A map pin can't tell you whether a yard takes a trunk full of aluminum cans and copper pipe or only buys whole vehicles — and the two are priced completely differently. Every yard tagged here states on its own site that it buys scrap from the public by weight. Posted prices move weekly with the commodity market and differ by state, so treat any number you read online as a starting point and confirm by phone the morning you haul.
-
A Metals Scrap Inc.
9301 S Baltimore Ave, Chicago, IL 60617-4609
-
Abco Metals Co
1020 W 94th St, Chicago, IL 60620-3664
-
American Metals Co
5580 N Lynch Ave, Chicago, IL 60630-1453
-
Barry's Metal
820 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60608
-
Cash for Junk Cars Chicago and Suburb Inc
3234 W 54th St, Chicago, IL 60632
-
Central Metal Recycling
5618 W Fillmore St, Chicago, IL 60644-5503
-
Greenway Metal Recycling, Inc.
901 N Kilpatrick Ave, Chicago, IL 60651
-
Illinois Metal Processing & Recycling
2701 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60612
-
J & B Scrap Metals
6301 S Bell Ave, Chicago, IL 60636-2541
-
J and S Metals
4700 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60641-4403
-
JB Scrap Metal
2910 W Carroll Ave, Chicago, IL 60612
-
Kedzie Scrap Metals
3500 S Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60632-2726
-
Kkc Scrap Metal Corp
3939 S Karlov Ave, Chicago, IL 60632-3813
-
Metal Management Midwest Railyard
3200 E 96th St, Chicago, IL 60617
-
Safran Metal Co.
1685 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
-
Serlin Iron & Metal Co.
1810 N Kilbourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60639
Mon-Fri 6am-3:30pm, Sat 6am-11:30am
-
Windy City Metals Recycling
4617 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60651-1636
Also in Chicago
- 27
- 9
- 8
More in Chicago and Illinois
Scrap Metal Yards & Recycling Centers near Chicago
Good to know
What are current scrap metal prices?
Yards set their own buy prices and move them weekly with the commodity market, so there is no national figure. As a rough order of magnitude in 2026: steel and light iron pay cents per pound, aluminum cans a few tens of cents per pound, and clean copper a few dollars per pound. Prices also vary by state and by how clean and sorted your material is — call the yard the day you plan to haul and ask for their current posted price.
Do scrap yards pay cash?
Many do, but not everywhere: several states restrict cash payouts for scrap metal transactions and require a check, prepaid card or bank transfer, often with a waiting period for catalytic converters and certain nonferrous metals. Every yard is required to record your photo ID either way. Ask about payment method when you call for prices.
What scrap metal is worth the most money?
Per pound, copper pays best — clean bright wire and copper tubing top the list, followed by brass and insulated wire. Catalytic converters are priced per unit rather than by weight and can be worth far more than the metal in them. Steel and light iron pay the least per pound but make up the bulk of most loads.
How many aluminum cans does it take to make $100?
It takes roughly 30-34 empty cans to make a pound. At a typical buy price of 40-60 cents a pound, $100 works out to somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000 cans — about a pickup bed packed full of crushed cans.