Current Prices
Scrap Metal (National Averages)
steel 1 $165/ton -5 this week aluminum 1 $0.45/lb +0.02 this week copper 1 $3.85/lb +0.1 this week brass 1 $1.9/lb 0 this week Vehicle Values
Average Scrap Car 1 $350 -25 this month Average Used Car 2 $25,730 -200 this month Regional Steel Prices
west coast $185/ton
northeast $175/ton
texas $170/ton
midwest $160/ton
southeast $155/ton
Prices vary by proximity to steel mills and export facilities.
Historical Trends
Scrap Car Value
Average value of scrapped vehicles (USD)
Used Car Prices
Average used car price ($thousands)
Vehicle Retirement Age
Average age when vehicles are scrapped
Catalytic Converter Thefts
Monthly theft reports nationwide
Salvage Parts Values
engine $2,800 complete, running
transmission $1,900 auto or manual
airbag set $1,200 front + side
ecu module $800 programmed
catalytic converter $650 OEM
alloy wheels $400 set of 4
Values are averages and vary by make, model, and condition.
Industry Metrics
parts inventory level 6 72% yard capacity utilization 5 82% off lease supply change 2 400,000 Data Sources
Data compiled from industry sources including:
- 1 iScrap App — Scrap metal prices, junk car values
- 2 Cox Automotive / CNBC — Used car market data
- 3 NICB — Theft statistics
- 4 S&P Global Mobility — Vehicle age data
- 5 ISRI — Recycling industry stats
- 6 ARA — Parts availability
- 7 Black Book — Days to sell metrics
- 8 Car-Part.com — Parts pricing
Last updated: Thu Jan 22 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)