1. Quiz
  2. Your result
  3. Your plan
  4. Your guide

Step-by-step guide

Collecting and selling scrap metal: from your first load to steady weekly sales

Collect old metal from homes, workshops and builders and sell it by the kilogram to a registered scrap dealer. This guide covers what dealers pay in 2026 (light steel about R1 to R2.40 a kg, cans about R11 to R25 a kg, at the dealers we checked), the law on selling scrap, what never to touch, how to sort for better prices, and a worked rand example with clearly labelled example figures.

  • 23 lessons
  • 5 modules
  • About 2 hours
  • First lesson free

Is this guide for you?

Good fit if

  • You are fit enough to lift, carry and sort heavy, dirty items.
  • You can get metal to a dealer: a trolley, a lift or a bakkie.
  • You are happy to knock on doors and ask workshops for their offcuts.

Think twice if

  • You don't have a South African ID or passport. Dealers must see it.
  • You want quick money from cable, manhole covers or anything you cannot prove is yours to sell.
  • You have nowhere to sort and store metal for a few days.

Honest expectations

  • Steel pays little: about R1 to R2.40 a kg for light steel at the dealers we checked, so you need volume or better metals.
  • Clean, sorted metal earns more. Cans paid R13 to R25 a kg and clean brass R40 or more a kg at the dealers we checked.
  • Prices change with world metal prices, so phone two dealers before every sale.

What is inside

  1. Module 1

    Is this right for you?

    What it involves, who pays, and honest expectations.

    1. How scrap metal collecting worksFree · 5 min
    2. Honest expectations4 min (in the full guide)
  2. Module 2

    Set up and price

    What you need and what to charge.

    1. Your startup kit, costs and skills5 min (in the full guide)
    2. Set up step by step: ready for your first load6 min (in the full guide)
    3. What dealers pay: real 2026 figures5 min (in the full guide)
    4. Your numbers: a worked example in rands5 min (in the full guide)
  3. Module 3

    Your first week

    The first steps, in order.

    1. Your first week, step by step6 min (in the full guide)
    2. Week one, step 2: Make a list of workshops and builders near you3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Week one, step 3: Get gloves and safety boots3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Finding scrap and the right dealer5 min (in the full guide)
    5. Your 14-day playbook to your first paying customers6 min (in the full guide)
    6. Messages to copy: your first customers5 min (in the full guide)
  4. Module 4

    Your first month

    A routine that brings in customers.

    1. Your first 30 days: build a routine4 min (in the full guide)
    2. Month one, task 1: Agree regular pickups and keep a record of what you collected and sold3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Month one, task 2: Compare two dealers' prices before each sale3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Common mistakes in scrap collecting4 min (in the full guide)
  5. Module 5

    Months two and three

    Repeat what works, grow and stay safe.

    1. Days 31 to 90: repeat what works and grow4 min (in the full guide)
    2. Months two and three, task 1: Focus on the metals that pay best per trip3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Months two and three, task 2: Decide whether a trailer would pay for itself3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Free courses to fill your skill gaps4 min (in the full guide)
    5. Getting paid safely and spotting scams4 min (in the full guide)
    6. Tax: what to put aside, with worked examples6 min (in the full guide)
    7. Risks, rules, tax and staying safe5 min (in the full guide)

What it costs to start

ItemCostNote
Work gloves and safety boots (example range)R0 to R900Example range. Gloves are a must; boots protect your feet from dropped metal.
Trolley, sacks and a magnet (example range)R0 to R1 500Example range. A fridge magnet tells steel from other metals.
Transport to the dealer (example range) (optional)R0 to R600Example range. A lift or hired bakkie for big loads.

Try it before you buy

Lesson one is free. If it helps, the whole guide is R149 once-off.

Start the free lesson

Reviewed 26 October 2026 by the Earn Path team. Next review due 26 April 2027.