scrap metal · Saskatchewan

Where to sell scrap metal in Saskatoon

3 businesses in and around Saskatoon 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.

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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.

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3 places in Saskatoon that take scrap metal

Bare Wire Recycling Inc. (Saskatoon)

Paid by weight Not stated — ask
BuysCopper - #1, #2, #3, breakage, radiators, Insulated copper wire, tech wire, URD wire, aluminum - extruded 6061/6063, cast, dirty, siding, rims, radiators, Brass - red, yellow, dirty, Stainless steel, Electric motors, transformers, ballasts, sealed units, Alternators and starters
The dealPaid by weight for the metal itself, graded on the spot - clean copper wire pays very differently from the same weight of mixed or insulated wire, which is why their metal page lists so many separate grades. Their site states "You've the option to be paid in Cash or eTransfer" and gives the timing as "Right away!" They also run mobile pickups: their services page states "Our fleet of trucks with scales are ready to pickup and pay for your material at your location", and offers "Bins for your metal recycling at no cost to you." No prices are published anywhere on the site.
Where821 64th St E, Bay 50, Saskatoon, SK S7P 0G8
No price list is published, so yards cannot be compared from the website alone - scrap rates track commodity markets and change. They list non-ferrous metals and specific automotive and electrical components; whole appliances are not named on their buy list.

K&K Hauling & Salvage

Quote first May collect — ask
BuysScrap and junk cars, running or not, Farm equipment and machinery, Recyclable metal
The dealYou describe the vehicle, they make an offer, and if you accept they come and take it away - an outright sale, not a loan or a consignment. Their site advertises instant offers, same-day pickup, "$0 Towing Cost" and no hidden fees, and states "5,000+ Cars Bought". No dollar amounts are published; any figure depends on the vehicle and on scrap prices at the time.
WhereServes Saskatoon and area. The site gives a phone number and email address rather than a yard address.
The site does not state what ownership paperwork or identification is needed to hand over a vehicle, so that has to be confirmed by phone before pickup. No prices are published.

Schroeder's Towing & Salvage

Buys outright May collect — ask
BuysWrecked and unwanted cars, trucks and vans, Boats, RVs, Farm equipment and tractors, Scrap metal
The dealOutright purchase with removal. Their site states "We Pay Cash on the Spot. Running or Not!" and they tow the vehicle away themselves. The site says they have operated since 2005, cover Saskatoon and Prince Albert, and are available 24/7. No payment amounts are published.
WhereCovers Saskatoon and Prince Albert. The site gives phone and email contact rather than a public yard address.
No prices and no paperwork requirements are published on the site. Confirm the offer and what proof of ownership is needed before the tow truck arrives.
All of the following was verified against primary sources fetched directly: The Pawned Property (Recording) Act, c P-4.2 and The Pawned Property (Recording) Regulations, c P-4.2 Reg 1 (both downloaded from the Office of the King's Printer at publications.saskatchewan.ca), and The Business License Bylaw, 2002, Bylaw No. 8075, codified to Bylaw No. 9684, August 31 2020 (downloaded from saskatoon.ca). WHO THE PROVINCIAL RULES BIND. This is the point that decides whether the rest applies to a given shop. Section 2(e) of the Act defines a pawnbroker as \"a person who regularly conducts more than 10 pawn transactions per month\". The Act binds pawnbrokers. It does not impose identification or police-reporting duties on every second-hand dealer in the province, so an ordinary used-electronics shop, record shop, bookshop or jeweller that is not a pawnbroker is outside it. Section 2(g) defines an \"unconditional sale\" as the purchase of an article by a pawnbroker outright - so when a pawnbroker buys something outright, that sale is caught by the Act too, not just the loans. One further condition: section 7(4) says the identification and reporting section applies to a pawnbroker only where the chief of police has given at least 90 days' notice; in Saskatoon, bylaw section 27.7 has required electronic recording and reporting of all pawn transactions since January 1, 2005. IDENTIFICATION - TWO PIECES, ONE WITH A PHOTOGRAPH. Regulation section 4(1) requires a pawnbroker, before a pawn transaction or an unconditional sale, to obtain your name, address, telephone number and date of birth; a description of you including height, weight, gender, hair colour and eye colour; and the identification record numbers from two pieces of identification. One of the two must be one of the following types and only counts if it carries your photograph: a valid driver's licence issued by a Canadian province or territory or a US state; a passport issued by the government of origin; a Certificate of Indian Status Card issued by the Government of Canada; a Certificate of Citizenship Card issued by the Government of Canada; or a Conditional Release Card issued by Correctional Services of Canada. An original birth certificate may be used only if the accompanying second piece carries your photograph. Section 7(2) of the Act sets the consequence, quoted exactly: if a person \"refuses or is unable to provide the information required pursuant to subsection (1), the pawnbroker shall not complete the pawn transaction or unconditional sale.\" SERIAL NUMBERS. Regulation section 5 bars a pawnbroker from taking an article that bears or customarily bears a serial number \"unless the serial number is clearly legible and has not been totally or partially altered, removed or obscured.\" WHAT GETS RECORDED AND WHO SEES IT. Regulation section 4(1)(d) requires a detailed description of the article - manufacturer, year of manufacture, make and model, serial number, identifying marks, any title on the item, the media type for a CD, tape, vinyl record, DVD or VHS, and for jewellery the type, weight, karat, engraving or micro-reference, and the number, type, colour, clarity and shape of each gemstone. Section 4(2) requires the date and time, the price paid or the amount loaned on pawn, and the name of the person conducting the transaction; the dealer must issue you a receipt and retain a hard copy signed by both of you. Regulation section 6 requires the pawnbroker to record this electronically in a format approved by the chief of police immediately after the transaction, provide it to the chief of police as soon as practicable, and file a report at least once each day the shop is open - including a nil report on days with no transactions. A pawn or an outright sale at a pawnshop is therefore an identified, police-reported transaction. EXEMPTIONS - MOST HOUSE-CLEAROUT GOODS ARE OUTSIDE THE ACT. Regulation section 3(f) lists articles the Act does not apply to: second-hand books, magazines, journals, periodicals and other similar printed materials; postage stamps; second-hand infant's, toddler's or children's clothing, shoes, equipment, furniture or safety devices; adult clothing or shoes except leather or fur jackets and coats; second-hand cookware, glassware and eating utensils that do not contain precious metals; waste paper, waste cardboard and waste glass; second-hand furniture; second-hand appliances including refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers and garbage compactors; and non-motorized lawn or garden equipment and tools. Section 3 also exempts retail returns for refund, exchange or credit, and acquisitions from a law enforcement agency, from a merchant, retailer or wholesaler with a permanent place of business, from a trustee in bankruptcy, executor, administrator or receiver who shows proof of position, or from a public official acting under judicial authority. SASKATOON'S BYLAW - PART V, PAWNBROKERS. Bylaw 8075 defines a \"pawnshop\" as \"a business wherein more than 10 pawn transactions per month are conducted\" and adopts the Act's definitions of pawnbroker, pawn transaction and unconditional sale. Section 27.2 requires a licence to operate a pawnshop, renewed annually. Section 27.3 bars a pawnshop from being located within 160 metres of another, measured property line to property line, with grandfathering for pawnshops that held a valid licence on October 4, 2004. Section 27.4 sets holding periods: a pawnbroker \"shall hold any property received in a pawn transaction or unconditional sale for at least two consecutive clear business days\", shall not display it for sale for 30 days, and shall not sell it until it has been displayed for sale for at least 15 days after that 30-day period. Section 27.5: a pawnbroker \"shall not engage in a pawn transaction or conditional sale with a person under the age of 18 years.\" Section 27.6: a pawnbroker \"shall not accept personal identification in a pawn transaction\" - your ID document itself cannot be the pawned article. Section 27.7 requires electronic recording and reporting of all pawn transactions under the provincial Act, effective January 1, 2005. PAWNING VERSUS SELLING. Both happen at the same counter and the paperwork looks similar, so the distinction is worth stating plainly. A pawn transaction is defined in the Act as depositing an article with a pawnbroker at interest or in expectation of profit, where it is express or implied that the article may be redeemed or repurchased. You get cash now, the shop holds the item, and you get it back only by repaying the advance plus the lender's charges by the deadline. Miss the deadline and the item is forfeited and sold, and the cash you took is the whole of what you received. An unconditional sale is final on the day. None of the Saskatoon pawnshops whose sites were checked publish interest rates, fees or redemption periods anywhere online, so those figures exist only in the store.

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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