Average Tin (Sheet Metal) Price

180-day market: price lists from 4 yards. As of 2/17/2026.
$0.09/ lb -$0.45 (10.8%)
GT = Gross Ton (2240 lbs)
Avg: $0.09
Lowest price $0.06
Highest price$0.12Who pays the most? ⟶
How to read a yard's offer
  • Low (up to $0.06): Floor price, typically for small loads.
  • Mid ($0.09): A fair deal for standard quantities.
  • High ($0.12+): 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 $0.05 to $0.11.
Mar '25Jun '25Sep '25Dec '25Today
Market response to CME pricing
Spread vs. exchange (180-day avg): ~51.7% (-$0.09/lb). Typical spread for this grade: 37%–53%
✓ Scrap yards are offering fair market rates
Market snapshot
Stable market. Prices have held steady over the past 6 months.
Pricing verified from 4 live board rates today.

Where to Sell Tin (Sheet Metal) in Pennsylvania

Find scrap yards in in Pennsylvania that buy light gauge steel, roofing tin, and household appliances. Before loading up your trailer, call ahead to check their current shredder rates and ask about their specific deduction policies for tires, dirt, or heavy plastics attached to your load.

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

Kantner Iron & Steel Inc

Listed as: Tin (Clean no heavy rust)
3825 Whistler Rd Get Directions
$0.12 / lb
Updated 32 days ago

Special T Metals LLC

Listed as: Tin
1701 Morrell Ave Get Directions
$0.08 / lb
Updated 32 days ago

Paz Metals Inc.

Listed as: Light Iron / Tin
4315 Run Way Get Directions
$0.06 / lb
Updated 661 days ago

Three Rivers Recycling LLC

Listed as: Shredder Tin
3101 Duss Ave, Baden, PA 15005 Get Directions
$0.09 / lb

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Comparing Sheet Metal to Heavy Steel 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.

Plate & Structural Steel (P&S) Based on 2 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.12 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Automotive Cast Iron (Rotors/Drums) Based on 6 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.12 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Cast Iron (Heavy) Based on 3 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.11 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
#1 Prepared Steel (HMS) Based on 4 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.11 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Unprepared Steel (Torch & Shear) Based on 5 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.10 / lb
Trend (6m): +15.6%
Price analytics
#2 Prepared Steel Based on 1 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.09 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Light Iron & Shredder Based on 5 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.08 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics
Steel Turnings Based on 3 scrap yards
Avg price:$0.05 / lb
Trend (30d): 0.0%
Price analytics

Tin (Sheet Metal) 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.

Tin (Sheet Metal): Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (CME)

Avg scrap yard price

$0.09
Scrap metal dealers
Spread: -$0.09/lb
vs. exchange

World market price (CME)

$0.1796
✓ For 99.9% pure refined metal
💡 Why is the scrap yard price lower than the exchange? The CME price is the global benchmark for 99.99% pure refined metal traded in large institutional contracts. The gap between CME and what you pocket is the yard’s margin — it covers sorting, cleaning, transport to the mill, and protects them against sudden price drops.

Tin (Sheet Metal): Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History

Analyst take: This month’s average spread between scrap yard prices and the world market for Tin (Sheet Metal) is 51.7%. That’s in line with the typical range for this grade (49%–55%). 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)$0.174571$0.10-$0.08 (44.7%)
February 2026$0.169679$0.10-$0.07 (41.1%)
January 2026$0.169184$0.10-$0.07 (40.9%)
December 2025$0.165335$0.10-$0.07 (39.5%)
November 2025$0.162647$0.10-$0.06 (38.5%)
October 2025$0.158761$0.09-$0.07 (42.5%)
September 2025$0.15567$0.09-$0.06 (40.5%)
August 2025$0.158816$0.09-$0.06 (40.7%)
July 2025$0.159239$0.10-$0.06 (39.2%)
June 2025$0.155033$0.08-$0.08 (48.8%)
May 2025$0.157923$0.09-$0.06 (40.8%)
April 2025$0.161157$0.10-$0.07 (40.8%)
March 2025$0.169235$0.10-$0.07 (39.4%)
February 2025$0.166$0.10-$0.07 (39.8%)
January 2025$0.158671$0.09-$0.07 (41.2%)
December 2024$0.159039$0.10-$0.06 (40%)
November 2024$0.165953$0.10-$0.07 (39.9%)
October 2024$0.173261$0.10-$0.07 (40.4%)
September 2024$0.16823$0.10-$0.07 (43.5%)
August 2024$0.166132$0.10-$0.07 (39.8%)
July 2024$0.174761$0.11-$0.07 (38.9%)
June 2024$0.173733$0.09-$0.08 (46.5%)
May 2024$0.174594$0.08-$0.09 (52.7%)
April 2024$0.174133$0.11-$0.07 (39.7%)
March 2024$0.174719$0.11-$0.07 (39.6%)
February 2024$0.183579$0.11-$0.07 (40.1%)
January 2024$0.185484$0.11-$0.08 (40.7%)
December 2023$0.189755$0.11-$0.08 (40.5%)
November 2023$0.18284$0.11-$0.07 (40%)
October 2023$0.168132$0.10-$0.07 (40.1%)
September 2023$0.171903$0.10-$0.07 (41.8%)
August 2023$0.169355$0.10-$0.07 (41%)
July 2023$0.167445$0.10-$0.07 (40.3%)
June 2023$0.171827$0.10-$0.07 (41%)
May 2023$0.168968$0.10-$0.07 (40.1%)
April 2023$0.187047$0.11-$0.07 (39.8%)
March 2023$0.203358$0.13-$0.08 (37.5%)
February 2023$0.200689$0.12-$0.08 (39.1%)
January 2023$0.188281$0.11-$0.08 (40.4%)
December 2022$0.175474$0.11-$0.07 (40.1%)
November 2022$0.15927$0.09-$0.07 (42.2%)
October 2022$0.161587$0.10-$0.06 (38.7%)
September 2022$0.162657$0.08-$0.08 (48.4%)
August 2022$0.17361$0.11-$0.07 (39.2%)
July 2022$0.169839$0.10-$0.07 (40%)
June 2022$0.173823$0.10-$0.07 (39.8%)
May 2022$0.217184$0.13-$0.09 (40%)
April 2022$0.271843$0.16-$0.11 (39.9%)
March 2022$0.293526$0.17-$0.12 (40.4%)
February 2022$0.229654$0.14-$0.09 (39.7%)
January 2022$0.212861$0.11-$0.10 (46.4%)
December 2021$0.203377$0.12-$0.08 (40.4%)
November 2021$0.211507$0.13-$0.08 (39.6%)
October 2021$0.220087$0.13-$0.09 (39.9%)
September 2021$0.20218$0.12-$0.08 (40.6%)
August 2021$0.212068$0.13-$0.08 (40.1%)
July 2021$0.226971$0.14-$0.09 (40.2%)
June 2021$0.23039$0.14-$0.09 (39.5%)
May 2021$0.234461$0.14-$0.09 (39.9%)
April 2021$0.213893$0.12-$0.09 (44.2%)
March 2021$0.210168$0.13-$0.08 (40.1%)
February 2021$0.201529$0.12-$0.08 (40.5%)
January 2021$0.18881$0.10-$0.09 (47%)
December 2020$0.197974$0.11-$0.09 (43.9%)
November 2020$0.15506$0.09-$0.07 (43.9%)
October 2020$0.132848$0.07-$0.07 (49.5%)
September 2020$0.135103$0.07-$0.07 (48.7%)
August 2020$0.129755$0.08-$0.05 (38.3%)
July 2020$0.121603$0.07-$0.05 (40.3%)
June 2020$0.1198$0.07-$0.05 (41.6%)
May 2020$0.120335$0.07-$0.05 (41.8%)
April 2020$0.119887$0.07-$0.05 (41.6%)
March 2020$0.120871$0.07-$0.05 (39.2%)
February 2020$0.124241$0.08-$0.05 (38.7%)
January 2020$0.126948$0.08-$0.05 (37.7%)
December 2019$0.129165$0.07-$0.06 (49.1%)
November 2019$0.11909$0.06-$0.06 (52.4%)
October 2019$0.112771$0.07-$0.04 (39.6%)
September 2019$0.1129$0.07-$0.05 (40.1%)
August 2019$0.128565$0.08-$0.05 (39.3%)
July 2019$0.137623$0.08-$0.06 (41.9%)
June 2019$0.135167$0.08-$0.06 (40.8%)
May 2019$0.137774$0.08-$0.06 (41%)
April 2019$0.14081$0.08-$0.06 (41.1%)
March 2019$0.147635$0.09-$0.06 (39%)
February 2019$0.1465$0.09-$0.06 (42%)

Tin (Sheet Metal) 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$0.10 / lb+$0.03$0.08 - $0.12
10/8/2025$0.07 / lb-$0.03$0.07 - $0.07
9/16/2025$0.10 / lb+$0.02$0.10 - $0.10
8/30/2025$0.08 / lb+$0.03$0.08 - $0.08
6/11/2025$0.05 / lb-$0.04$0.05 - $0.05
5/20/2025$0.09 / lb— no change$0.09 - $0.09
4/29/2025$0.09 / lb-$0.02$0.09 - $0.09
3/19/2025$0.11 / lb+$0.01$0.11 - $0.11
2/13/2025$0.10 / lb+$0.01$0.10 - $0.10
1/17/2025$0.09 / lb+$0.01$0.09 - $0.09
9/18/2024$0.08 / lb+$0.03$0.08 - $0.08
6/5/2024$0.05 / lb-$0.04$0.05 - $0.05
5/29/2024$0.09 / lb+$0.03$0.09 - $0.09
5/28/2024$0.06 / lb-$0.03$0.06 - $0.06
5/27/2024$0.09 / lb+$0.03$0.09 - $0.09
5/18/2024$0.06 / lb-$0.05$0.06 - $0.06
3/4/2024$0.11 / lb-$0.03$0.11 - $0.11
3/21/2023$0.14 / lb+$0.05$0.14 - $0.14
12/1/2022$0.09 / lb-$0.01$0.09 - $0.09
9/30/2022$0.10 / lb+$0.06$0.10 - $0.10
9/27/2022$0.04 / lb-$0.07$0.04 - $0.04
8/9/2022$0.11 / lb+$0.04$0.11 - $0.11
1/22/2022$0.07 / lb-$0.02$0.07 - $0.07
4/19/2021$0.09 / lb-$0.02$0.09 - $0.09
1/18/2021$0.11 / lb+$0.05$0.11 - $0.11
1/16/2021$0.06 / lb+$0.01$0.06 - $0.06
12/5/2020$0.05 / lb-$0.02$0.05 - $0.05
12/2/2020$0.07 / lb+$0.04$0.07 - $0.07
10/19/2020$0.03 / lb-$0.01$0.03 - $0.03
9/23/2020$0.04 / lb+$0.01$0.04 - $0.04
12/14/2019$0.03 / lb+$0.01$0.03 - $0.03
11/20/2019$0.02 / lb-$0.02$0.02 - $0.02

Moving Weight: The Reality of Scrapping Tin (Sheet Metal)

In the scrap yard world, "Tin" rarely means the actual element tin. It's industry slang for light-gauge steel, sheet iron, old roofing panels, and everyday appliances (white goods). Because this material is thin, bulky, and destined for the shredder, it commands a lower price point than heavy structural steel. Currently, yards are paying anywhere from $0.07 to $0.12 per pound. You aren't going to get rich off a single pickup truck load of this stuff; the profit here comes entirely from moving massive volume.

Don't Let the Scale Beat You: Prepping Light Iron

The golden rule of hauling light iron is maximizing your gross weight while minimizing yard deductions. If you bring in a load of clean sheet metal but leave it full of trash, wood, or thick plastics, the scale operator will hit you with a massive "dirt" deduction or reject the load entirely. Contamination is the enemy of sheet iron. Make sure your load is strictly metallic. If you mix valuable heavy steel into a load of light sheet metal, the entire ticket will be paid out at the cheaper sheet metal rate.

Yard Pro Tip: When scrapping old appliances as "Tin," always cut off the insulated copper power cords and pull any electric motors or copper tubing (like the coils on the back of a fridge) before you hit the scale. A yard will happily buy your fridge at the cheap sheet metal rate with the valuable copper still attached. Take the 5 minutes to strip the high-value non-ferrous parts—that's where your actual profit margin is.

Understanding the Steel Hierarchy

To know if you are getting a fair shake, you need to understand how light sheet metal compares to thicker ferrous grades. Heavy, thick steel cut to size, like #1 Prepared Steel (HMS), is the gold standard and brings in $0.07 to $0.15/lb. Slightly lighter but still solid steel, such as #2 Prepared Steel, fetches $0.10 to $0.13/lb. Even automotive cast iron, like Automotive Cast Iron (Rotors/Drums), prices higher at $0.11 to $0.16/lb. Your light-gauge sheet metal will always sit at the bottom of this pricing tier because of the energy required to shred and melt it down.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly counts as "Tin" or "Sheet Metal" at the yard?

At most yards, "Tin" refers to any steel or iron that is less than 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. This includes washing machines, dryers, hot water heaters, corrugated steel roofing, filing cabinets, and thin automotive body panels. If a magnet sticks to it and it's thin enough to bend easily, it goes in the tin pile.

Why are the prices for sheet metal so low?

Sheet metal has a very low density. It takes up a massive amount of space in a shipping container but yields relatively little actual steel weight once melted down. Yards base their prices on the CME and deduct about 51.7% to cover the immense cost of running and maintaining massive industrial shredders.

Do I need to clean the paint off sheet metal?

No. Industrial shredders and the subsequent melting process easily handle standard paints, rust, and light coatings. Just ensure the metal is free of excessive dirt, concrete, wood, and hazardous materials like freon from refrigerators, as those will cause immediate rejections at any reputable yard in Pennsylvania.