Brass is copper mixed with zinc, and its scrap price per kg follows both metals, copper most of all. That is why the rate moves from day to day, and why two bags of brass with the same weight can be paid differently.
This guide explains what decides the number, so you know what you are selling before you call.
Yellow brass and red brass
Most brass scrap in the UAE is yellow brass: plumbing fittings, valves, taps, water meters, door hardware and keys. Roughly two thirds of it is copper, and most of the rest is zinc.
Red brass has more copper, so it pays more. It is darker and redder, and it turns up in older valves, pump parts and heavy fittings. It is easy to confuse with bronze, which is also worth more than yellow brass. If you have a mix, keep the reddish pieces apart and let the buyer check them.
Solid pieces or turnings
Solid fittings and castings are priced as brass. Turnings and swarf from machine shops are priced lower, because they carry oil, coolant and fine particles that burn off in the furnace. Dry, clean turnings in a closed bag get a better rate than wet ones in an open drum.
What pulls the price down
- Steel stems, springs and bolts left inside valves
- Plastic and rubber washers, handles and seals
- Chrome or nickel plating, as on most taps and showers
- Brass mixed with copper, bronze or aluminium in one bag
- Lead weights or solder
None of this makes brass worthless. It moves the load into a lower grade. A few minutes with a screwdriver and a second bag often pays more than it costs.
How to tell brass from other metals
- A magnet does not stick to brass. If it pulls, there is steel inside.
- Scrape a small spot. Brass is yellow underneath, copper is salmon pink.
- Brass is heavy for its size, much heavier than aluminium.
Where brass scrap comes from
Plumbing and AC contractors, maintenance teams, workshops that repair pumps and valves, and anyone replacing old taps and fittings. A box of used valves from a site clearance is often worth more than people expect.
How is brass scrap weighed and paid?
At Scrap Buyer Musaffah, brass goes on the scale on its own, never mixed into a steel or aluminium load. If a delivery has clean fittings and plated taps together, the two are weighed separately, so the clean part keeps its grade. You see each weight on the scale, and the grade for each part is agreed with you before you are paid.
Sorting brass at a workshop or site
A little sorting where the scrap is produced saves time later. Three containers are usually enough:
- Clean yellow brass: fittings and valves with the steel and plastic removed
- Plated or mixed brass: chrome taps, showers, anything with parts still attached
- Turnings: kept dry, in a bag or a closed drum
Keep a magnet in the workshop. Anything that pulls goes in a separate box, because a single steel valve stem hidden in a bag of fittings is enough to drop the whole bag to a lower grade.
Is it worth taking valves apart?
For a handful of taps, no. For a crate of large valves from a plant room, often yes: the steel stems and handwheels come out in minutes, and the body goes in as clean brass or bronze. Send a photo first and we will tell you whether the work is worth it.
Getting today's rate
We do not publish brass prices on the website, because the rate changes with the copper market every day. Send a photo and a rough weight on WhatsApp to +971 52 727 0105, use our contact page, or bring the brass to the Scrap Buyer Musaffah yard at Musaffah M42, where it is weighed in front of you. The other metals we buy are on the metal scrap page, and bronze scrap has its own guide.
Common questions
Is brass scrap worth more than aluminium?
Usually yes. Brass pays less per kilo than copper but more than aluminium and steel, because most of it is copper.
Are chrome plated brass taps still brass scrap?
Yes, but they go in at a lower grade than clean brass, because the plating and the plastic parts have to be dealt with.
Why does the brass scrap price change every day?
Brass is mostly copper, and copper is traded on world markets every day. When the copper price moves, the brass rate follows.
