Average Irony Aluminum Radiators Price

180-day market: price lists from 3 yards. As of 2/17/2026.
$0.22/ lb -$0.45 (10.8%)
GT = Gross Ton (2240 lbs)
Avg: $0.22
Lowest price $0.20
Highest price$0.25Who pays the most? ⟶
How to read a yard's offer
  • Low (up to $0.20): Floor price, typically for small loads.
  • Mid ($0.22): A fair deal for standard quantities.
  • High ($0.25+): 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 $0.20 to $0.62.
Mar '25Jun '25Sep '25Dec '25Today
Market response to LME pricing
Spread vs. exchange (180-day avg): ~78.4% (-$0.79/lb). Typical spread for this grade: 39%–61%
⚠️ Local prices haven’t caught up with the exchange yet
Market snapshot
Stable market. Prices have held steady over the past 6 months.
Pricing verified from 3 live board rates today.

Top Rated Scrap Yards Buying Irony Aluminum Radiators in in Virginia

Local buyers in in Virginia often adjust their boards based on inventory needs and current LME trends. We recommend calling ahead to these yards to lock in the best available rate before hauling your load.

💼 Scrap yard owners: Post your buy prices and get more customers
By price
By date
Updated 32 days ago

Empire Metal Recycling

Listed as: Aluminum Radiator (Dirty)
277 Suburban Dr, Suffolk, VA 23434 Get Directions
$0.20 / lb
Updated 32 days ago

Three Rivers Iron Metal

Listed as: ALL Aluminum Rad (Dirty)
500 Virginia Ave Get Directions
$0.20 / lb
Updated 38 days ago

C & C Cullet LLC

Listed as: Dirty Aluminum Radiator
12115 Washington Hwy Get Directions
$0.25 / lb

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Irony Aluminum Radiators vs. Related Non-Ferrous 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
Coolers & Condensers Estimated U.S. prices
Avg price:$0.54 / lb How to sort?
Mix it with Irony Aluminum Radiators?They’ll pay $0.22 for all of it
Loss if not sorted:-$0.32 per lb
Trend (90d): 0.4%
Price analytics
Sort separately
Aluminum Radiators (Clean) Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.38 / lb How to sort?
Mix it with Irony Aluminum Radiators?They’ll pay $0.22 for all of it
Loss if not sorted:-$0.16 per lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Pure Copper Radiators Estimated U.S. prices
Avg price:$2.62 / lb
Trend (30d): -10.0%
Price analytics
Aluminum Copper Radiators (ACR) Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$1.85 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Copper & Brass Radiators (Clean) Based on 4 scrap yards
Avg price:$1.76 / lb
Trend (6m): +3.9%
Price analytics
Irony Aluminum Copper Radiators (Dirty ACR) Based on 1 scrap yards
Avg price:$1.00 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Irony Copper & Brass Radiators Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.98 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Radiator Ends Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.85 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics

Historical Price Trends for Irony Aluminum 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.

Irony Aluminum Radiators: Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (LME)

Avg scrap yard price

$0.22
Scrap metal dealers
Spread: -$0.79/lb
vs. exchange

World market price (LME)

$1.0024
✓ For 99.9% pure refined metal
💡 Why is the scrap yard price lower than the exchange? The LME price is the global benchmark for 99.99% pure refined metal traded in large institutional contracts. The gap between LME and what you pocket is the yard’s margin — it covers sorting, cleaning, transport to the mill, and protects them against sudden price drops.

Irony Aluminum Radiators: Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History

Analyst take: This month’s average spread between scrap yard prices and the world market for Irony Aluminum Radiators is 78.4%. That’s in line with the typical range for this grade (75%–81%). 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)$1.097176$0.52-$0.57 (52.3%)
February 2026$1.2032$0.48-$0.73 (60.5%)
January 2026$1.051423$0.63-$0.42 (40%)
December 2025$0.982942$0.59-$0.39 (40.1%)
November 2025$0.930043$0.56-$0.37 (39.9%)
October 2025$0.887584$0.53-$0.35 (39.9%)
September 2025$0.86119$0.52-$0.34 (40%)
August 2025$0.866703$0.52-$0.35 (40%)
July 2025$0.837774$0.50-$0.33 (40%)
June 2025$0.802343$0.48-$0.32 (39.9%)
May 2025$0.807171$0.48-$0.32 (40%)
April 2025$0.744003$0.45-$0.30 (39.9%)
March 2025$0.878574$0.53-$0.35 (39.9%)
February 2025$0.893382$0.54-$0.36 (40.1%)
January 2025$0.812942$0.49-$0.33 (40%)
December 2024$0.805026$0.48-$0.32 (40.1%)
November 2024$0.80919$0.42-$0.39 (48.1%)
October 2024$0.84811$0.51-$0.34 (40.1%)
September 2024$0.84145$0.51-$0.34 (40%)
August 2024$0.838665$0.50-$0.34 (40.1%)
July 2024$0.905877$0.54-$0.36 (40.1%)
June 2024$0.957757$0.57-$0.38 (40.1%)
May 2024$0.995197$0.60-$0.40 (40.2%)
April 2024$0.9588$0.47-$0.49 (50.6%)
March 2024$0.916803$0.55-$0.37 (39.9%)
February 2024$0.908876$0.55-$0.36 (40%)
January 2024$0.981155$0.59-$0.39 (39.8%)
December 2023$0.992781$0.60-$0.40 (40%)
November 2023$0.936113$0.56-$0.37 (40%)
October 2023$0.91751$0.55-$0.37 (40.1%)
September 2023$0.946997$0.57-$0.38 (40%)
August 2023$0.930013$0.56-$0.37 (40.1%)
July 2023$0.934068$0.56-$0.37 (39.9%)
June 2023$0.944237$0.57-$0.38 (40.1%)
May 2023$0.9455$0.57-$0.38 (40.1%)
April 2023$0.971563$0.58-$0.39 (40.1%)
March 2023$1.031729$0.62-$0.41 (39.9%)
February 2023$1.081664$0.65-$0.43 (40.1%)
January 2023$1.063787$0.64-$0.42 (39.9%)
December 2022$1.03949$0.62-$0.42 (40%)
November 2022$1.026153$0.62-$0.41 (40%)
October 2022$0.962755$0.58-$0.39 (40.1%)
September 2022$0.9553$0.57-$0.38 (39.9%)
August 2022$1.002665$0.50-$0.51 (50.6%)
July 2022$0.932735$0.56-$0.37 (40%)
June 2022$1.03653$0.53-$0.50 (48.4%)
May 2022$1.104181$0.57-$0.53 (48.2%)
April 2022$1.12712$0.68-$0.45 (40%)
March 2022$1.070248$0.64-$0.43 (40.1%)
February 2022$1.12205$0.67-$0.45 (40%)
January 2022$1.156365$0.70-$0.46 (39.8%)
December 2021$1.092839$0.66-$0.44 (39.8%)
November 2021$1.072407$0.64-$0.43 (40%)
October 2021$1.051368$0.63-$0.42 (39.9%)
September 2021$1.110613$0.54-$0.57 (51.2%)
August 2021$1.181813$0.71-$0.47 (39.9%)
July 2021$1.106519$0.66-$0.44 (40%)
June 2021$1.065053$0.64-$0.43 (40.1%)
May 2021$1.079274$0.65-$0.43 (39.9%)
April 2021$1.063943$0.64-$0.42 (39.9%)
March 2021$1.038232$0.62-$0.41 (39.9%)
February 2021$0.997864$0.60-$0.40 (40%)
January 2021$0.978155$0.59-$0.39 (40%)
December 2020$0.912668$0.55-$0.36 (40%)
November 2020$0.788713$0.37-$0.42 (53%)
October 2020$0.748797$0.45-$0.30 (40%)
September 2020$0.74391$0.45-$0.30 (39.9%)
August 2020$0.681152$0.41-$0.27 (40%)
July 2020$0.682474$0.41-$0.27 (40.1%)
June 2020$0.707093$0.43-$0.28 (39.8%)
May 2020$0.667345$0.40-$0.27 (40.1%)
April 2020$0.655233$0.39-$0.26 (40.1%)
March 2020$0.63179$0.38-$0.25 (39.9%)
February 2020$0.865779$0.52-$0.34 (39.8%)
January 2020$0.878045$0.53-$0.35 (39.9%)
December 2019$0.919229$0.55-$0.37 (39.9%)
November 2019$0.903547$0.54-$0.36 (40.1%)
October 2019$0.852754$0.48-$0.37 (43.3%)

Irony Aluminum Radiators 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)
2/17/2026$0.20 / lb-$0.05$0.20 - $0.20
2/11/2026$0.25 / lb— no change$0.25 - $0.25
11/9/2024$0.25 / lb+$0.05$0.25 - $0.25
4/15/2024$0.20 / lb— no change$0.20 - $0.20
8/18/2022$0.20 / lb-$0.05$0.20 - $0.20
6/27/2022$0.25 / lb-$0.05$0.25 - $0.25
5/20/2022$0.30 / lb+$0.10$0.30 - $0.30
9/20/2021$0.20 / lb+$0.10$0.20 - $0.20
11/24/2020$0.10 / lb-$0.03$0.10 - $0.10

Stop Leaving Money on the Table with Irony Aluminum Radiators

In the world of scrap, 'irony' is just a fancy way of saying your load is dirty. When it comes to Irony Aluminum Radiators, you are looking at aluminum cooling fins wrapped around copper or aluminum tubes, but with a catch: they still have steel brackets, plastic tanks, or iron fittings attached. Because of this contamination, yards offer a lower rate compared to clean material. Currently, national benchmarks for this grade range from $0.25 to $0.75 per pound, with a national average of $0.46.

Yard Pro Tip: To get the highest possible price for irony rads, use a reciprocating saw to cut off the heavy plastic end tanks and steel side brackets. If you strip it down to just the aluminum fins and tubes, you can upgrade the entire load to Aluminum Radiators (Clean), which can save you roughly $0.08 per pound in lost revenue.

The Scrapper's Guide to Identification and Prep

Identifying these is easy—they usually come out of late-model cars or HVAC units. Unlike older Aluminum Copper Radiators (ACR) which have heavy copper lines, these are mostly aluminum but 'irony' because the yard has to do the labor of removing the steel and plastic before smelting. If you see plastic headers crimped onto the aluminum core, you’ve got an irony radiator. If you leave those plastic tanks on, expect the yard to pay the 'dirty' or 'irony' price because of the weight deduction and processing time required.

Common Sources of Irony Loads

  • Automotive Cooling: Most modern car radiators and A/C condensers.
  • HVAC Units: Residential and commercial cooling coils with steel end plates.
  • Heavy Equipment: Large oil coolers and intercoolers often fall into this category.

Why Your Local Yard Price Varies

While we track the national average of $0.46, your local price in in Virginia depends on the 'shred' or 'irony' percentage. A yard that has an efficient downstream process for separating plastic and steel might pay closer to the high end of $0.75. However, if your load is excessively heavy with iron brackets, buyers may downgrade it further. Always compare these rates against Coolers & Condensers or $0.40 to $0.65/lb to see if the 10 minutes of prep work is worth the jump in price.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between clean and irony aluminum radiators?

Clean radiators are strictly the aluminum core with no plastic, steel, or rubber attached. Irony radiators still have the 'attachments' like plastic tanks or steel side frames. Because the yard has to process this debris, they typically pay about 78.4% below the clean aluminum spot price.

Should I remove the plastic ends from my radiators?

Yes, if you have the time. Removing the plastic and any steel bolts or brackets can move your material from the irony category to a clean grade, significantly increasing your payout per pound. Check the current price of Aluminum Radiators (Clean) to see if the labor is worth the price jump.

How are these prices determined?

Prices for irony aluminum are tied to the LME aluminum market, but adjusted for the labor required to clean the metal. Our data shows the current national floor is $0.25, but high-volume peddlers in in Virginia may see better offers.