hose clamps, or plastic cowlings attached, the scale master will instantly downgrade the entire piece to dirty.
Here is the breakdown of what scale managers look for:
- Clean: Pure copper fins and brass tanks. Zero steel, zero plastic, zero rubber hoses. A magnet should not grab anywhere.
- Dirty/Irony: Leftover steel framing, iron bolts, or plastic attached to the brass tanks. Expect a huge dock in pay.
Yard Pro Tip: Stop wasting time trying to unbolt rusted steel side frames from old radiators. Grab a Sawzall or an angle grinder and simply cut the brass tank and copper core just inside the steel bracket. You lose a tiny fraction of brass weight, but you save twenty minutes of labor per unit and guarantee a 100% clean grade at the scale because you leave zero iron behind.
The Cost of Lazy Sorting
Throwing a perfectly good, but un-prepped, brass radiator into a general shred or irony pile is rookie behavior. If you dump dirty copper and brass radiators as Irony Aluminum Radiators because you were too lazy to clean them, you are looking at a devastating loss of around $2.39 per pound. Do the math on a 30-pound tractor radiator—that is serious money left on the table.
Similar Radiator Grades at the Yard
Do not mix up your cooling units. Here is how clean copper/brass stacks up against the rest of the pile:
- ACR:Aluminum Copper Radiators (ACR) are common in HVAC tear-downs and generally fetch $1.85 to $2.70/lb.
- Clean Alum: Modern automotive Aluminum Radiators (Clean) are lighter and usually pay $0.40 to $0.65/lb.
- HVAC Units: General Coolers & Condensers pull around $0.38 to $0.67/lb.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to drain the fluids before scrapping my radiator?
Yes. Yards will dock your pay or outright reject your load if coolant or oil is spilling out on their scale. Drain all antifreeze completely and dispose of it legally before throwing the radiator in your truck bed.
Why did the yard pay me less than the $2.85 average for my radiator?
If you were paid below the clean average, the yard buyer likely spotted contamination. Even a single hidden steel bolt in the brass header or a forgotten iron hose clamp means they have to pay someone else to clean it. Always run a neodymium magnet over the entire unit before selling.
Can I leave the solder on the copper and brass?
Yes, the lead/tin solder used to join the copper tubes to the brass tanks is perfectly acceptable for the "Clean" Copper & Brass Radiators grade. Buyers expect solder on these specific units, just no iron, steel, or plastic.
Copper & Brass Radiators (Clean) scrap prices in South Carolina on the map
The map shows cities in South Carolina with Copper & Brass Radiators (Clean) scrap prices. Click a marker or pick a city in the list below to see Copper & Brass Radiators (Clean) prices in that location.