Where to sell scrap metal in Albuquerque

If you've got metal piling up — old wire, radiators, a dead water heater, a truck bed of steel — a scrap yard will weigh it and pay you for it. This is a straight list of real Albuquerque yards, what they buy, and the honest math on whether hauling it yourself is worth your time. Where it isn't, I'll tell you that too.

The honest math: is hauling it yourself worth the cash?

Scrap yards pay by weight, measured on their own scale — usually per pound for non-ferrous metals and per ton for ferrous. That one fact decides most of it:

• Non-ferrous pays real money. Copper, aluminum, and brass command substantially higher per-pound prices than steel and iron. A clean, sorted load of copper wire or aluminum is genuinely worth the drive.
• Sorting is where the money is. Yards pay a mixed bucket at the lowest grade in it. Separating your metals by type, and stripping off insulation, dirt, and non-metal attachments, gets you a higher payout than dumping one unsorted pile.
• Ferrous-only loads pay little for the effort. Steel and iron are priced per ton, so a small mixed pile of heavy junk often isn't worth the labor to dismantle, load, and haul once you value your own time.

So it's worth doing yourself when the load is clean, heavy, sorted, and non-ferrous in enough quantity to justify the scale trip. It's usually not worth it for a small mixed pile, one awkward heavy item, or an appliance you'd have to wrestle into a truck. Because prices move daily, call the yard for the current rate before you commit.

That is the pile I haul free. A small mixed pile, one heavy awkward piece, a dead water heater or swamp cooler: text me a photo and I’ll tell you honestly whether it’s worth my trip. No cash — the salvage is how the pickup stays free.

Full-service yards that pay cash

These buy both ferrous (steel, iron) and non-ferrous metals, and pay cash.

Acme Iron & Metal — 6142 2nd St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107 · (505) 345-2457. A large, family-owned full-service scrap recycler. Buys ferrous and non-ferrous scrap — steel, iron, appliances, aluminum cans, and junk cars — and pays cash. Acme asks you to bring your driver’s license to get paid for a load, and call ahead — metal prices change daily. Acme also runs four more metro yards (per acmeironandmetal.com, checked September 2026 — call to confirm what each takes):

Acme Iron & Metal – Juan Tabo — 201 Juan Tabo Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123 · (505) 508-3116. The yard closest to the NE Heights and the east side.

Albuquerque Metal Recycling — 3339 2nd St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105 · (505) 877-6110. Acme’s South Valley yard.

Ace Metals — 5711 Broadway Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87105 · (505) 877-1092. Acme’s yard on Broadway in the southeast.

Rio Rancho Recycling — 110 Frontage Rd, Rio Rancho, NM 87124 · (505) 994-2369. The Acme yard for Rio Rancho and the Westside.

There’s also an Acme yard in Bosque Farms (1220 Bosque Farms Blvd).

National Metals — 3906 4th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107 · (505) 344-1777. A long-established, family-owned recycler. Buys copper, aluminum, brass and bronze, insulated wire and cable, steel and iron, and stainless. Confirm hours by phone before hauling a load.

Pueblo Metals Recycling — 3401 Broadway Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87105 · (505) 967-4766 (per its parent company, American Iron & Metal; call to confirm hours). A public yard that accepts walk-ins, weighs on site, and pays by cash or check. Buys steel, cast iron, aluminum, copper, brass, stainless, insulated wire, radiators, lead-acid batteries, electric motors, catalytic converters, and more — plus junk cars. Rates fluctuate, so confirm current pricing the day you go.

Omar's Recycling — 2930 2nd St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107 · (505) 304-3307. Family-run North Valley yard that buys ferrous and non-ferrous scrap — aluminum (cans, scrap, wire), copper, brass, stainless, steel, and iron — and pays cash. Call ahead to confirm hours and current rates.

Don’t want to haul it? Free scrap metal pickup in Albuquerque →

Non-ferrous specialists (copper, aluminum, brass, wire)

If your load is mostly wire and non-ferrous metal, these two focus there.

Rudy's Downtown Recycling — 1224 2nd St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 · (505) 247-4576. Family-run yard; buys non-ferrous scrap (copper, aluminum, brass, radiators, stainless), takes commercial loads, and offers commercial pickups. Staff speak Spanish and English. Primarily non-ferrous, so call first if you have steel or iron.

Zia Recycling — 2701 2nd St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107 · (505) 507-8508. Buys a broad range of ferrous and non-ferrous metals — aluminum, copper, brass, stainless, titanium, nickel, steel, lead, and lead-acid batteries. Their site describes buying from businesses, manufacturers, and other scrap dealers, so call ahead to confirm they'll take material from an individual and to check current rates.

A mixed remodel pile of copper and wire? Free pickup →

Nearest yard by side of town

Bring your ID: New Mexico's scrap-metal rules

You can't sell regulated scrap metal anonymously in New Mexico. This is an anti-theft measure, so plan for it:

• You must show valid personal identification — under the statute that means a driver's license, a military ID, or a passport recognized by the U.S. The dealer has to visually verify it at the time of purchase.
• The yard must be a registered Secondhand Metal Dealer with the NM Regulation and Licensing Department, and is legally required to record your ID plus the year, make, model, and license plate of the vehicle you used to transport the metal.
• Dealers keep that record on site for a year and make it available to a compliance officer or peace officer on request. Expect to be asked for ID every time — it is the law, not the yard being difficult.

No individual seller's license is required — you just need to show who you are.

What the yards won't buy

Some metal items scrap yards routinely refuse. Here's where each actually goes.

Refrigerators, freezers, and AC units. These hold refrigerant that federal EPA rules require be professionally recovered — with signed documentation — before the unit is scrapped, so many yards refuse them or charge a fee. The City of Albuquerque’s free Large Item Pick-Up (311) takes them at the curb for residential Solid Waste customers, and the City’s convenience centers take appliances for a per-load fee. Full appliance disposal options →

Televisions and e-waste. Neither the scrap yards nor the City’s e-waste program take TVs, but Albuquerque Computer & Electronics Recycling Co. (3726 Hawkins St NE, 505-990-3732) recycles them for a processing fee. Computers, printers and similar electronics go to the City’s e-waste drop-off at Eagle Rock (6301 Eagle Rock Ave NE, 505-768-3925), where disposal fees apply. Item-by-item recycling options →

Propane tanks and batteries. These metal items yards usually refuse go to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center (2720 Girard Blvd NE, 505-884-2277) — free for City and Bernalillo County residents. It takes batteries of any kind (including automobile batteries) and propane bottles, but does not accept general e-waste, appliances, or tires.

Cans, foil, and pots and pans. Household-scale metal belongs in the City's blue recycling cart or drop-off sites (e.g., 1250 Menaul Blvd NE) — aluminum and tin cans, clean foil, and pots and pans. Scrap metal, appliances, and large or sharp metal items are not accepted there and can damage the recycling equipment.

Appliance still inside the house? Free appliance pickup →

Clearing out more than metal?

Clearing a garage, a parent’s house or a closing shop? The metal is usually sitting next to tools, electronics and gear that are worth more than scrap. Text one wide photo of the whole space to (505) 250-3804. Selling the good pieces yourself? See where to sell or donate used gear in Albuquerque — real local shops, addresses, and phone numbers.

Rather not deal with any of it?

Text me a photo → Or use the request form

Common questions