Scrap Car Value: How to Work Out Your Own Number
Scrap car value is one of the few prices in the car world you can estimate yourself with reasonable accuracy. What my car is worth as scrap comes down to three numbers — its curb weight, the per-ton rate where you live, and whether the expensive components are still attached — and all three are things you can look up or check in a couple of minutes.
Here is the calculation, the figures to plug into it, and the two places most estimates go wrong.
- Run the estimate yourself in two minutes
- Current per-ton rates for every state
- Then compare it against a real offer
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The calculation, step by step
Start with curb weight. It is printed on the driver's door jamb sticker on most vehicles, and searchable by year, make and model otherwise. Divide by 2,000 to get tons. A 3,400-pound sedan is 1.7 tons.
Multiply by your state's current per-ton rate, which is in the table below. At $170 per ton that 1.7-ton sedan gives you roughly $289 as a bare-metal floor. That figure assumes the vehicle is complete and delivered — it is the bottom of the range, not the answer.
Now adjust for what the car carries beyond raw steel. An intact catalytic converter frequently adds more than the entire weight calculation on an older vehicle. Alloy wheels, a usable battery, an engine and transmission that still turn, and undamaged panels all add on top. This is the part almost every online scrap calculator ignores, which is why they consistently underestimate.
Then subtract honestly. If the converter has already been cut off, remove a large share of the upside. If the car is missing wheels, doors or its engine, it weighs less and carries less. And if you would be paying to transport it, subtract that too — which is where free pickup quietly changes the arithmetic.
Per-Ton Rates to Use in Your Estimate
Find your state, take the midpoint, and multiply it by your car's weight in tons. Where those rates come from is explained in what moves the per-ton market.
| 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 |
These are yard rates for complete vehicles. Because parts and converter value sit on top, a genuine offer usually lands above what this calculation alone produces — the calculation is a floor to measure offers against, not a ceiling.
Estimate vs What Actually Paid
The same vehicles run through the weight calculation and then sold, so you can see the size of the gap.
The gap between the weight calculation and the actual payout is parts and converter value. It closes sharply on a stripped car, which is why the third row lands close to its bare-metal figure.
Checking Your Estimate Against a Real Offer
The estimate tells you whether a number is reasonable. The offer tells you what it actually is.
- 1
Run the weight calculation first
Curb weight in tons multiplied by your state rate. Keep the number — it is your floor for judging anything you are quoted.
- 2
Get a real offer to compare
Ninety seconds and no obligation. If it lands meaningfully above your floor, that difference is the parts and converter value being counted.
- 3
Be suspicious in both directions
An offer far below your floor is not accounting for weight. One far above it, from a site that asked almost nothing, is a number likely to shrink at the curb.
- 4
Decide with both figures in hand
No obligation either way. Plenty of people use the estimate to confirm an offer elsewhere is fair, which is a perfectly good use of this page.
Scrap Value Questions
Where do I find my car's curb weight?
The sticker in the driver's door jamb usually lists it, and it is searchable by year, make and model. Use curb weight rather than gross vehicle weight rating — the GVWR includes payload the car is not carrying. Heavier classes are covered in what trucks, SUVs and vans are worth.
Why is my offer higher than the weight calculation?
Because the calculation only counts steel. A complete car also has a converter, wheels, a battery, panels and a drivetrain, all worth more as components than as tonnage. The component side of that is broken down in what each metal in a car is worth.
Why do online scrap calculators give me a lower number?
Most run weight against a national average and stop. They ignore state variation and, more importantly, the converter — which is why they consistently underestimate complete vehicles.
Does the make and model matter, or just the weight?
Both. Weight sets the floor, but parts demand varies by model — a wreck of a common vehicle with a strong parts market is worth more than an unusual one of identical weight.
How long is an estimate good for?
Scrap rates move month to month, so treat any weight-based estimate as good for a few weeks. An actual offer is held for a defined period, which is one advantage of getting a real number.
Compare your estimate against a real number
You have the floor. Ninety seconds gets you the actual figure, including the parts and converter value the calculation leaves out.
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