Junk Car Prices Per Ton: View Scrap Prices for Cars in June 2026
The nationwide average scrap price for junk cars is currently $175 per ton. Know your state's junk car prices per ton, your car's curb weight, and you have the minimum any scrap buyer should pay. Michigan, California, and Ohio lead the country — Alaska and Hawaii sit well below average.
Scrap yards quote two ways: per gross ton, or per hundredweight — dollars per 100 lbs. At today's $175/ton, that's about $8.75 per 100 lbs. Knowing both units lets you check any yard's number against the same floor.
Have your title ready — it affects your offer. And remember: most complete junk cars are worth more than scrap prices alone suggest. See current junk car prices for the full picture including parts and converter value.
Car Scrap Prices Calculator — Prices Per Ton by State
Enter your car's curb weight and state to see the scrap floor. Results show scrap car prices per ton and what buyers typically offer on the same vehicle.
Enter weight and state to see the scrap floor for your junk car.
Junk Car Scrap Prices Per Ton by State
Current car scrap prices across 29 states, June 2026. Rates are based on direct calls to 3 to 5 scrap yards per state. States grouped by price tier.
| State | Per-ton rate | Complete car (2k–6k lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| California | $195 | $195–$390 |
| Michigan | $190 | $190–$380 |
| Illinois | $185 | $185–$370 |
| New York | $185 | $185–$370 |
| New Jersey | $185 | $185–$370 |
| Ohio | $180 | $180–$360 |
| Indiana | $180 | $180–$360 |
| Pennsylvania | $180 | $180–$360 |
| Massachusetts | $180 | $180–$360 |
| Connecticut | $180 | $180–$360 |
| Wisconsin | $175 | $175–$350 |
| Maryland | $175 | $175–$350 |
| State | Per-ton rate | Complete car (2k–6k lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | $175 | $175–$350 |
| Minnesota | $175 | $175–$350 |
| Washington | $175 | $175–$350 |
| Missouri | $170 | $170–$340 |
| Colorado | $170 | $170–$340 |
| Arizona | $170 | $170–$340 |
| Virginia | $165 | $165–$330 |
| North Carolina | $165 | $165–$330 |
| Tennessee | $165 | $165–$330 |
| Oregon | $165 | $165–$330 |
| Florida | $165 | $165–$330 |
| Georgia | $165 | $165–$330 |
| South Carolina | $160 | $160–$320 |
| Kentucky | $160 | $160–$320 |
| Nevada | $160 | $160–$320 |
| State | Per-ton rate | Complete car (2k–6k lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $155 | $155–$310 |
| Alaska | $145 | $145–$290 |
| Hawaii | $145 | $145–$290 |
Complete car range based on vehicles 2,000–6,000 lbs. June 2026 survey data. Rates shown per ton — divide by 20 for the per-hundredweight figure many yards quote ($175/ton is $8.75 per 100 lbs).
Scrap Value of Junk Cars by Vehicle Type
Scrap prices by vehicle type at current nationwide rates. Heavier vehicles contain more steel — higher curb weight means a higher scrap value floor regardless of condition or age.
| Vehicle type | Typical weight | Low ($150/ton) | Avg ($175/ton) | High ($200/ton) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact Car Civic, Corolla | 2,500–3,000 lbs | $188–$225 | $219–$263 | $250–$300 |
| Midsize Sedan Accord, Camry | 3,200–3,600 lbs | $240–$270 | $280–$315 | $320–$360 |
| Full-Size Sedan Impala, Taurus | 3,800–4,200 lbs | $285–$315 | $333–$368 | $380–$420 |
| Compact SUV CR-V, RAV4 | 3,400–3,800 lbs | $255–$285 | $298–$333 | $340–$380 |
| Full-Size SUV Tahoe, Expedition | 5,500–6,000 lbs | $413–$450 | $481–$525 | $550–$600 |
| Pickup Truck F-150, Silverado | 4,500–5,500 lbs | $338–$413 | $394–$481 | $450–$550 |
| Minivan Odyssey, Sienna | 4,300–4,800 lbs | $323–$360 | $376–$420 | $430–$480 |
These figures are the scrap-only floor — what scrap yards pay treating your car as pure ferrous metal. Most complete cars are worth more when parts, aluminum components, copper wiring, and catalytic converter value are factored in. Buyers who price the full asset — not just steel — consistently pay more. Free towing is included, so there's no deduction at pickup. See junk car prices by make and model for full-value estimates.
Rates shown per ton. Divide by 20 for the per-hundredweight figure many yards quote — $175/ton is $8.75 per 100 lbs.
Copper, Aluminum, and Steel Scrap Prices in Your Car
Steel is 65% of a typical car's curb weight, but copper and aluminum carry far higher per-pound scrap prices. This is why full-value buyers consistently outpay scrap yards on complete junk cars.
The lithium, cobalt, and nickel inside a hybrid or EV battery are recoverable, so a failed pack is an asset — not a disposal cost — the opposite of what most sellers assume. As more hybrids and electric vehicles reach end of life, recoverable battery materials are becoming a larger share of a junk car's total scrap value. If your car is a hybrid or EV, disclose the battery; it's priced in, not deducted.
How Junk Car Buyers Actually Make Money
Why your offer sits where it does — the economics from the buyer's side of the transaction.
The scrap rate is what a shredder pays for a complete car as bare steel — at $175/ton, a 3,400-lb car is worth about $298 in pure ferrous metal. But a buyer who hauls that car straight to the shredder, after paying for transport and hazmat handling, often breaks even well below the headline scrap rate. On steel alone, the margin is thin to nonexistent.
The profit is in what gets recovered before the car is shredded: the catalytic converter, the copper and aluminum, and the rebuildable parts the trade calls cores — the alternator, starter, and AC compressor. A buyer who pulls and resells those pays the shredder for the leftover shell and keeps the difference. That recovery work is exactly why a full-asset buyer can pay above the scrap floor while a yard that only weighs steel pays at or below it.
This is the whole reason offers vary on identical-weight cars. A complete car with its original converter and intact cores is worth real money above scrap. A stripped shell is worth the steel and little else. A legitimate buyer can walk you through which is which — a Clunqr Buyer prices the converter, the cores, and the nonferrous metals on top of the scrap floor, then includes free towing, so nothing is deducted at pickup.
What Moves Scrap Prices — Seven Variables That Affect Your Car's Value
Seven factors that push car scrap prices above or below the state average in 2026.
The core scrap equation: curb weight in pounds divided by 2,000 equals tons, times the per-ton rate equals your floor. A Tahoe at 5,800 lbs has a scrap floor roughly twice a Civic at 2,800 lbs. Steel makes up about 65% of curb weight — the rest is aluminum, copper, and other components. Note that yards subtract roughly 500 lbs for tires and fluids before paying — material they pay to dispose of — so your paid weight runs a little under curb weight.
States near steel mills, shredder hubs, and export terminals have more buyers competing for cars — Michigan, Illinois, and California consistently lead. The spread between top states and Hawaii is ~$50/ton, or roughly $50 to $90 more cash on a typical junk car.
Car scrap prices follow a seasonal wave — spring and summer peak, winter floor. But the swing is larger than seasonal: rates have moved from roughly $7.50 to $4.00 per hundredweight in a matter of months when steel demand drops — nearly half. That volatility is why a quote has a short shelf life and the rate you are given today will not hold for long.
Complete cars are worth more at scrap yards than stripped ones. Intact aluminum rims, copper wiring, engine components, and the catalytic converter all add value beyond the steel floor. Stripping parts before selling typically reduces the total you receive.
Palladium, platinum, and rhodium inside converters are priced daily on precious metal markets. High-converter cars like the Prius can see 25 to 40% of total scrap value in the converter alone. A missing converter is the single biggest price reduction on a complete car.
Having a clean title allows buyers maximum flexibility — resale, parts, or scrap. No title means extra paperwork and state-specific hoops, which reduces what scrap yards and buyers will pay. In most states you can get a duplicate title for $20 to $50, which usually more than pays for itself. Free towing is standard on full-value offers — no deduction at pickup.
Beyond parts value, many yards apply a lower per-weight rate to a car with the drivetrain already removed — on the order of 15 to 20% less per hundredweight — because the engine block and transmission case are dense, clean metal. This is separate from the parts themselves: pulling the drivetrain lowers both the parts value and the base rate you are paid on the remaining steel. It is the clearest reason insiders agree complete cars pay more.
Junk Car Scrap Price FAQ
Common questions about car scrap prices, nationwide averages, and how buyers calculate offers.
The scrap rate is the floor.
Your junk car is worth more.
These tables show what scrap yards pay by weight. Clunqr Buyers add parts demand, catalytic converter value, aluminum and copper components, and local competition on top. For most complete junk cars, that difference is $50 to $400.
See current junk car prices →Data sources and methodology: Per-ton scrap steel rates sourced from Fastmarkets AMM weekly trade composite and cross-referenced against publicly available Midwest busheling indices. State-level car scrap prices based on direct calls to 3 to 5 scrap yards and salvage operations per state conducted March through June 2026. Catalytic converter precious metal valuations based on Johnson Matthey monthly PGM price reports. Curb weight data from NHTSA records. Clunqr offer ranges reflect actual offers on these car types in the current market. This page is published by Clunqr, which buys junk cars — we have an interest in showing that complete-vehicle offers outperform scrap-only pricing. We've tried to report the data accurately; the best verification is to get both numbers yourself.