Scrap Gold Recycling Market Report 2026

The scrap gold recycling market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $15.58 billion in 2025 to $16.88 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rising scrap gold availability, increasing awareness of metal reuse, growing jewelry recycling practices, early industrial gold reuse demand, increasing urban mining activities.

The scrap gold recycling market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $23.58 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing demand for recycled precious metals, rising cost pressure on mined gold, strengthening sustainability initiatives, increasing industrial reuse requirements, expanding gold refining technologies. Major trends in the forecast period include rising collection of discarded gold jewelry, growing refining and reuse of precious metals, increasing focus on sustainable gold recovery, expansion of recycling facilities and processing units, strengthening demand for reprocessed industrial gold.

The increase in gold prices is expected to drive the growth of the scrap gold recycling market in the coming years. The growth in gold prices is driven by factors such as economic uncertainty, inflationary pressures, volatile currency movements, and heightened demand for gold as a safe-haven investment. Higher gold prices encourage scrap gold recycling by improving profitability for individuals and businesses that recycle and sell gold, thereby boosting the availability of recycled gold in the market. For instance, in January 2024, according to the World Gold Council, a UK-based international trade association for the gold industry, the average gold price increased from US $1,802.45 per troy ounce in 2022 to US $1,940.54 per troy ounce in 2023. Therefore, the increase in gold prices is fueling the growth of the scrap gold recycling market.

Major companies operating in the scrap gold recycling market are focusing on adopting innovative approaches, such as the mass balance approach, to verify claims of recycled content. The mass balance approach is used to trace and certify the proportion of recycled or sustainably sourced materials in a product or process. It ensures that the amount of recycled content used corresponds to the amount of recycled material inputted into the system, providing transparency and accountability for sustainability claims. For instance, in April 2024, Heraeus Precious Metals, a Germany-based precious metals industry, launched Circlear to meet the increasing demand for sustainable solutions in the precious metals industry. Circlear features 100% recycled-content precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum, promoting a circular economy by reducing reliance on primary extraction. Certified by TÜV Süd, Circlear ensures high-quality standards while significantly lowering carbon emissions compared to conventional production methods.

In February 2024, Hensel Recycling, a precious metals recycling firm based in the US, acquired Red Fox Resources for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition enables Hensel to enhance its presence and expand its customer base in the US and North American markets, especially on the West Coast. Red Fox Resources is a US-based company specializing in recycling precious metals such as gold, copper, and zinc.

Major companies operating in the scrap gold recycling market report are Umicore N.V., Aurubis AG, Boliden AB, Dillon Gage Inc., Elemetal LLC, Sipi Metals Corporation, Metallix Refining Inc., Gannon & Scott, United Precious Metal Refining Inc., David H. Fell & Company Inc., RPM Industries LLC, Garfield Refining, Gold Refiners LLC, Mid-States Recycling & Refining Inc., Arch Enterprises Inc., Manhattan Gold & Silver, Northern Refineries Inc., Geib Refining Corporation, Republic Metals Corporation, Doral Refining Corporation.

Europe was the largest region in the scrap gold recycling market in 2025. The regions covered in the scrap gold recycling market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the scrap gold recycling market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The scrap gold recycling market includes revenues earned by entities by providing gold assaying and evaluation, collection and logistics, and refining and processing service. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The scrap gold recycling market consists of sales of gold granules or flakes, gold powder, and gold alloys. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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