Karang Guni vs Scrap Metal Dealer: Who Pays More for Your Metal?

Ask most Singaporeans who buys old things for cash and the first answer is the karang guni — also spelt karung guni or garang guni. If you have a stack of newspapers or a few old household items, that is the right call. But if you have metal, especially copper, brass or aluminium, a licensed scrap metal dealer usually pays more. This guide explains the difference and when to use each.

What Is a Karang Guni?

A karang guni is Singapore's rag-and-bone man. The name comes from the Malay for a gunny sack, which collectors once used to carry what they bought. Karang guni men move around HDB estates, often announcing themselves with a horn or a loudhailer, and buy unwanted household items by the bag or by rough weight. They then sort what they collect and sell it on — paper to paper recyclers, metal to scrap dealers.

What a Karang Guni Buys

• Old newspapers, magazines and cardboard, usually bundled and weighed.
• Old clothes and textiles, depending on the collector.
• Old electrical items — fans, radios, rice cookers, small appliances.
• Small amounts of household metal — pots, pans, old fittings, a few metres of wire.
• Other second-hand items they think they can resell.

What each karang guni takes and pays varies from one collector to the next. There is no official karang guni price list.

What a Scrap Metal Dealer Buys

A scrap metal dealer buys metal only, and pays for it grade by grade:

• Copper — wire, cable, pipe, busbar
• Brass and bronze — taps, valves, fittings
• Aluminium — window frames, extrusions, sheet, cans
• Stainless steel and mild steel
• Batteries — lead-acid car and UPS batteries, and lithium-ion packs
• Catalytic converters

A dealer does not take newspapers, clothes or plastic. For those, a karang guni or the blue recycling bins are the right place.

Karang Guni vs Scrap Metal Dealer at a Glance

	Karang guni	Scrap metal dealer
What they take	Paper, clothes, small appliances, household odds and ends	Metal only, from a few kilos to tonnes
How metal is priced	Usually a lump sum or one rate for mixed metal	Per kg, by grade, linked to the LME metal price
Weighing	Usually a portable hand scale	Calibrated scales, with the reading shown to you
Comes to you?	Yes, door to door	Free pickup once the load meets the minimum, or drop off at the yard
Receipt	Usually none	Itemised receipt; disposal certificate for businesses on request
Best for	Small mixed household loads	Anything that is mostly metal

Who Pays More for Scrap Metal?

For metal, the dealer almost always pays more. That is not because karang guni men are unfair — it is how the chain works. A karang guni buys mixed items from many households, then sells the metal on to a dealer. The price they pay you has to leave room for their time, their transport and their margin when they resell.

Selling to a dealer cuts out that step. It also gets you paid by grade. A bag of clean copper pipe offcuts is paid as copper, not as mixed household scrap, and copper is worth many times more per kilo than steel. Check current scrap metal prices to see the gap between grades.

If you have been searching for a karang guni price list to see what your metal is worth, our price list is what you are really after. You can also estimate your payout with our scrap metal calculator.

When a Karang Guni Is the Better Call

• You have mostly paper, clothes or small household items, with only a little metal.
• You have a few kilos at most and no way to get them to a yard.
• You want everything gone in one trip from your door, and the price matters less than the convenience.

When to Call a Scrap Metal Dealer

• Renovation leftovers — copper pipe, aluminium window frames, cable offcuts.
• Aircon replacements — copper lines and compressors. See scrap aircon prices.
• Old car or motorcycle batteries.
• Workshop or factory offcuts, turnings and production scrap.
• Any business that needs a weight record and a receipt for its accounts.

How to Get the Most for Household Scrap Metal

1. Separate the metal from paper, plastic and wood.
2. Run a magnet over it. Non-magnetic metals such as copper, brass and aluminium pay far more than steel. See ferrous vs non-ferrous.
3. Keep copper and brass apart from everything else.
4. Strip thick cable if you have the time — see how to strip copper wire.
5. Bring it to 170 Gul Circle (Monday to Saturday 8:30 AM–6:30 PM and Sunday 8:30 AM–3:30 PM). Walk-in drop-off has no minimum.

Karang Guni FAQs

What is a karang guni?
A karang guni is Singapore's rag-and-bone man: a collector who goes door to door in HDB estates buying old newspapers, clothes, appliances and household metal, then sells them on to recyclers and scrap dealers.

Is it karang guni or karung guni?
Both spellings are common in Singapore, along with garang guni. The name comes from the Malay for a gunny sack.

Do karang guni buy scrap metal?
Yes, in small amounts, usually as part of a mixed household load. For larger amounts or clean copper, brass or aluminium, a licensed scrap metal dealer pays by grade and usually pays more.

Can I sell a small amount of household metal to Molten Steel?
Yes. Walk-in drop-off at 170 Gul Circle has no minimum. Bring your NRIC or FIN and we will weigh, grade and pay on the spot.

Do you collect newspapers or old clothes?
No. We buy metal only. For paper and clothes, call a karang guni or use the blue recycling bins.

Karang Guni or Scrap Dealer: More Questions

Do scrap metal dealers buy old fans, rice cookers and small appliances?

Molten Steel buys only metal, not whole electrical devices. Small appliances such as fans, rice cookers and radios are mostly plastic with circuit boards inside, so they belong in e-waste collection points or with a karang guni. Metal parts you have already separated, such as copper wire, are a different matter. See e-waste metal recovery.

How am I paid when I sell scrap metal to a dealer?

At Molten Steel you are paid by PayNow or bank transfer, usually on the same day, with an itemised receipt that shows the weight and grade of each item. Bring your NRIC or FIN. A digital payment and receipt give you a clear record of what you sold and for how much. See cash vs bank transfer payouts.

Is it worth selling a few aluminium cans?

Not usually on their own. Aluminium cans are very light, so a bag of them weighs little and pays little. For a handful, the blue recycling bin is simpler. If you collect cans in volume, for example from an event, office or F&B outlet, they are worth bringing in as a load. See aluminium can recycling.

Can I sell old batteries to a scrap metal dealer instead of a karang guni?

Yes, for the right types. We buy lead-acid car and UPS batteries, and lithium-ion packs from e-bikes, PMDs, power tools, UPS and solar systems, and EVs, priced by chemistry, weight and condition. Damaged or swollen packs must be declared. Household phone and AA batteries go to e-waste bins, not to us. See our battery recycling guide.