For buyers, electricians and industry executives, the price of copper is more than just a figure on the stock exchange — it is a direct influence on the last line. After a volatile 2025, many are asking themselves the question: What happens to the evolution of scrap prices; during 2026?
The answer looks to be driven by a perfect storm of technological development and resource shortages. Here we analyze the market situation and what it means for those who want sell copper now or later.
Global Outlook: Towards new record levels?
The major analysis houses agree that we are heading towards a period of rising commodity prices. Investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan have published forecasts pointing to the possibility that the copper price could climb towards $12,000 per ton during 2026.
This would mean new record levels, driven by a fundamental imbalance in which demand is running away from supply.
3 Reasons behind the expected rise in prices
Why do experts believe in a copper deficiency? It is not a single event, but three structural changes occurring at the same time:
1. The Green Transition
The electrification of the vehicle fleet is the single biggest driver. An electric car requires up to four times more copper than a conventional gasoline car. As both the EU and carmakers scale up production in 2026, the market is vacuumed up on red metal.
2. AI & Data Center
This is the “joker” in the forecast. The expansion of AI technology requires huge data centers, which in turn requires massive expansion of the power grid. Both servers and power cables are copper intensive, which drives demand massively.
3. Supply Shock and Mining
While demand is rising, the mines are not keeping up. It takes an average of 17 years to start a new copper mine from deposit to production. This creates a deficit in the market that cannot be resolved quickly, pushing prices upwards.
Local impact: What controls your Swedish scrap price?
A copper price forecast for 2026 on the world market is one thing, but what you get paid in Swedish kronor at the scrap yard is another.
The Swedish scrap price is strongly influenced by the exchange rate between USD and SEK.
- Copper is traded in Dollars (USD).
- If the dollar strengthens against the krona, your scrap price in SEK rises even if the exchange price is stationary.
- If the krona strengthens, the scrap price could be held back even though the world market price is rising.
When you see headlines about “Record price of copper”, you must always adjust for today's dollar rate to know what it means for your business.
Advice: Sell cups now or later?
Given the forecasts of rising prices — should you store your scrap and wait? As a partner of Swedish industry, our advice is usually to be wary of speculation.
Storing scrap involves risks:
- Liquidity: You tie up capital in the warehouse instead of investing in the business.
- Risk of theft: Copper is theft-worthy.
- Market risk: Even if the trend is upward, the price may dip temporarily.
The strategy for 2026: For most companies, the best strategy is to have an even outflow but to keep track of the peaks. By selling on an ongoing basis, you smooth out price variations.
However, if you have the ability to store safely, it may be worth watching LME rates and the dollar closely during the year to “dot the peaks” at larger volumes.
Do you want to know today's value? On the Skrotify Portal you will always see up-to-date prices based on the world market and the dollar exchange rate.
See today's copper price and book pickup here: www.portal.krotify.se
