Iron scrap is commonly sold in larger quantities, so the overall value of your load depends on the type, condition and total weight of the material. At Johnny Metal Recycling, we provide competitive iron scrap prices in Melbourne based on the material you bring in and current market conditions.
Whether you have structural steel, fencing, machinery, tanks or other ferrous scrap, our team can assess your load and provide a quote. Call 0449 894 456 for today’s iron scrap price, or send us a photo and a rough weight and we’ll come back with a quote.
What iron scrap pays in Melbourne?
Iron and steel are priced together in this trade, so iron scrap prices and scrap steel prices are effectively the same conversation. Heavy melting steel, the bulk grade most iron falls into, currently runs $0.30 to $0.42 per kg on our published rates. Everything else sits around that, up or down depending on grade and how clean it is.
That’s a small-looking number until you weigh a load. A single steel I-beam, an old cast iron bath, a trailer of fencing — they add up faster than people expect, and they add up in hundreds of kilos rather than tens.
Rates move with the market, so the figure above is a guide rather than a quote. For today’s actual iron scrap prices in Melbourne, give us a ring — we’ll price it against the market that morning.
Iron scrap price per kg in Melbourne, by grade
Heavy melting steel (HMS)
Thick section steel — beams, plate, heavy pipe, structural offcuts, machinery frames. Generally anything over about 6mm thick and reasonably clean. This is the benchmark grade and the one the published range above refers to.
Cast iron
Baths, old stoves and fireplaces, engine blocks, pipe fittings, machine bases, drain covers, vintage garden furniture. Cast iron is priced separately from steel because it melts and behaves differently, and a clean load of it is worth separating out. More detail below.
Light gauge iron and steel
Corrugated roofing, thin sheet, ducting, shelving, bed frames, garden tools, whitegoods shells. Thinner material, more surface area, more processing per tonne — so it sits below HMS. Still very much worth bringing in, especially by the trailer load.
Structural steel and demolition material
Beams, columns, angle iron, purlins, reo. Usually good weight and good grade, though demolition material often arrives with concrete, timber or bolts still attached, and that comes off the weight.
Mixed and contaminated iron
Whatever came out of the shed. We take it, and plenty of people bring it exactly as it is. Just know that a mixed load gets priced near the bottom of the range, because that’s the only fair way to price metal nobody has separated.
Cast iron scrap prices
Cast iron is the grade worth knowing about, because most people tip it in with general steel and lose the difference.
You can usually tell it by feel and sound. It’s noticeably heavier for its size than sheet steel, it has a rough, grainy surface rather than a smooth rolled one, and it rings dull rather than bright when you knock it. If you drop a piece and it cracks rather than bends, that’s cast iron.
The common sources are old claw-foot baths, fireplace surrounds and stove bodies, cast drain covers and grates, engine blocks and brake rotors from workshops, lathe and press bases out of old factories, and Victorian-era fencing and lacework.
Cast iron scrap prices in Melbourne sit apart from general steel for that reason. Keeping it in its own pile takes almost no effort and gets it graded as cast iron rather than mixed steel. If you’ve pulled a bath out of a renovation, that one item is worth its own quote.
Why iron scrap prices look low, and why it's still worth doing
Worth being straight about this, because it’s the question everyone has.
Iron and steel are abundant. They’re recycled at enormous scale, the processing margins are thin, and the global market for ferrous scrap is a volume business with cents in it rather than dollars. No yard in Melbourne is paying copper money for roofing iron, and anyone quoting you an iron scrap price that sounds too good is setting you up for a disappointing weigh-in.
What you’re actually buying with an iron job is two things. You’re getting paid something for material you were going to pay to dump — a skip costs money, we don’t. And you’re getting the space back.
For a builder, a farmer, a factory clearing a yard, that combination is usually the whole business case. The cheque is a bonus on top of not paying tip fees.
What moves iron scrap prices
The global ferrous market. Steel scrap trades worldwide and every yard prices off the same market. When it moves, iron scrap prices in Melbourne move with it, which is why we price each load on the day rather than printing a number and leaving it up for six months.
Grade and thickness. Heavy section beats light gauge. Clean cast iron beats mixed. The gap between grades isn’t as dramatic as it is with stainless, but across a tonne it’s real money, and it’s the part of the iron scrap price you can do something about.
Contamination. Concrete, timber, plastic, rubber, insulation, dirt in a water tank. All of it weighs something and none of it is iron. Motors, compressors and copper windings should come out and be sold separately, because they’re worth considerably more than the steel around them.
Volume. Iron is the metal where volume matters most. Bigger loads cost less to handle per tonne and it shows in the rate. Free pickup applies over 500kg, which for iron is a modest trailer.
Getting a better iron scrap price
You don’t have to sort. We take mixed loads and no separation is required. But a few things pay for themselves quickly.
Iron and steel scrap we buy
Around the house: old fencing and gates · corrugated roofing · garden tools · bed frames · water tanks · cast iron baths, stoves and fireplaces · whitegoods · general backyard ironwork.
Trade and industrial: structural steel beams · I-beams and angle iron · factory machinery · workshop shelving · pipework · demolition offcuts · engine blocks and rotors · reo and offcuts.
Mixed loads are fine and no separation is required, though the iron scrap price on a sorted load will always beat a mixed one. No minimum quantity if you’re dropping off. Free pickup on loads over 500kg, seven days a week, no weekend surcharge.
How we weigh and pay
Every load is weighed on site on verified digital scales while you watch. No estimating, no number worked out somewhere you can’t see it. With iron in particular, where the whole result depends on tonnage, that transparency is the thing that matters.
Grades get called in front of you too. If we’re pricing something as light gauge rather than HMS, we’ll tell you why.
Payment is same day by bank transfer or cheque. We don’t pay cash — Victoria tightened the rules on cash in the scrap trade back in 2018 and we’ve worked to them since. No deductions afterwards, no hidden fees. The quote is the payment.
Iron recycling across Melbourne
We’re based at Braeside and collect right across Melbourne: the south-east and bayside, the eastern and northern corridors, and out west. Pickup runs seven days a week with no weekend surcharge, and we’ll usually be there within one to two business days of the call.
Iron recycling Melbourne-wide is the unglamorous end of the trade and also the biggest by weight. Recycled steel goes straight back into new steel with no loss of quality, and it takes a fraction of the energy of making it from ore. The gate you’re getting rid of ends up as somebody’s beam.
Get today's iron scrap price
Ring 0449 894 456, tell us roughly what you’ve got and how much, and you’ll have an iron scrap price in Melbourne in a couple of minutes. If it’s a big clear-out, describe the pile and we’ll tell you whether it’s a trailer job or a truck job.
Or send photos and an estimated weight through the contact form and we’ll come back with a price and a collection time.
Why Choose Us?
With over 6 years of experience, we are trusted scrap car buyers in Melbourne, offering competitive cash for old cars Melbourne residents rely on. Our team specialises in car removal and car recycling Melbourne, ensuring unwanted and scrap vehicles are removed safely and recycled responsibly to support a cleaner and more sustainable future.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the current iron scrap prices in Melbourne?
Heavy melting steel runs $0.30 to $0.42 per kg on our published rates, with other grades sitting around that depending on thickness and cleanliness. Iron scrap prices in Melbourne move with the global ferrous market, so call 0449 894 456 for today’s figure.
What is the scrap iron price per kg in Melbourne?
It depends on grade. HMS is the benchmark at $0.30–$0.42/kg. Light gauge material like roofing and thin sheet sits below it, cast iron is priced as its own grade, and mixed loads are priced near the bottom of the range.
What are cast iron scrap prices in Melbourne based on?
Cast iron is priced separately from steel because it melts and behaves differently. Keeping it in its own pile gets it graded as cast iron rather than mixed steel. Baths, stoves, engine blocks and drain covers are the common sources.
Does rust reduce my iron scrap price?
Surface rust doesn’t. It’s normal on scrap iron and we don’t dock you for it. Thin sheet that has rusted through has actually lost weight, which shows on the scales, but a rusty gate is priced like any other gate.
Can I sell scrap iron in Melbourne without sorting it?
Yes. We take mixed loads and no separation is required. The one thing worth pulling out is non-ferrous — copper, brass, aluminium and electric motors are worth far more sold separately than they are buried in an iron load.
Is there a minimum quantity?
No minimum if you’re dropping off at the yard. Free pickup applies on loads over 500kg, which for iron is a modest trailer load.
Why are iron scrap prices so much lower than copper?
Iron and steel are abundant and recycled at huge scale, so margins are thin across the whole industry. The value in an iron job comes from weight and from not paying skip fees, rather than from the rate per kilo.
How quickly can you collect?
Usually within one to two business days, seven days a week, with no surcharge for weekends.