Scrap Metal Calculator

Looking for a scrap metal calculator?

The free Electronic Waste Explorer calculator helps estimate the recoverable value of

appliances, air conditioners, electric motors, compressors, and other scrap materials.

Enter the item, weight, processing time, and scrap prices to estimate

material value, labor costs, overhead, and potential net profit.

What Is a Scrap Metal Calculator?

A scrap metal calculator is an online tool that estimates the value of recyclable

metals based on an item’s weight, material composition, and scrap prices.

Unlike a basic scrap price calculator, this tool also considers processing time, labor, consumables,

and estimated net profit to help determine whether dismantling an item is worth the work.

Urban Mining & Scrap Payout Calculator

Estimate recoverable scrap value, teardown economics, and real gross recovery rates using current U.S. reference prices and your own local prices.

1. What are you processing?

Used for raw motor and sealed-unit/compressor calculations.
Business overhead

2. Price inputs

The calculator defaults to current U.S. reference prices. Switch to local prices whenever your yard pays differently.
Editable local price table — USD per lb
Reference values are intended as current U.S. scrap-market benchmarks. Local yards may pay more or less. Appliance payout figures shown below are your supplied shop-tested values.

3. Results

Estimated Recoverable Value
$55.00
Labor overhead
$9.38
Consumables
$1.50
Total overhead
$10.88
Net scrap business profit
$44.12
Gross recovery rate
$220.00/hr
Strong recovery economics.

Calculation breakdown

Educational planning tool. Confirm grades, deductions, local yard pricing, and applicable handling requirements before acting on any estimate.

How to Use the Scrap Metal Calculator

1. Select the item
Choose an appliance, AC unit, electric motor, or sealed unit.

2. Enter the weight and processing time
For raw motors and sealed units, weight is used to estimate material recovery. Processing time is used to calculate labor cost and gross recovery rate.

3. Choose your scrap prices
Use the calculator’s U.S. reference prices or switch to local prices and enter what your scrapyard actually pays.

4. Check the results
Review estimated recoverable value, labor, overhead, gross recovery rate, and estimated net scrap business profit.

What Do These Scrap Calculator Numbers Mean?

The calculator is designed to show more than just a scrap price.
It helps you understand whether tearing down a unit makes economic sense.

Estimated Recoverable Value

This is the estimated dollar value of the materials you can recover from the selected appliance or scrap item after applying the calculator's material-recovery assumptions.For raw electric motors and sealed units, the value is calculated from the item's weight and the specified copper, aluminum, and steel percentages. For appliances with established teardown values, the calculator uses the real recoverable values entered into the tool.

Gross Recovery Rate

This shows the estimated recoverable material value per hour based on the processing time you entered.It is a gross recovery rate, not your final profit. Labor and consumables are deducted separately.

Labor Cost

Labor cost represents the value of your working time based on the target hourly wage you enter.For example, 15 minutes of work at a $30/hour target rate produces a $7.50 labor cost.

Consumables

This represents the smaller operating costs associated with processing the material, such as cutting wheels, blades, electricity, gloves, cleaning supplies, and other consumables.You can adjust this figure to reflect your actual operating costs.

Total Overhead

Total overhead combines your estimated labor cost + consumables.This gives you a more realistic picture of what the teardown costs before calculating the final business result.

Net Scrap Business Profit

This is the estimated recoverable value minus labor and consumables.A positive result means the calculated recovery value exceeds the operating cost you entered. A negative result means the unit may not be economically attractive under those conditions.

CCA Winding

CCA means Copper Clad Aluminum.When you check the CCA Winding option, the calculator applies an 80% reduction to the calculated copper component value. The aluminum and steel components remain calculated normally.This is important because a motor that appears to contain valuable copper may produce a substantially different return when the winding is copper clad aluminum rather than conventional copper.

Current Reference Prices vs. Local Prices

The calculator provides current U.S. reference prices as a starting point.Actual scrap yard payouts can vary by location, material grade, quantity, cleanliness, market conditions, and individual yard policies. The Local Prices option lets you replace the reference prices with the prices you actually receive.

The Bottom Line

The most important number is not always the highest scrap price.The real question is:"How much money will I actually make for the time and effort required to recover it?”That is why this calculator combines material value, processing time, labor, consumables, and net profit into one view.

Explore Real Scrap Recovery Experiments

Want to see how these calculations compare with real teardown results?

Explore Electronic Waste Explorer’s hands on experiments with air conditioners, electric motors, and sealed compressors.

Air Conditioner Scrap Value
See a real AC teardown comparing whole unit scrap value with separated material recovery.

AC Unit Scrap Value: Take Apart vs Sell As-Is?

Electric Motor Copper Recovery
See real electric-motor teardown results and copper recovery data.

Electric Motor Copper Percentage: The Ultimate Scrap Yield Chart

Sealed Compressor Recovery
See what a real compressor teardown revealed about copper and steel recovery.

Scrap Sealed Units: Copper Yields & Compressor Recycling Value

Scrap Metal Calculator FAQs

How accurate is the scrap metal calculator?

  • The calculator provides an estimate based on the selected item, weight, material recovery assumptions, processing time, and scrap prices entered. Actual payouts vary by scrap yard, material grade, location, market conditions, and other deductions.

Are the scrap prices current?

  • The calculator provides current U.S. reference prices as a starting point. Because scrap prices change, users can switch to local prices and enter the rates they actually receive.

Can I calculate electric motor scrap value?

  • Yes. The calculator estimates recoverable material value for raw electric motors using the specified copper, aluminum, and steel recovery percentages and the item’s weight.

What happens when I select CCA Winding?

  • When CCA Winding is selected, the calculator applies an 80% reduction to the calculated copper component value. Aluminum and steel components are calculated normally.

Can I calculate AC scrap value?

  • Yes. The calculator includes AC units from 9,000 through 48,000 BTU using the shop-tested recoverable values built into the tool.

Is the calculator showing my actual scrapyard payout?

  • No. It provides an estimate. Actual scrapyard payouts can vary based on local pricing, material grade, quantity, cleanliness, deductions, and market conditions.

Is selling an appliance whole always less profitable?

  • Not necessarily. The most profitable choice depends on the item’s recoverable materials, processing time, labor cost, local scrap prices, and the amount of work required. The calculator is designed to help compare those economics.

Run the numbers before you start tearing it apart.