Automotive Metals: What a Car Is Made Of and What Each Is Worth
Automotive metals are the reason a car that will never drive again is still worth money. The metals in a car divide into ferrous and non-ferrous, and the split matters commercially — ferrous metal makes up most of the mass and sets the floor on any offer, while non-ferrous metal makes up a small fraction of the weight and a surprisingly large fraction of the value.
Four material groups account for nearly all of it. Here is where each one sits, roughly how much of it is there, and what it is actually worth.
- Around 65% steel, 10% aluminum by weight
- A few grams of PGMs worth more than either
Ferrous and non-ferrous, and why the split matters
Ferrous metals contain iron, which means they are magnetic and they rust. That is the entire test, and it is how a recycling line separates them — a magnet lifts the ferrous stream out and everything remaining is non-ferrous. Steel and cast iron are ferrous and make up roughly two-thirds of a vehicle's mass.
Non-ferrous metals contain no iron, do not rust in the same way, and are worth several times more per pound. Aluminum, copper, brass and the platinum group all fall here. They make up a much smaller share of the weight and a much larger share of the value, which is the single most important thing to understand about what a car is worth at the end of its life.
This is why a stripped car falls in value so sharply. Removing the converter, the wheels and the wiring takes out very little weight but a large proportion of the recoverable value, leaving mostly the low-value ferrous mass behind.
The Four Material Groups in Your Car
Ordered by share of weight, which is almost exactly the reverse of their order by value per pound.
Steel and cast iron — about 65% of the weight
The unibody or frame, most panels, suspension components, the exhaust, brake rotors, and on older vehicles the engine block and cylinder heads. Worth the least per pound by a wide margin, but there is so much of it that it sets the floor under every offer. Steel is also infinitely recyclable without quality loss, which is why recovered vehicle steel routinely goes back into new vehicles.
Aluminum — about 10% and rising
Wheels, cylinder heads, engine blocks on most modern cars, transmission cases, radiators and increasingly body panels and closures on newer vehicles. Worth several times steel per pound, which is why a car on alloy wheels is measurably more valuable than the same car on steel wheels. The shift toward aluminum bodies for fuel economy means newer vehicles carry proportionally more of it.
Copper and brass — a small share, high value
Almost all of it is in the wiring harness, the starter motor, the alternator and the radiator on older vehicles. A typical car carries roughly 40 to 50 pounds of copper, and modern vehicles with more electronics carry more. Per pound it is worth many times what steel is, which is why copper theft from vehicles is a persistent problem.
Platinum, palladium and rhodium — grams, not pounds
Confined almost entirely to the catalytic converter, where they coat the ceramic honeycomb and catalyze the reactions that clean the exhaust. A converter typically contains between three and seven grams total. At precious-metal prices those few grams frequently make the converter the most valuable single component on an otherwise finished car — which is exactly why they are stolen. That component gets its own treatment in what a converter is worth and why.
Where the Metal Actually Sits
The four groups above describe the material. This is where each one physically lives, and roughly what it fetches — which is why two cars of identical weight can be worth quite different amounts.
Catalytic converter — $50 to $500 and up
The single most valuable component on most finished cars, and the smallest. Payout swings enormously with make, year and engine, because the loading of platinum, palladium and rhodium was specified per application. Hybrids and larger engines sit at the top of the range.
Wiring, starter and alternator — $2.50 to $4.00 a pound
Where nearly all the copper is. A modern harness runs 10 to 20 pounds on its own, and the starter and alternator carry dense copper windings. More electronics means more copper, which is why newer cars carry more of it than older ones.
Alloy wheels — $0.50 to $0.75 a pound
Among the cleanest aluminum on the car, and heavier than people expect — a set of four commonly runs 60 to 100 pounds. This is the clearest single reason a car on alloys is worth more than the same car on steel wheels.
Radiators and AC condensers — $1.00 to $2.50 a pound
A mix of aluminum and copper, which is why they price well above either the body panels or the frame. Older copper-core radiators sit at the top of that range; all-aluminum units at the lower end.
Engine and transmission — $50 to $200 and up
Seized, blown or missing its head — it makes very little difference to the metal value. Cast aluminum blocks, iron heads and steel housings are heavy, and that weight goes straight into the number.
Battery and exhaust — $5 to $15, and $0.25 to $0.50 a pound
Lead-acid batteries recycle almost completely and cannot legally be landfilled, so they carry a consistent value. A stainless exhaust prices above ordinary steel for its nickel and chromium content, though not every system is stainless.
Find out what yours adds up to
You now know what is in it. The offer accounts for all four groups plus whatever the parts are worth as components, priced against current rates where you live.
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What the Ferrous Mass Is Currently Worth
Whole-vehicle per-ton rates by state. This covers the steel that makes up most of the car — non-ferrous value sits on top of these figures.
| State | Per ton | Vs. national |
|---|---|---|
| California | $190–$200 | Above average |
| Michigan | $185–$195 | Above average |
| Illinois | $180–$190 | Above average |
| New York | $180–$190 | Above average |
| New Jersey | $180–$190 | Above average |
| Ohio | $175–$185 | Above average |
| Indiana | $175–$185 | Above average |
| Pennsylvania | $175–$185 | Above average |
| Massachusetts | $175–$185 | Above average |
| Connecticut | $175–$185 | Above average |
| Wisconsin | $170–$180 | Above average |
| Maryland | $170–$180 | Above average |
| Texas | $170–$180 | Average |
| Minnesota | $168–$178 | Average |
| Washington | $168–$178 | Average |
| Missouri | $165–$175 | Average |
| Colorado | $165–$175 | Average |
| Arizona | $165–$175 | Average |
| Virginia | $162–$172 | Average |
| North Carolina | $160–$170 | Average |
| Tennessee | $160–$170 | Average |
| Oregon | $160–$170 | Average |
| Florida | $158–$168 | Average |
| Georgia | $158–$168 | Average |
| South Carolina | $155–$165 | Average |
| Kentucky | $155–$165 | Average |
| Nevada | $155–$165 | Average |
| Alabama | $152–$162 | Below average |
| Alaska | $140–$150 | Below average |
| Hawaii | $140–$150 | Below average |
Separated non-ferrous metals price far higher per pound than these whole-vehicle rates, but only once they have been cut out, sorted and cleaned. That labor is why selling a complete car usually nets more than parting it out for the metal yourself. The whole-vehicle calculation is in working out what your car is worth by weight.
Questions About Metals in Cars
How much of a car is metal?
Around 75% by weight across steel, aluminum, copper and smaller amounts of other metals. Most of the rest is plastics, glass, rubber and textiles, which is the fraction that has historically been hardest to recycle.
Is it worth cutting out the copper wiring myself?
Almost never. Stripping a harness out of a car is hours of work for 40-odd pounds of copper, and removing it lowers what the vehicle is worth as a complete unit by a comparable amount. You end up trading a day of labor for very little.
Why is aluminum worth more than steel?
It takes enormous amounts of electricity to produce aluminum from ore, so recycled aluminum saves roughly 95% of that energy. That saving is what recyclers are paying for, and it is why the per-pound gap is so wide.
Do electric vehicles have different metal content?
Yes, significantly. Far more copper — several times a conventional car — because of the motor windings and high-voltage cabling, plus lithium, nickel and cobalt in the battery pack. They also have no catalytic converter, which removes the PGM value entirely.
Which metal in my car is worth the most?
By total value in a typical junk car, the platinum group inside the catalytic converter, despite amounting to only a few grams. By sheer volume it is steel, simply because there is so much of it.
See what the metal in yours is worth
Priced across all four groups plus recoverable parts, against current rates in your state. Free pickup, cash at the vehicle.
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