Scrap Metal Prices

[WHPES]

Weighed in some stuff last week. Good source of Christmas cash!

Rates per kg were:

Copper cylinder £4.00
Braziery Copper Tube £4.00
Miscellaneous brass (taps, iso valves, shower fittings etc) £2.20

 

[Puddle]

As said copper prices flying high at the moment, (fill your boots)as are all commodities, cost me £109 to fill the van up the other day, crashing through the £100 barrier, of course, really the price has not increased that much, despite china hording what they have, the value of the £ is going down, down ,down, so we can start to try and inflate our way out of debt

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

problem is when scrap prices go up so do the cost of pipe as plumbers we cant win

 

[BenC]

problem is when scrap prices go up so do the cost of pipe as plumbers we cant win

ye but your charging the customer for the pipe and your geting money for any scrap you remove, so you can win

 

[PlumbersMate]

my tutor said never cash scrap at xmas, as they knock prices down

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

ye but your charging the customer for the pipe and your geting money for any scrap you remove, so you can win

i was thinking more of quoting for jobs,copper goes up all the time and vat in a minute

 

[WHPES]

I always put an asterisk by the pipe prices on my quote and state that the copper price is an estimate and will depend on the market rate at time of purchase. I have NEVER had any customers object to this.

 

[tackleburger]

I don't don't split mine up I leave all the old brass on the pipes immersions in cylinders etc. Unless some off the fittings are kuterlites then I remove re-olive and re-use. In general it takes too long for a few extra quid it's not worth it. I took mine in recently because |I had some pipe nicked offthe van so I thought maybe they were watching where I store my scrap. I got £3.50/kilo for copper and brass mixed. I would have made £30 more had I taken off all the brass. It woulod have taken a few hours so not worth it.

 

[REDSAW]

thats where the kids come in, trainee plumbers....

 

[WHPES]

I don't get any more for copper unless it's completely clean and devoid of solder and other fittings so I leave nuts on but strip off any fittings or this will bring the value down. Any regular compression fittings which are any good I just slice off as close as possible and chuck in a lin-bin. When I have a spare moment I dismantle them and recycle the fittings, chucking the copper and olives in with the scrap. I expect there are plenty of Chinese child labourers employed in stripping the stuff down further.

When I strip out, I generally do so in such a way that the copper and brass is separated, and I cut the pipes down so they will fit into a tote box.

 

[WHPES]

03/03/2011 rates paid per kg

Brassware £2.50
Cylinders £4.00
Braziery copper £4.79
Lead £1
Car battery 30p

 

[royston]

Are these prices still rising then, or have they evened out ?

 

[Puddle]

Over the last month they have stayed steady but looks like on their way up slightly again now

 

[Philgo]

As a matter of interest do you guys tell your customers that the scrap is yours or do you just assume.

 

[Puddle]

Just usually take it ,if asked ,just say allowed for in price of job

imho

 

[WHPES]

It is always written into the quotation that the price is based on claiming the scrap from the job.

 

[quality]

If folk rely on scrap to top up the wages on a job their not charging enough

 

[GQuigley67]

i usually just take the scrap unless its for a friend n tell them to take it to scrappy for a bit of cash

 

[plumbster3456]

love the stuff £4.20 for brazzery copper think something like £4.50 fpr clean copper currently stripping enough out to live on it haha.
dont understand anyone who would build it into the price to top up what they are charging though scrap is and always will be a bonus on top.
had a couple of customers say to just leave the cylinder gets up my nose shouldnt really but it does

 

[pauls]

i have the cylinder out and into the back of my van whilst its still draining lol

 

[plumbster3456]

i have the cylinder out and into the back of my van whilst its still draining lol

same here lol smart guy especially when its a big primatic cylinder your stripping out love it

 

[royston]

I take the scrap as part of the tidying process on the job. Had a couple of people wanting the cylinders leaving which if fair enough, i aint gonna loose sleep over it. Had a guy on friday insisting i leave his 2000mm long rd there for him,thinking he would get a few quid for it on its own lol ! of course sir where do you want it putting. As i never had the intention of taking it. It would have been left by the front wall for the rag and boners !!