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Zinc Reference Rate — 10-Day Trend
All prices in ₹ per gram · daily rate, updated once per day
Two Very Different Kinds of Zinc Scrap
Today's refined-zinc reference works out to ₹333.77 per kilogram, built from ₹0.33 per gram on September 17, 2026. Scrap zinc trades at a discount to this figure, and how big that discount is depends heavily on which kind of scrap you're talking about.
- Galvanized steel scrap: mostly steel with a thin protective zinc coating
- Die-casting scrap: zinc alloy components from automotive and consumer manufacturing
- General alloy scrap: a mix of other zinc-containing industrial waste
Zinc Reference Rate by Weight
Today's Zinc rate is Less than One Rupees per gram. At this rate, 10 grams of Zinc costs Three Rupees.
| Unit | Weight | Price (INR) | Price in Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Gram | 1.0000 g | ₹0.33 | Less than One Rupees |
| 8 Grams | 8.0000 g | ₹2.67 | Three Rupees |
| 10 Grams | 10.0000 g | ₹3.34 | Three Rupees |
| 100 Grams | 100.0000 g | ₹33.38 | Thirty Three Rupees |
| 1 Kilogram | 1,000.0000 g | ₹333.77 | Three Hundred and Thirty Four Rupees |
| 1 Ounce (oz) | 28.3495 g | ₹9.46 | Nine Rupees |
| 1 Troy Ounce | 31.1035 g | ₹10.38 | Ten Rupees |
| 1 Metric Ton | 1,000,000.0000 g | ₹333,767.00 | Three Lakh Thirty Three Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Seven Rupees |
Why Galvanized Scrap Is the Harder Recycling Problem
Galvanizing coats steel with a protective zinc layer — that's genuinely most of the point of the process, protecting the steel underneath from corrosion. But it means galvanized scrap is overwhelmingly steel by weight, with only a thin zinc skin. Recovering that zinc requires a genuinely separate process from steel recycling, which is why galvanized scrap and die-casting scrap don't command the same price per kilogram even when both eventually yield usable zinc.
Die-casting scrap is a more straightforward recovery
Die-cast zinc components — precision-molded automotive and consumer-product parts — are a much higher proportion zinc by weight than galvanized coating ever is. That makes die-casting scrap a comparatively simpler, more valuable recycling stream, since less separation work stands between the scrap and sellable refined zinc.
| Scrap Type | Zinc Proportion | Recovery Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Galvanized steel scrap | Low (thin coating) | Higher — needs steel separation |
| Die-casting scrap | High | Lower — more straightforward |
Zinc Reference Rate — Last 10 Days
The most recent Zinc price on record (2026-09-17) is Less than One Rupees per gram.
| Date | Price (INR/g) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-17 | ₹0.33 | +0.00 |
| 2026-09-16 | ₹0.33 | 0.00 |
| 2026-09-15 | ₹0.33 | +0.00 |
| 2026-09-14 | ₹0.33 | -0.01 |
| 2026-09-13 | ₹0.34 | +0.00 |
| 2026-09-12 | ₹0.34 | 0.00 |
| 2026-09-11 | ₹0.34 | 0.00 |
| 2026-09-10 | ₹0.34 | -0.01 |
| 2026-09-09 | ₹0.35 | +0.00 |
| 2026-09-08 | ₹0.35 | — |
Recycling's Place Alongside Primary Zinc Mining
Zinc ore itself often contains real, recoverable byproducts — this is the actual source of most of the world's gallium and indium supply, both tracked elsewhere on this site. That byproduct relationship exists on the mining side of zinc's supply chain; recycling is a separate, complementary stream feeding smelters alongside newly mined concentrate from major producing countries including China, Peru and Australia.
The comparison table and 10-day history above track how the underlying refined-zinc reference rate has moved. For a longer view, the site's own zinc price history page holds real recorded data by year and month.
Zinc Scrap and Recycling — Common Questions
Galvanized steel offcuts and end-of-life products (since galvanizing coats steel with a protective zinc layer), zinc die-casting scrap from automotive and consumer-product manufacturing, and general zinc alloy scrap all get collected and reprocessed back into usable zinc.
Scaled from today's per-gram figure of ₹0.33, the refined-zinc reference works out to ₹333.77 per kilogram on September 17, 2026. Actual scrap purchase prices are typically discounted from this figure, reflecting the reprocessing needed before the zinc is usable at full purity.
Galvanized steel scrap is mostly steel with only a thin zinc coating, so recovering the zinc requires separating it from the underlying steel — a genuinely different, more involved process than reprocessing die-casting scrap, which is already a much higher proportion zinc.
Zinc concentrate is the processed output of mining — crushed and refined ore with a high zinc content, but not yet smelted into pure metal. Zinc scrap is recycled material recovered from existing products. Both eventually feed into smelters, but they represent genuinely different points in the supply chain.
Recycled zinc supplements primary mining output, and because zinc ore deposits often contain real, recoverable byproducts like gallium and indium, the recycling stream is a smaller but real part of maintaining overall zinc supply alongside dedicated mining in countries like China, Peru and Australia.
