Steel, Copper and Aluminum Prices Up

As Copper prices surge toward $6, here is a look at our thoughts on 2026!

Date

01/05/26

40+ % price increases on metals is certainly not normal. Check out this video Alex did last week highlighting the factors that got us into the high 5.50s:

https://youtube.com/shorts/Rvmyv62LZbA?si=YaYTmYqRkYMLrsnO

Why now are we already trending toward $6–just one week later? Beyond the dollar weakening to under $7 yuan (1/5 6.99), the weakness anticipated by a more sympathetic Fed in 2026 and the continual tariff uncertainty we are seeing some real supply concerns developing. According to this article from Invezz, you can now add a strike in Chile to all of the other supply chain concerns that investors are reacting to.

So, while our original 2026 metal price outlook is already outdated on the copper side, we did believe the fundamentals behind copper were more solid than aluminum and nickel (the element in stainless steel). Today both aluminum and nickel are also trending up. 2026 was deemed a weak year for stainless steel pricing, and a positive first half of the year for aluminum and uncertain second half.

We will see what pans out for the year, but we had to highlight a great day on the first working day for our crew in 2026!

Dan Sahd

Dan Sahd grew up in the scrap metal recycling business, as he started working in the yard at age 8! As the third generation of a scrap metal family he was able to learn the yard from the bottom up and those lessons have provided a solid foundation for the way he manages the yard today.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts from Syracuse University, dual majoring in Television Management and Political Science Dan started a 12 year career working in advertising sales in New York and Washington, DC. Dan returned to the family business when an opportunity presented itself in 2005. Dan has enjoyed leading the organization with his cousin Mike and has been very active in building relationships inside and outside the organization.

Dan is an active member of the ReMA Mid Atlantic Chapter Board and sits on the boards of the Lancaster Chamber and Columbia Economic Development Corporation. To learn a bit more about Dan, here are some podcasts he has been interviewed on:

-https://youtu.be/GSZdxBeaN8E?si=PhR_Tw48cBbVubph

-https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-just-some-bs-166065095/episode/reinventing-yourself-dan-sahd-on-leaving-172127526/

-https://www.katiesandoe.com/podcast/episode-58-purpose-with-dan-sahd

-https://www.one2oneinc.com/news/episode-3-dan-sahd-sahd-metal-recycling/

-https://youtu.be/hdz2BO1V7BQ?si=sDq0eomYJd2AgIuV