This is a working index of what scrap actually pays in 2026, across 25 materials and part types. Every figure links through to a full guide with grade-by-grade breakdowns, regional variation and the mistakes that cost people money at the scale.
Scrap pricing is not one number. What a yard hands you depends on the grade you bring, how clean it is, how much of it there is, and what the commodity market did that week. The ranges here reflect what US yards were paying at the time of writing, and each linked guide explains where in the range your material is likely to land.
How to read these prices
Per-pound rates apply to loose material sold by weight. Per-unit prices apply where the item is graded whole — catalytic converters, batteries and appliances. A range is not a negotiation position: the low end is genuinely what contaminated or low-grade material pays, and the high end genuinely requires clean, sorted, correctly identified material.
Prices below are indicative and change with the market. Call two yards before hauling anything heavy, and read the linked guide first if the material is one where grading is contested.
Base metals and alloys
Sold by weight. These rates track COMEX and LME spot prices, so they move week to week. Grade and cleanliness matter more than quantity: the same copper can pay four times as much bare bright as it does insulated.
| Material | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Bare bright copper | $3.90 – $4.40 / lb | Highest-paying grade in the market. Must be clean, unalloyed, uncoated wire. |
| Aluminum | $0.05 – $0.69 / lb | Huge spread by grade. Clean extrusion pays well above cast or wound material. |
| Stainless steel (304 / 316 / 430) | $0.30 – $1.00 / lb | Nickel content sets the price. 316 pays most, magnetic 430 pays least. |
| Titanium | $0.35 – $3.00+ / lb | Clean 6Al-4V solids top the range. Turnings and chips drop sharply. |
| Zinc | $0.25 – $0.60 / lb | Clean die cast at the top, mixed or painted material at the bottom. |
| Cast iron | $0.04 – $0.12 / lb | Low per-pound rate, but weight adds up fast on radiators and bathtubs. |
| Galvanized steel | $0.03 – $0.08 / lb | Prices below clean steel because mills must burn the zinc coating off. |
| Shredded metal (shred steel) | $0.04 – $0.10 / lb | The base grade of the ferrous market. Mill benchmark runs $150–$200 per ton. |
Catalytic converters
Priced per unit rather than per pound, because the value sits in the platinum, palladium and rhodium inside the honeycomb. Identify the serial code stamped on the shell before you sell anything — two converters that look identical can differ by hundreds of dollars.
| Material | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Ford torpedo | $110 – $1,141 | The most valuable domestic converter. Price is set by internal biscuit count. |
| Ford F-150 | $95 – $850+ | Varies by model year and engine. Pre-2010 units carry the richest loadings. |
| BMW | $50 – $800+ | Wide range across models. OEM units pay several times what aftermarket ones do. |
| Subaru (Outback, Forester) | $60 – $400+ | Most carry two units. The small bean cat is often worth more than the front one. |
| Honda Civic | $75 – $350+ | Japanese loadings run high. Most OEM units land between $150 and $250. |
| Honda Accord | $80 – $300+ | The 1996–2007 model years pay best. V6 models carry dual converters. |
| BC34-5K282-DA (Ford Super Duty) | $100 – $250 | Two variants exist. The ceramic DOC unit pays far more than the DPF version. |
| N/TA/99490 (Dodge Durango) | $20 – $60 | One of the lowest-value OEM codes. Recent buyer data peaks near $44. |
Appliances and white goods
Worth more parted out than whole in nearly every case. The ranges below are for whole units; the notes show what the individual components add if you have the time and tools to strip them.
| Material | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | $15 – $50 whole | Compressor alone brings $10–$25. Copper tubing pays $0.75–$1.00 per pound. |
| Washing machine | $8 – $25 whole | The motor brings $10–$20. Stainless drums pay $0.20–$0.40 per pound. |
| Water heater | $5 – $15 whole | Brass valves, copper pipe and the anode rod add $3–$10 when pulled. |
| AC compressor | $5 – $25 per unit | $0.15–$0.35 per pound. Home HVAC units pay more than automotive ones. |
Motors, electrical and specialty
Copper content drives most of this category. The exceptions are batteries, which follow the lead market, and mercury, which is regulated waste rather than a payout.
| Material | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Electric motors | $0.15 – $0.40 / lb | Copper windings are the whole value. ECM motors pay well above base rate. |
| Transformers | $0.10 – $0.60 / lb | Copper-wound average $0.35 per pound. Aluminum-wound pay about a third of that. |
| Car batteries | $5 – $15 each | $0.15–$0.28 per pound, driven almost entirely by the LME lead price. |
| Oxygen and gas cylinders | $2 – $30 each | Aluminum pays $0.40–$0.60 per pound. Steel pays almost nothing. |
| Mercury | Costs $50 – $300 | Not a payout. Mercury is regulated waste and disposal costs you money. |
What actually changes your payout
Five things account for most of the difference between what two people get for the same material on the same day.
- Sorting. Mixed loads get graded down to the lowest metal present. Separating copper from brass before you arrive is often worth more per hour than the hauling itself.
- Contamination. Attached steel, plastic, insulation and paint all pull material into a lower grade. A clean cut costs seconds and can move a whole load up a tier.
- Volume. Most yards run tiered pricing. Accumulating until you have several hundred pounds usually beats weekly trips with a bucket.
- Identification. This matters most with catalytic converters, where the serial code sets the price. Sell an unidentified converter and you get the buyer’s floor price, not its value.
- Timing. Copper, aluminum, lead and zinc all move on global markets. A load held two weeks in a rising market can pay noticeably more.
Scrap is one part of what this site covers. If you are researching what something originally sold for rather than what it is worth as material, the wider scrap price archive and the rest of Original Price cover retail and market pricing across categories.