Car Scrap Value Calculator

This is a planning estimate, not a yard quote. The scrap-steel price per ton and catalytic converter value are figures you enter, and the tool never fetches live metal prices, so the result stays the same every time you run it. Real yards quote conservatively and deduct for non-metal weight and towing, so call two local yards for today’s rate before you decide. Treat the number as a starting point for the conversation, not as financial advice.

How to use this calculator

1. Choose how to enter weight. Pick a vehicle class for a typical curb weight, or select direct entry and type the exact curb weight from your door-jamb sticker or owner’s manual.
2. Enter the scrap-steel price per ton a local yard quotes you, then match the ton type (short, metric, or long ton) to however that price was quoted.
3. Decide whether to include the catalytic converter. If it is intact, leave it on and enter what a recycler will pay for it; if it was removed or stolen, switch it off.
4. Add any salvageable parts value you expect to recover by selling reusable parts before scrapping the shell. Leave it at 0 to value the car as a whole-unit scrap sale.
5. Set the condition multiplier so a stripped or non-running shell is discounted on the metal portion only.
6. Read the itemized result: total scrap value plus the metal, converter, and parts lines, the curb weight in tons, and the effective value per pound.

How it works

Scrap yards do not price the badge on your car. They pay for the metal on a per-ton scale, and this calculator mirrors that. They pay by weight, not by make and model.

The math is plain weight times price. First the tool finds your curb weight, the car’s empty weight with fluids but no passengers or cargo. It uses either the exact figure you enter or a typical weight for the class you pick. It converts that weight to tons, then multiplies by the scrap-steel price per ton you supply. The formula is:

metal value = curb weight in tons x scrap price per ton x condition multiplier

The condition multiplier scales the metal portion only: 1.0 for a complete, running car, 0.9 for a complete but not running car, and 0.75 for a stripped shell missing major parts. A stripped or dead car yields less recoverable metal, so it pays less.

The ton you divide by depends on the convention you choose. A short ton is 2,000 lb, a metric ton is 2,204.62 lb, and a long ton is 2,240 lb. US yards almost always quote per short ton, but matching the convention to the quote matters: the same car and price give a higher metal value under the short ton than under the heavier metric or long ton, because the same weight works out to more tons.

The metal body is the bulk of the value for most older cars, because a car is roughly 65% steel and iron by weight (USGS Fact Sheet 2005-3144). On top of the metal value the tool adds two optional components, each valued in full as a separate line:

• The catalytic converter, worth far more than its weight in steel because it holds platinum, palladium, and rhodium.
• Any reusable parts you plan to sell before scrapping the shell.

Adding the three lines gives the total. The result is itemized so you can see exactly where the money comes from, and every price is a number you control. When the metal market moves or a yard quotes you a rate, you update one field instead of trusting a black-box quote.

Examples

If you pick a midsize sedan (about 3,300 lb), set the price to $200 per short ton, keep the converter at $100, and choose complete but not running, the tool returns $397. The metal works out to 1.65 tons times $200 times the 0.9 condition multiplier, or $297, and the $100 converter is added in full.

If you pick a pickup truck (about 5,000 lb) in a stronger $250 per short ton market, keep it complete and running, and set the converter at $150, the tool returns $775. The metal is 2.5 tons times $250 times 1.0, or $625, plus the $150 converter. Add $400 of salvageable parts on top and the total climbs to $1,175, because the condition multiplier scales only the metal, while the converter and parts are added at full value.

If you enter a compact car’s curb weight of 2,900 lb directly, drop the price to a weak $150 per short ton, mark the converter as already gone, and choose a stripped shell, the tool returns $163. The metal is 1.45 tons times $150 times the 0.75 stripped multiplier, and with no converter and no parts, that is the whole figure.

If you keep the same 3,300 lb sedan and $200 price but switch the ton type from short to metric, the total drops from $397 to $369.43. The metric tonne packs 2,204.62 lb instead of 2,000, so the same weight is fewer tons, which lowers the metal value to $269.43 before the $100 converter is added.

What the data says

Scrap is a weight-times-price commodity, not a make-and-model price, and most people land here for one reason: they suspect the junkyard is lowballing them and want the real number before handing over their contact info. The data below sets the upper bound.

The single most valuable small part is usually the catalytic converter, and it is worth far more than its weight in steel. It carries a few grams of platinum, palladium, and rhodium, and those platinum-group metals trade in the high hundreds to several thousand dollars per troy ounce, which is why one intact converter can swing a junk car’s payout and why converter theft is so common (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025, Platinum-Group Metals).

The reason a yard weighs the whole car rather than pricing the make and model is simple: the body is mostly recoverable steel. As the USGS puts it:

“Steel is still the largest component by weight in an automobile, accounting for more than 60 percent of an average automobile’s weight.”

U.S. Geological Survey, Fact Sheet 2005-3144, in Steel Stocks in Use in Automobiles in the United States.

The per-ton price is a moving target, not a fixed rate, which is exactly why this tool makes you enter it. The USGS No. 1 heavy melting steel composite ran about $339 per metric ton in 2023 and an estimated $325 per metric ton in 2024, after far higher peaks in 2021 and 2022, so the rate a yard quotes today can differ by hundreds of dollars from last year (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025, Iron and Steel Scrap). Plugging in your own local number beats trusting a national average that may be a year old.

The table below is an upper-bound sanity check: typical curb weight, weight in short tons, and metal-only value by vehicle class, with curb weights anchored to NHTSA passenger-car weight classes and corroborated by USGS Fact Sheet 2005-3144 (USGS).

Vehicle class	Typical curb weight	Weight in short tons	Metal-only value at $200 per short ton (running)
Compact car	~2,900 lb	~1.45	~$290
Midsize sedan	~3,300 lb	~1.65	~$330
Full-size car	~4,000 lb	~2.00	~$400
SUV	~4,500 lb	~2.25	~$450
Pickup truck	~5,000 lb	~2.50	~$500

These metal-only figures exclude catalytic converter and parts value, assume a complete and running car, and use a clean $200 per short ton buy price. Real yard offers run lower after deductions for non-metal weight, uncrushed-body discounts, and towing. Treat this as an upper-bound metal reference, not a guaranteed payout.

A few mistakes come up again and again:

• People often take the first junkyard offer instead of calling two or three yards the same day, even though the per-ton buy price varies and tracks the metal market.
• People often let the catalytic converter value slip away: they either let the yard keep it or do not notice it was already stolen before getting a quote, even though it is the single most valuable small part.
• People often forget towing: they assume the quoted number is what lands in their pocket, when a tow for a non-running car is often deducted and can leave a light car netting close to nothing.
• People often assume a dead, non-running car is worthless, when scrap value is based on metal weight, not whether the car starts.
• People often strip the car of major parts and then expect full scrap value for the shell, when a stripped shell weighs and pays less.

What this tool does that others don’t

• It shows the weight times price-per-ton math a yard actually uses, then itemizes the answer. Ranked competitors are year/make/model lead-gen forms that hide the formula behind a single bundled figure; this page breaks the total into metal body, catalytic converter, and salvageable parts so you can see where every dollar comes from.
• It makes the scrap-steel price per ton an editable input, not a hidden constant. You plug in a local yard’s actual quote and watch your number move with the metal market, instead of trusting a black box that never tells you the rate it used.
• It values the catalytic converter as its own line and lets you switch it off when it was removed or stolen. Because converters hold platinum-group metals worth far more than steel, leaving that value bundled or assumed-present can misstate the payout by hundreds of dollars.
• It lets you pick the ton convention, short, metric, or long, so the conversion matches however the yard quoted the price. The same car at $200 per ton yields $397 under the short ton but $369.43 under the metric tonne, a gap most tools ignore by silently assuming one convention.
• It applies an explicit, adjustable condition discount to the metal portion only, separating a stripped or non-running shell from a complete car. The converter and parts stay at full value, which is how a yard treats them, so the discount lands only where less metal is actually recoverable.

Frequently asked questions

How is a car’s scrap value calculated?

At its core it is weight x price: a yard weighs the whole car, converts to tons, and multiplies by the day’s scrap-steel price per ton. This tool does the same, then adds the catalytic converter and any reusable parts as separate line items and applies a condition discount for stripped or non-running cars.

How much is a ton of scrap car worth?

It tracks the ferrous-scrap market. The USGS No. 1 heavy melting steel composite averaged about $325 per metric ton in 2024, but a complete junk car trades below that, often $150 to $250 per short ton, because the body carries glass, plastic, and dirt. Always confirm today’s rate with a local yard and enter it in the price field.

Why is the scrap yard’s actual quote lower than this estimate?

Yards subtract for non-metal weight (interior, glass, fluids), pay a discount for uncrushed bodies, deduct towing if they pick it up, and quote conservatively. This is an upper-bound estimate of the metal and parts value; lower the price-per-ton or use the stripped multiplier to match a real quote.

How much is a catalytic converter worth as scrap?

Far more than its weight in steel because it contains platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Standard converters commonly bring roughly $50 to $250 from a recycler, with some hybrid or exotic units worth more. Enter the figure a converter buyer quotes you; if yours was removed or stolen, set the value to zero.

Is a car worth more scrapped or sold for parts?

If major components (engine, transmission, alloy wheels, infotainment, battery) still work, selling them individually almost always beats scrap value, but it takes time and effort. Use the salvageable parts field to add what you expect to recover, then compare against the whole-unit metal value.

How do I find my car’s curb weight?

Check the sticker on the driver’s door jamb, the owner’s manual, or the manufacturer’s spec page. If you cannot find it, pick a vehicle class instead and the tool uses a typical curb weight for that class anchored to NHTSA weight categories.

Does a non-running car still have scrap value?

Yes. Scrap value is based on metal weight, not whether the car starts, so a dead engine does not zero out the value. The complete, not running option applies only a small discount; the bigger drop comes from a stripped shell missing the engine, transmission, and wheels.

How much steel is in a typical car?

Cars are about 65% steel and iron by weight, which is why scrap value scales so closely with curb weight and why automobiles are the single largest source of recycled steel. The remaining weight is aluminum, plastics, glass, and fluids that yards do not pay the steel rate for.

Does this tool fetch live metal prices?

No, and that is intentional. The scrap price per ton and converter value are inputs you control with documented typical defaults, so the estimate is reproducible, never silently goes stale, and lets you plug in the exact rate a local yard quotes you instead of a national average.

Sources

• USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025, Iron and Steel Scrap. The No. 1 heavy melting steel composite price (about $339 per metric ton in 2023, $325 estimated in 2024) and its multi-year swings, the basis for the editable price field and the $150 to $250 per short ton whole-car range.
• USGS Fact Sheet 2005-3144, Steel Stocks in Use in Automobiles in the United States. The finding that steel is more than 60 percent of an average car by weight, and corroboration of typical passenger-car curb weights near 2,900 to 3,300 lb.
• USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025, Platinum-Group Metals. The platinum, palladium, and rhodium values behind why an intact catalytic converter is worth far more than its weight in steel.
• Vehicle size class, Wikipedia. NHTSA passenger-car curb-weight categories used to anchor the typical weight for each vehicle class.
• NHTSA, The Relative Safety of Large and Small Passenger Vehicles. Government corroboration of the NHTSA passenger-car weight classes by curb weight.
• WorldAutoSteel, Recycling. Independent industry corroboration of the high steel content and recyclability of cars.