Indicative. Final price depends on grade, contamination and quantity, and is confirmed on weighment at pickup.
The rate above is what National Recycling pays for zinc scrap today in Mumbai and Thane, recalculated daily from live London Metal Exchange zinc pricing.
Zinc is unusual among the metals we buy, because most of it never arrives as recognisable zinc. It turns up as galvanising residues from steel plants, as die-cast components that people assume are cheap alloy, and as process waste from hot-dip lines. If your operation galvanises anything, there is almost certainly zinc value leaving your site as waste.
Zinc scrap grades and forms
| Form | What it is | How it prices |
|---|---|---|
| Zinc die-castzamak | Cast components: hardware, locks, automotive trim, carburettor bodies, toy castings, zip pulls. | The main solid grade. Clean castings free of steel inserts price best. |
| Zinc sheet and plate | Roofing sheet, printing plates, battery casings, anodes. | Good grade when clean and dry. |
| Galvanising dross | Heavy zinc-iron residue that settles at the bottom of a hot-dip galvanising kettle. | Priced on zinc content, which is high but not pure. Iron is the diluent. |
| Galvanising ashskimmings | The lighter oxide layer skimmed from the top of the kettle. | Below dross, because zinc content is lower and oxide does not recover fully. |
| Zinc anodessacrificial | Spent anodes from marine, pipeline and tank cathodic protection. | Priced on remaining metal after corrosion loss. |
| Zinc with steel inserts | Die-castings with steel pins, threads or shafts moulded in. | Discounted on the deducted steel weight and the separation work. |
Dross and ash are not the same thing. They come from opposite ends of the same kettle and carry different zinc content. Galvanisers who keep them in separate drums get paid correctly for both. Galvanisers who mix them get paid for the weaker one.
Where zinc scrap comes from
- Hot-dip galvanising plants. Dross and ash are produced continuously and in predictable quantities. This is the single largest source of zinc scrap in India and usually justifies a scheduled collection.
- Die-casting units. Runners, sprues, rejected castings and flash from zamak component production. Clean, consistent, high grade.
- Hardware and automotive manufacturing. Rejected trim, handles, locks and fittings.
- Marine and pipeline maintenance. Spent sacrificial anodes from hulls, jetties, storage tanks and buried pipeline.
- Battery and printing. Zinc casings from older cell types, and spent printing plates.
- Steel fabrication. Offcuts of galvanised sheet carry a zinc coating, though these are usually sold as steel rather than zinc.
What moves the zinc rate
The LME price
London Metal Exchange zinc sets the global reference, and the rate above tracks it daily.
Steel and construction activity
More than half of world zinc use goes into galvanising steel. That makes zinc unusually sensitive to construction, infrastructure and automotive output. When steel demand rises, zinc follows, and so does the value of galvanising residues.
Mine supply
Zinc is mined as a concentrate and refined in relatively few places. Disruption at large mines or smelters moves the price more sharply than it does for metals with more diversified supply.
The rupee
Zinc is dollar-priced internationally, so a weaker rupee lifts the rupee scrap rate independently of any movement in the global price.
Getting more for your zinc
- Keep dross and ash in separate drums. This is the biggest single improvement available to any galvaniser, and it costs nothing but discipline on the shop floor.
- Keep residues dry. Moisture is deducted as weight and makes handling and analysis harder.
- Separate die-cast from anything with steel in it. Steel inserts are deducted and slow down processing.
- Do not let drums sit in the open through monsoon. Zinc residues absorb water readily, and you pay for it twice over.
How we weigh and pay
Collection is free for business quantities. We bring the vehicle and labour, weigh on site, and pay against the weighment slip. For dross and ash we may ask for an analysis or take a sample, because zinc content genuinely varies between plants and a fair price depends on knowing it. That conversation happens before collection, not after.
You receive a weighment record, a material-wise breakup and recycling documentation suitable for audit and waste reporting.
Other rate calculators
Zinc scrap questions we get asked
What is the zinc scrap rate today in Mumbai?
The live figure is at the top of this page, recalculated daily from London Metal Exchange zinc pricing converted to rupees per kilogram. It reflects clean solid zinc. Dross, ash and contaminated material price on their assessed zinc content.
Do you buy galvanising dross and ash?
Yes, and in quantity. Both are priced on zinc content rather than gross weight, which is why we usually want an analysis or a sample first. Keeping them in separate drums makes a material difference to what you are paid, because dross carries considerably more recoverable zinc than ash.
What is the difference between zinc dross and zinc ash?
Dross is the heavy zinc-iron residue that settles at the bottom of a galvanising kettle. Ash, or skimmings, is the lighter oxide layer removed from the surface. Dross carries higher recoverable zinc and prices above ash. Mixing them means being paid at the lower rate for everything.
Is zinc die-cast worth recycling?
Yes. Zamak castings are a good grade of zinc scrap, particularly clean runners, sprues and rejects from die-casting units. Castings with steel pins or threads moulded in are discounted for the deducted steel and the separation work involved.
Why is zinc so tied to the steel industry?
More than half of global zinc consumption goes into galvanising steel to prevent corrosion. Zinc demand therefore rises and falls with construction, infrastructure and automotive production, which makes the zinc scrap rate more sensitive to steel activity than to anything else.
Do you collect spent sacrificial anodes?
Yes. Spent anodes from marine, tank and pipeline cathodic protection are priced on remaining metal after corrosion loss, so the original anode weight is not the relevant figure.