Understanding the Price of Scrap Batteries-Why They Fluctuate

The scrap battery value have been on the rise for a few years now, and with battery recycling being so profitable already, it’s not going to stop. It was one of the fastest-growing recycling businesses which continue to grow.

How can you get the best deal?

Continue reading to find out why do prices change in the first place and what things you can do to find the best deals available.

Why Do The Prices of Scrap Batteries Fluctuate?

The price of batteries, like many other commodities in the world market, is now subject to scrap prices fluctuation.

The components of scrap batteries are not all the same, and there is a difference in how they can be used for recycling purposes. When battery prices rise, more people will ship their old batteries to recyclers instead of scrapping them themselves, making supply go down, and demand go up, which naturally causes price fluctuations.

Batteries are a commodity; they’re made from some mixture of metal and chemicals, which are then wrapped up and sealed into a plastic package with electrical contacts on one side. These metals can be recycled or reused for future battery making.

The scrap yard is a great place to find cheap metals – prices of batteries fluctuate often and tend to be cheaper than the current market price.

But how much are scrap batteries worth? To give you an idea of some rough prices for reference only:

The average price of most copper wires is between $1.78/lb and $3.13/lb, depending on quality. Copper prices are more stable than some metals, but it’s still subject to fluctuation because there is an open market for it.

As for brass, it is anywhere between $1.45/lb and $1.70/lb, but then again, the price will base on the quality.

You can also find aluminum at around $0.33/lb-$0.52/lb. The prices of some electronic scrap are ranging between $0.14/lb and $1.15/lb.

You can also do your research online and see what deals are offered today for scrap batteries or even sell them outright in bulk to a distributor if you’re looking to save on shipping costs.

Some recycling businesses or dealers will offer prices that guarantee they’ll pay out either more than $0.21/lb-or less than $0.15/lb, and will even ensure that they’ll pay out a certain amount of money for these scrap batteries you ship to them-even if it’s not worth their time recycling it.

What can you do to find the best deals?

Now that you understand why scrap battery prices do fluctuate, what can you do about it?

  • Call around and ask other scrap yards, wholesalers, or battery brokers in your area what prices they are offering, so you have a baseline idea of how much to expect.
  • Another option is that you could trade with other people who want to purchase old batteries.
  • Ask your recycler if they offer any special deals for customers that can’t transport their batteries to the recycling plant themselves.

How can you get paid for your scrap batteries?

There are many options for payment when it comes to scrap batteries. Some recycling companies will pay out cash, others will offer store credit, and some people prefer bartering so that they can trade what they have to get something else that they need more urgently.

You’ll want to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible for that scrap batteries.

It’s not always easy to know the best deal, but by checking out prices which are sometimes worth checking and researching scrap recycling companies in your area, you will have a better idea of how much you can expect for old scrap batteries.

You may be wondering why scrap battery prices are so inconsistent. There are several factors to consider, such as the initial cost to make batteries and how long they last before breaking down.

Supply and Demand vs. Prices of Scrap Batteries

Different industries can heavily impact the prices of some scrap metals and batteries. For example, if demand for copper rises in the production of trains and other vehicles, then the pricing will increase too, but there is a good chance that an increase in one metal also means an increase with another because they are all linked to each other. If the demand for it drops, then prices will fall as well.

If still in doubt of how much your scrap battery is worth, make inquiries at the Battery Recyclers Of America. They offer battery recycling services and can give you a quote for what your batteries are worth. In this way, we can get a feel for what our batteries are worth, and then we’ll be able to know how to sell them or when is the best time to buy them.

About the author, Phil Borges

Phil Borges is a battery aficionado. He's written extensively about batteries, and he loves nothing more than discussing the latest innovations in the industry. He has a deep understanding of how batteries work, and he's always on the lookout for new ways to improve their performance.