Weekly Metals Market Report - Week Commencing 5th October

A look at how LME copper, aluminium and lead moved over the past week, and what it means if you're selling scrap this week.

Copper -

LME copper edged up 0.3% this week. A quiet, steady week — not enough movement to change anyone's selling decision either way.

Aluminium (HG) -

High-grade aluminium fell 3.3%, the sharpest move of the week. Worth watching if you're sitting on aluminium stock: this is a bigger pullback than we've flagged in recent weeks, so if you're on the fence, this week leans toward selling sooner rather than holding out for a bounce back.

Lead -

Lead dropped 3.9%, its largest weekly move recently. As the smallest of the three markets by volume, lead tends to swing more on individual supply/demand shifts rather than broader market sentiment, so this looks more like a localised correction than the start of a trend.

What does it mean for trade sellers?

A more mixed week — copper ticked up slightly, but both aluminium and lead saw notable falls of around 3-4%. If you're holding aluminium or lead, this week's prices are softer than they were seven days ago, so it's worth getting loads out to buyers sooner rather than waiting on a recovery. As always, the bigger factor for what you're actually paid remains how many buyers you get competing for your load, not this week's LME print.

Source: London Metal Exchange official prices