scrap metal · Alberta

Where to sell scrap metal in Calgary

3 businesses in and around Calgary that buy used scrap metal from the public — what each takes, and whether you are offered a purchase, a consignment or a loan.

Verified 2026-09-24 from each organization's own website. We are not affiliated with anyone listed here, nobody pays to be included, and we receive nothing if you sell to them.

A magnet does most of the sorting for you. If it sticks, you are almost certainly holding plain steel or cast iron, the cheapest thing the yard buys. If it does not stick, you are holding the copper, brass, aluminum or lead that actually pays. There is one exception worth knowing before you start throwing things on piles: ferritic stainless steel, grade 430, sticks firmly to a magnet and still grades well above mild steel. So magnetic does not always mean worthless — test a bright, rust-free piece twice. Sort the load in the driveway before you go anywhere, because the fridge at the bottom of it may cost you a fee instead of earning you anything.

How to tell what you have got

Before you call anyone, two minutes with the object settles most of it. None of this needs an expert — it needs a flashlight and a look at the back.

  • Copper pipe and copper wireScratch it. Copper shows reddish-brown under the tarnish and a magnet will not pull on it at all.
  • BrassYellow-gold, surprisingly heavy for its size, no magnet pull. Chrome-plated taps are still brass underneath but grade lower because of the plating.
  • AluminumLight for its bulk, dull grey, no magnet pull, and it does not rust — it blooms a chalky white powder instead.
  • LeadAbsurdly heavy for its size, dull grey, and soft enough to mark with a fingernail. Two common false positives: wheel weights sold in Canada for years now are steel or zinc rather than lead, and sash counterweights are often cast iron. Run the fingernail test and the weight-for-size test before you grade either as lead.
  • Stainless steelBright, and it does not rust. A magnet does not stick to annealed 304 at all, though cold-worked 304 — a drawn sink bowl, for instance — can go weakly magnetic. A magnet pulls firmly on the cheaper 430, which is the trap in the magnet test, because 430 still pays a premium over mild steel. The yard prices the two very differently, so ask which it is calling yours.
  • Insulated copper wire and cableJudge it by how much metal is in the jacket. Heavy cable with a thin jacket is the good stuff; a fat jacket over a hair-thin core is not.
  • Electric motors, transformers and sealed compressorsFar heavier than an object that size has any right to be.
  • Catalytic convertersYards treat a loose converter as stolen until shown otherwise. Bring the ownership or the scrapped vehicle's paperwork.
  • Lead-acid batteriesCarry them upright and never open, tip or drain one.

Rarely worth anything

Not a rule, and not a reason to bin something without asking. These are the things people most often expect to be worth money and find are not.

  • Plain steel and cast iron in household quantities
  • Galvanized ducting, roofing and eavestrough
  • Cast iron radiators and claw-foot tubs
  • Metal still attached to non-metal
  • Food and drink cans
  • Thin painted or badly rusted sheet steel
In Ontario, a fridge, freezer, air conditioner or heat pump cannot be scrapped until a certified person has recovered the refrigerant and affixed a notice to the unit Ontario

Under O. Reg. 463/10 (Ozone Depleting Substances and Other Halocarbons), made under the Environmental Protection Act, section 41(1) provides that a person shall not dismantle, destroy, recycle, incinerate or dispose of by landfilling refrigeration equipment, or a container that has contained a refrigerant, unless a notice has been affixed under section 32 and the disposal is carried out in a manner authorized under the Act. Only a person certified under section 34 may make that determination, and the notice must show the date, the certified person's name, their certificate number and its expiry, their employer, and a statement that the equipment no longer contains refrigerant. The definition in section 1 covers air-conditioning, heat pump, refrigeration and freezer units, including a motor-vehicle air conditioner, but only "where that unit is designed to contain, contains or has contained" a class 1 or class 2 ozone depleting substance or a halocarbon. That qualifier matters both ways. There is no household exemption, so an ordinary kitchen fridge or window air conditioner charged with a halocarbon refrigerant is covered, which is nearly every older unit. But a unit charged with a hydrocarbon refrigerant instead — R-600a isobutane or R-290 propane, now common in newer domestic fridges and freezers — contains no halocarbon and arguably falls outside the definition, so check the nameplate before assuming either way. A refrigerant dehumidifier is substantively a refrigeration unit but is not named in the definition. Section 41(2) carries an exemption for dismantling during manufacture, which will not help you. This is the reason yards refuse these units or charge a degassing fee. Text current to the consolidation of 30 August 2024, last amendment O. Reg. 336/24.

Read the rule →
The federal halocarbon regulations do not govern a privately owned household appliance unless it sits on federal or Aboriginal lands Canada (federal)

The Federal Halocarbon Regulations, 2022 (SOR/2022-110) are frequently quoted in disposal advice as though they bind every homeowner. Mostly they do not, but the scope has two limbs and the second one is easy to miss. Section 2(1) applies the Regulations to systems owned by the Crown in right of Canada, a board or agency of the Government of Canada, a Crown corporation or a federal work or undertaking — and, separately, to systems located on aboriginal lands or federal lands, whoever owns them. So a privately owned domestic refrigerator or window air conditioner in an ordinary house falls outside the Regulations, while the identical fridge on a reserve or in federal housing falls inside them, because that second limb turns on location rather than ownership. For everyone else, the rule that actually governs scrapping your appliance is provincial, which is why it matters which province you are in.

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In Toronto, removing metal that someone has set out for collection is a prohibited act under the waste bylaw Toronto, Ontario

Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 844 (Waste Collection, Residential Properties), section 844-23.C provides that no person shall "pick over, interfere with, disturb, remove or scatter any waste set out for collection" unless authorized to do so by the General Manager. Section 844-8 treats metal goods as a special collection service with its own set-out requirements rather than as ordinary garbage. We read Toronto's chapter because Toronto is the largest market this page serves. We have not read the equivalent bylaw for any other city, and collection regimes differ enormously between municipalities, so look up your own rather than assuming this one travels. Chapter current to 11 February 2025, as amended by By-law 104-2025.

Read the rule →

3 places in Calgary that take scrap metal

Alberta Cash for Cars

Buys outright May collect — ask
BuysCars, trucks and SUVs, all makes and models, Non-running vehicles, Junk and scrap vehicles, Accident-damaged and hail-damaged vehicles, Flood-damaged and fire-damaged vehicles, Vehicles with engine or transmission failure, or high mileage
The dealQuote first, then collection. They state quotes are given "Usually within 15 minutes", that towing is "Free Towing - Anywhere in Alberta" with "nothing deducted from your payout", and that payment is "Paid Before We Tow" — "payment is made on the spot by cash or Interac e-Transfer before our driver loads your vehicle". They state they handle the Alberta Registry paperwork.
WhereServes Calgary and states it covers 50+ Alberta communities including Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, High River, Strathmore, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Canmore and Banff.
They state you need a valid government-issued photo ID and your vehicle registration, current or expired. Payment before the vehicle is loaded is their own published process — hold them to it. They describe themselves as "AMVIC Licensed Since 2018" but publish no licence number; AMVIC runs a free public search where you can check any Alberta vehicle buyer's licence yourself before they arrive. After the sale, remove your plates and cancel the registration and insurance.
Visit their site →(587) 844-2274

Bare Wire Recycling Inc.

Paid by weight Not stated — ask
BuysScrap metal — the site carries a "Metal We Buy" section listing accepted materials
The dealPaid by weight. The site states payment options are "Cash or eTransfer" and that they have been purchasing scrap metal for over 20 years. A "Request Pickup" option is offered through their site, which makes them one of the few scrap buyers here that will come to you. They also run a customer app. No rates are published.
Where1352 Hastings Crescent SE, Calgary, AB T2G 4C9
No phone number appears on the page — contact is through the site or their app. Pickup is offered but no minimum quantity or fee is stated, so confirm both before booking. Unusually wide hours for a scrap yard are listed (Mon 9–7, Tue–Thu 9–5, Fri 9–7, Sat–Sun 11–4, holidays 12–4), which suits an evening or weekend clear-out.
Visit their site →

Calgary Metal Recycling Inc.

Paid by weight Bring it to them
BuysFerrous metal (steel, iron), Non-ferrous metal
The dealA drop-off yard paid by weight. The site states they "accept all residential or commercial customers" at both locations. They run a separate non-ferrous yard and ferrous yard, so which gate you drive to matters. No rates or payment method are published on the site; a "Material Acceptance" section exists and is worth reading before loading up.
WhereNon-ferrous yard: 2828 Bonnybrook Road SE, Calgary, AB T2G 2J2. Ferrous yard: 3415 Ogden Road SE, Calgary, AB T2G 4N4. Public hours listed Mon–Fri 8am–5pm.
No rates are published, and scrap prices track commodity markets, so phone for the current rate on your material before loading a trailer. Take copper, brass and aluminum to the non-ferrous yard, and appliances or structural steel to the ferrous yard. Ask what their requirements are for appliances containing refrigerant (fridges, freezers, air conditioners) before you bring one — yards handle these under specific conditions.
Visit their site →403-262-4542
We could not verify this city’s municipal rules for second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers from an official source, so we state none. Check with the City or the province before relying on anything you read about them elsewhere.

Not sure what you have got?

Photograph it and we will tell you what it is and what it is worth — including when the honest answer is that it is worth nothing.

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Scrap Metal in other cities

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