Where can I sell scrap metal in Leeds?

Licensed scrap yards buy over the weighbridge, or collection services come to you across every LS postcode. Collections suit anyone without transport or with awkward loads.

Do I need ID to sell scrap metal?

Yes. Sellers must show photo ID, and payment is by bank transfer or cheque only — cash payment for scrap metal is illegal for licensed dealers.

Is collection or a yard better for small loads?

For small or awkward loads, collection usually wins once fuel, time and queueing are counted. Yards suit large loads you can already transport.

How should I prepare scrap for sale?

Sort copper, brass, aluminium, cable and steel apart, remove rubbish, drain liquids, and photograph the load. Sorted loads grade higher everywhere.

Home / Blog / Selling in Leeds

Where to Sell Scrap Metal in Leeds

Yard or collection? What to prepare, what ID you need, and how to get the best price for your load.

26 September 2026 · By OJ Metal Recycling

The Short Answer

Two Honest Options in Leeds

You have two legitimate routes: drive it to a licensed scrap yard and sell over the weighbridge, or get it collected — which is what we do across every LS postcode. Yards suit big loads you can already shift. Collection wins for everything else: no van, no loading, no queueing, no unloading in the rain — and for copper, brass, cable and other non-ferrous, our weigh and pay grades it at your address.

Either route, the same two laws apply: bring photo ID, and expect bank transfer — cash for scrap is illegal for licensed dealers. Anyone offering cash is telling you who they are.

Why Our Prices Win

Low Overheads Mean More Per Kilo for You

Here is the open secret of scrap pricing: a big slice of what a yard offers goes on running the yard — acres of land, weighbridges, buildings to heat and light, office staff and all-day yard crews. OJ Metal Recycling runs a deliberately different model. We are collection-only, with no public yard to fund: vans, calibrated scales, phones and a small experienced team.

That lean setup is not an accident — it is the whole point. Every pound not spent on premises is a pound that can go into the price per kilo. Lower overheads mean more of every load's value reaches you, which is why our guide prices for copper, brass, cable and other non-ferrous consistently reward properly graded loads. No gates, no queues, no yard cut — just the metal, weighed in front of you and paid by bank transfer.

No yard to fund

No weighbridge site, no acres of rent, no public yard overheads baked into every price we quote.

Graded at your address

Copper, brass, cable and lead weighed item by item on calibrated scales — the same rigour as a yard weighbridge, at your kerb.

Paid properly

Itemised breakdown on the spot and payment by bank transfer. Legal, documented and traceable — as the law requires.

Get More For It

Preparing Any Load for Sale

Sort by metal

Copper, brass, aluminium, cable, steel — apart. Mixed piles grade as mixed everywhere, yard or collection. See what metals are worth money.

Bring ID

Photo ID is legally required to sell scrap in England. Have it ready for yard visits; for collections we will confirm what is needed when you book.

Photograph it

For collections, clear photos plus your postcode get you an honest answer on value and suitability before anyone travels. No photos, no promises — from anyone.

Honest Maths

Yard vs Collection: When Each Wins

A yard pays for metal over the weighbridge — but the true comparison includes everything around the trip. Work it through honestly:

The real cost of a yard trip

Fuel there and back, plus vehicle wear — in a van or trailer, not a car boot
Loading at home, queueing at the yard, unloading in all weathers
An hour or two gone from your day, each way of it unpaid
Small or awkward loads often barely cover the diesel

When collection wins

No transport needed — we come to houses, garages, sites and units
Suitable loads collected free; non-ferrous graded under weigh and pay
No queues, no unloading, no wasted half-day
Itemised weights and bank transfer on the spot

The honest exception: if you already run a loaded tipper past a yard daily, the yard trip costs you nothing extra. For everyone else in Leeds — no van, no trailer, awkward access, or simply better things to do — collection usually leaves more money (and time) in your pocket.

FAQs

Selling FAQs

Do I need ID to sell scrap in Leeds?

Yes — photo ID is legally required, and payment comes by bank transfer. No ID, no sale, anywhere legitimate.

Will you collect small household loads?

Where the load is mostly metal and practical to collect, yes — see Leeds collections for how it works.

How do I get the best price?

Sort by metal, keep loads clean and dry, and get non-ferrous graded under weigh and pay rather than weighed as mixed scrap.

What areas of Leeds do you cover?

All LS postcodes — city centre to Otley, Morley to Seacroft. Send your postcode and we will confirm.

Why are OJMR's prices competitive?

Our collection-only model carries none of a yard's premises costs — no weighbridge site or public yard to fund — so more of every kilo's value goes into the price we pay.

Is collection really free?

For suitable loads, yes — mostly-metal loads that are practical to collect. Send photos and your postcode and we will confirm before anyone travels.

Keep Reading

Leeds CollectionsHow collection works across LS areas.

Weigh & Pay LeedsNon-ferrous graded at your address.

All Blog ArticlesTips, prices and collection advice.

Ready to Sell Your Scrap?

Photos, postcode, honest assessment — then collection at your door.

Request a Collection Call 07793 020266

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