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The global Copper Scrap Market was valued at USD 41.2 billion in 2025 and is forecast to expand at a strong CAGR of 9.7%, reaching approximately USD 104.0 billion by 2036. This trajectory is underpinned by electrification and grid investment, rising secondary refining capacity, and copper supply security concerns. The category spans old and new scrap feed, bare bright, #1, #2, and other grades, wire rod mills, brass mills, ingot makers, and refineries, scrap forms, and electrical, construction, automotive, and industrial sources. The value chain includes collectors, dealers, shredding and processing yards, brokers, and consuming mills, foundries, and smelters, with scrap traded both domestically and across borders. This analysis segments the copper scrap market by feed material / source, grade, application / end-use, form, and source industry, providing a detailed view of where demand is concentrated and where it is growing.
The market’s strong 9.7% CAGR reflects tight primary copper supply and fast-growing demand from grids, electric vehicles, and data centers. The International Copper Study Group expects secondary refined copper production from scrap to grow about 4.5% in 2025 and about 6% in 2026, faster than primary output, while China accounts for about 58% of global refined copper use. Old scrap continues to anchor volumes, while high-grade wire scrap, electronic scrap, and scrap feed for secondary smelters represent distinct and faster-growing demand channels. Recyclers are investing in larger shredders, sensor-based sorting, downstream separation, and digital trading tools to raise purity and capture more value from mixed scrap streams, while consuming mills increasingly sign long-term supply agreements to secure feedstock.
How does electrification drive copper scrap demand?
Grids, electric vehicles, and charging networks are copper-intensive. Electric car sales exceeded 20 million in 2025 according to the IEA, and recycled copper is a fast way to add supply. This trend is reinforced by mill demand for cleaner, more consistent feed.
How fast is secondary copper production growing?
The International Copper Study Group forecasts secondary refined production from scrap growing about 4.5% in 2025 and about 6% in 2026; preliminary ICSG data showed secondary output up 3% in early 2025 according to E&MJ. Processors continue to invest in yards, shredders, and logistics.
Why does supply security matter?
Concentrate shortages and smelter disruptions make scrap an important domestic resource, encouraging investment in collection, sorting, and secondary smelting. Long-term supply agreements continue to link recyclers and consumers.
How do brass mills and wire rod mills use scrap?
Brass mills rely heavily on high-grade scrap, while wire rod mills use bare bright and #1 copper to produce rod for cables and wiring. Collection rates continue to depend on policy and price signals.
How is technology improving scrap quality?
Recyclers are adopting X-ray, laser, and optical sorting, eddy current separation, and improved shredder downstream systems. These tools separate alloys and remove contaminants more effectively, allowing scrap to be used in higher-value products such as flat steel, automotive aluminium, and high-grade copper.
What challenges could limit market growth?
Price volatility, export restrictions, contamination, and uneven collection rates can limit supply and margins. Lower industrial activity reduces prompt scrap generation, and competition for high-quality scrap is increasing as more producers pursue decarbonization targets.
How is the competitive landscape of the copper scrap market structured?
The copper scrap market combines large international groups with strong regional producers and specialized niche suppliers. Leading companies compete on product quality, consistency, technical support, cost, and the ability to supply customers across several regions, while smaller players often focus on specific grades, applications, or local markets. Acquisitions, joint ventures, long-term supply agreements, and capacity investments are common strategies used to strengthen market position and secure access to raw materials and customers.
How will sustainability requirements shape the copper scrap market through 2036?
Customers, investors, and regulators are placing growing emphasis on carbon footprint, energy efficiency, and recycled content. In the European Union, carbon pricing and border carbon measures are raising the importance of low-emission production, and many large buyers now set supplier emissions targets. Producers in the copper scrap market are responding with cleaner energy, more efficient processes, higher recycled feed, and transparent product carbon data, which is expected to become a standard part of purchasing decisions by 2036.
What opportunities exist for companies in the copper scrap market?
Opportunities are strongest in higher-value grades and applications linked to electrification, renewable energy, lightweighting, and advanced manufacturing, as well as in regions where industrial capacity is expanding quickly. Companies that combine reliable supply, technical service, digital process control, and lower-carbon products are best positioned to win long-term contracts and capture premium pricing as the copper scrap market grows through 2036.
How do supply chain and raw material factors affect the copper scrap market?
Access to reliable raw materials, energy, and logistics is a major factor in the copper scrap market. Producers are diversifying supply sources, signing long-term contracts, and in some cases integrating upstream into feedstock or downstream into processing to manage price volatility and secure availability. Regional supply-security policies and trade measures are also encouraging new capacity closer to end customers.
Which copper scrap market segments are growing fastest?
The fastest-growing segments include New Scrap, #1 Copper Scrap, Brass Mills, and Sheet & Plate Scrap, supported by rising demand from electrification, infrastructure, and higher-value industrial applications.
Key Players
Aurubis AG, Wieland-Werke AG, Mueller Industries, Inc., KME Group, Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Boliden AB, Umicore, Glencore plc, JX Advanced Metals, Hindalco Industries, Ningbo Jintian Copper, Hailiang Group, Poongsan Corporation, Diehl Metall, ElvalHalcor (Halcor), Lebronze alloys, Concast Metal Products, National Bronze & Metals, Hindustan Copper Limited, Sims Limited, SA Recycling, Kuusakoski Group
The Copper Scrap Market’s strong 9.7% CAGR, projected to take the market from USD 41.2 billion in 2025 to approximately USD 104.0 billion by 2036, is anchored in electrification and grid investment, rising secondary refining capacity, and copper supply security concerns. As steel, aluminium, and copper producers commit to lower emissions and secure domestic supply, recyclers with scale, advanced processing, and strong mill relationships are positioned to benefit. Sustained investment, production, and commercial activity from companies including Aurubis AG, Wieland-Werke AG, and Mueller Industries, Inc. confirms the Copper Scrap Market will sustain strong growth through 2036.
Constancy Researchers is a global market intelligence and strategic advisory firm helping organizations navigate complex markets and make high-impact decisions with confidence. In an environment defined by rapid technological change, shifting demand patterns, and evolving competitive dynamics, we provide clarity where it matters most—at the point of decision-making. By combining deep industry understanding, rigorous analytics, and structured thinking, we enable leadership teams to identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and build strategies that drive sustainable growth.
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