"Sell scrap car" is searched about 6,600 times a month worldwide, according to Ubersuggest, with "how to sell scrap car" about 590, "sell scrap car near me" about 390 and "sell scrap car online" and "sell scrap car for cash" about 90 each. The advertising cost is about 5 to 8 dollars a click. Searchers who type this are often comparing offers, and the useful thing to give them is a way to check whether a quote is reasonable. This guide sets out how scrap buyers describe valuing a car, shows the arithmetic with symbols and not prices, and lists the allowances and deductions that move a quote. It belongs to our guide to selling scrap cars, car parts and used tires online. We give no prices, because published figures come from buyers' own pages and change daily. ScrapTrade runs a scrap marketplace and has a commercial interest in the scrap trade.
The base formula
Scrap-car buyers describe a consistent method. The yard works from the car's curb weight, converts it to tons, and multiplies by the local scrap steel price per ton. Weight in pounds is divided by 2,000 for short tons, and weight in kilograms is divided by 1,000 for tonnes. If the price is quoted per hundredweight, which is 100 pounds, the arithmetic is the same with a different divisor. In symbols:
Base value = curb weight in tons x steel price per ton
A car of 1.5 tonnes at a price of P per tonne gives 1.5 x P. We leave P blank on purpose: a figure printed here would be wrong by the time you read it; the buyer guides we found quoted widely different ranges for shredded auto steel. Look up the current price from a dated local source or ask a yard for it, and note whether the unit is short tons, long tons or tonnes. Curb weight is on the car's data plate or in its specifications. Some buyers use gross weight or a weighbridge ticket, so ask which.
Allowances: what adds to the base
Buyer guides describe the base as a floor, with additions for items that can be recovered or resold. The ones named most often are:
- The catalytic converter. It holds platinum group metals and is the main premium item. Sales of converters are regulated in some places because of theft, so some buyers need paperwork or refuse to buy a converter on its own.
- The engine and transmission, if intact and resalable.
- Aluminum wheels, which are worth more than steel.
- Copper-heavy parts, such as the alternator, starter and wiring.
- A usable battery, which is a separate recyclable, as our guide to selling a car battery explains.
Guides gave dollar ranges for these allowances, but they came from buyers' own pages, so we do not repeat them.
Deductions: what takes away
- Missing components. A car without its engine, wheels or catalytic converter weighs less and is worth less than a complete one.
- Contamination. Non-metal material, a full load of trash or other waste.
- Towing and distance. A car that has to be collected from far away or an awkward location costs more to retrieve.
- Fluids and hazardous items. Some yards drain fluids and remove batteries at a cost, or require them to be removed beforehand.
Using the method to check a quote
- Find the car's curb weight and convert it to tons or tonnes.
- Ask the buyer for the steel price per ton it is using, and its date, and compare it with a second source.
- Multiply the two to get the base value.
- Ask what allowances the quote includes for the converter, engine and wheels, and what it deducts for missing parts and towing.
- Compare at least two quotes, with the same assumptions for what is included.
If a quote is far below the base value, ask why. It may be that the car is incomplete, that towing is expensive or that the buyer is adding a large margin. If it is far above, check that it is not conditional on a fee or on the car matching a description it cannot match.
What the quote does not cover
The base formula applies to cars sold for scrap. A car with a market for its parts, or for repair, is priced differently, and our guide to selling a car for parts explains when to ask for a parts quote. A car you own with the paperwork in order is an easy sale, and one without a title needs care, as in our guide to selling a junk car without a title. For a general route, see Sell a Junk Car for Cash. For what happens to the car afterwards, our Australian guide to where an old car goes when it is scrapped follows the shredding process.
Where ScrapTrade fits
The method above is how a trade buyer prices a lot of cars, and it is why a listing that gives weights, counts and condition is easy to bid on. ScrapTrade is a scrap marketplace with verified traders in more than 50 countries, no listing fee and no commission, and it suits sellers with several cars or a mixed load: a dealer, a fleet, a body shop or a yard. You state the weights and what is included, negotiate in real time and agree collection or shipping, and the buyer's 5 percent deposit is held in escrow once you accept a bid. Businesses and individuals can sell after verification. ScrapTrade does not set prices or value a car for you, and we could not confirm that whole vehicles can be listed, so ask cs@scraptrade.com.au first.
What we could not verify
- The current scrap steel price and any allowance figure. We found only buyers' marketing pages.
- Which weight measure each buyer uses.
- Whether ScrapTrade lists whole vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
How is a scrap car valued?
By its curb weight in tons times the local scrap steel price, plus allowances for valuable parts and minus deductions for missing parts and towing.
How much is my car worth as scrap?
We cannot give a figure. Apply the formula with a dated local steel price, and compare at least two quotes.
Does the catalytic converter add to the value?
Buyers say it is the main premium item, but converter sales are regulated in some places, so expect to show paperwork.
Is a complete car worth more?
Yes. Missing the engine, wheels or converter lowers the weight and the allowances.
Sources
- Ubersuggest keyword data, global, queried November 2026.
- Scrap-car buyer guides on weight-based valuation, allowances and deductions, as summarised in search results.
- ScrapTrade website, accessed November 2026.
General information only, not financial advice. No price is given because scrap steel moves daily. ScrapTrade is a scrap marketplace.