Hey guys, it’s your boy back again with another crazy story. This time, it’s about how I dove into the world of scrap metal prices, specifically iron, here in the good ol’ US of A. It all started a few weeks ago when I stumbled upon this old, rusty iron gate in my backyard. I thought, “Hey, maybe I can make a few bucks off this.” That’s when the rabbit hole opened up.
First off, I had to figure out where to even begin. I mean, who buys old iron, right? So, I hit up the internet, and let me tell you, it was a wild ride. I landed on a few websites, but ScrapMonster caught my eye. They claim to be the biggest scrap trading platform in North America, with over 100,000 members! Seemed like a good place to start.
Next, I needed to get a feel for the prices. This is where it got interesting. You see, these websites, they don’t just give you a straight price. Oh no, they give you averages, national averages, prices collected directly from scrap yards. It’s all very official-sounding. From what I gathered, the current price for iron is somewhere around $0.04 per pound. That’s about $92 per ton if you’re dealing in bulk.
- I dug a little deeper and found some historical data too.
- Apparently, back in 2012 and 2013, prices were way higher.
- And get this, there’s even a report from Capital Economics predicting that the price of iron ore could drop to around $140 per ton by the end of 2021.
- But hey, who knows, right?
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “What about real-time prices?” Well, those are a bit harder to come by. You gotta check different sources, compare numbers, and basically become a scrap metal detective. But don’t worry, I did some of that legwork for you.
Scrap Yards and Real Prices
So, after hours of browsing and a few phone calls to local scrap yards, I managed to get a sense of the going rates. Some places were offering a bit more, some a bit less, but it all seemed to hover around that $0.04 per pound mark. One yard even told me they had special rates for larger quantities, which makes sense.
And then, just when I thought I had it all figured out, I stumbled upon something called the “Spot Cost and Freight” price for delivery in Tianjin, China. Apparently, that’s a big deal in the iron ore world, with a grade of 63. Who knew, right?
Long story short, I haven’t actually sold my old iron gate yet. But this whole experience has been a real eye-opener. It’s like a whole other world out there, with its own rules, its own players, and its own crazy price fluctuations. I might just keep digging around, see what else I can find. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a scrap metal mogul one day! You never know, right? Stay tuned for more of my crazy adventures, folks!
