Catalytic converter price lookup
Buyer ranges as of October 23, 2026. No phone number or email.
Typical scrap value
$0
- Per converter
- Buyer category
- Published range per converter
- National average (RRCats)$90.15
Before you sell
Get two free offers for the whole car:
This is a guide range, not an offer. The final price depends on the converter code, its condition and the platinum, palladium and rhodium market.
This catalytic converter price lookup gives you the typical scrap value for your converter in a few taps: pick your vehicle type, say how many converters it has and whether the original is still there. The ranges come from a converter buyer’s published list, read October 23, 2026, plus dated examples for common vehicles.
Quick answer
$90.15national average per converter
That is RRCats’ average on October 23, 2026. Most regular car converters sit far below the headlines: $20–$184 on the buyer list, $10–$30 if it’s an aftermarket replacement. Hybrids, some Ford trucks and European cars are where the big numbers live.Free online quotes and free towing. Compare two offers before you say yes.
Best overall Towing: free Peddle
Instant online offer for junk, damaged, and running cars in all 50 states.
- Best for
- Most junk cars, including ones without a title
- Payment
- Usually a check at pickup
- No title?
- Sometimes OK. Tell them up front
- Coverage
- All 50 states
- Offer shows on screen in a few minutes
- No fees. Towing and title transfer included
- Cancel any time, even after you accept
Watch for: Offer can drop at pickup if the car does not match what you entered.
Get my Peddle offer
Best for wrecked cars Towing: free CarBrain
Buys wrecked, damaged, and mechanically dead cars as-is, often for more than scrap.
- Best for
- Accident damage, blown engines, newer cars that died
- Payment
- Check at pickup
- No title?
- Needed in most states
- Coverage
- 48 states (not AK or HI)
- Quote in about 90 seconds for many cars
- Offer held for up to 7 days
- Pickup usually 24 to 48 hours after you accept
Watch for: Needs the title in your name in most cases. Missing parts lower the price.
Get my CarBrain offerHow the catalytic converter price lookup works
The tool matches your vehicle to the buyer category it usually falls in, then shows two numbers.
- Typical value. A narrower range for a common vehicle of that type, such as a Honda Accord 4-cylinder at $75–$150 or a Chevy Silverado V8 at $125–$225 per converter. When we have no good example, it shows the whole category range.
- Published range. The full range on the buyer list for that category, such as $80–$280 for large GM converters.
Pick “No, it was replaced” and the result drops to $10–$30 per converter, because aftermarket units carry little precious metal. The count multiplies the result: many V8 trucks and European cars have two converters, and the tool preselects the usual number for your vehicle.
Catalytic converter values by vehicle type (October 2026)
| Vehicle type | Buyer category | Range per converter | Common example |
|---|---|---|---|
| American sedan | Regular or small domestic | $20–$184 | “Standard cars” $50–$250 |
| Japanese or Korean car | Small or medium foreign | $30–$450 | Honda Accord 4-cyl $75–$150 |
| GM truck or SUV | Large GM | $80–$280 | Silverado V8 $125–$225 each |
| Ford truck or van | Domestic, some torpedo | $20–$618 (torpedo $110–$1,150) | F-150 V8 $150–$250 each |
| Japanese or Korean truck, SUV | Large foreign | $90–$450 | none listed |
| Hybrid | High precious-metal load | $300–$700 | Prius posted at $445 (Oct 9) |
| European or luxury | Exotic | $200–$583 | BMW 3 Series $150–$300 |
| Diesel truck | Diesel | $15–$508 | F-250 diesel $250–$450 |
| Any car, aftermarket unit | Aftermarket | $10–$30 | ScrapMonster $17 |
Category ranges are from RRCats’ October 23, 2026 list. Vehicle examples come from a buyer blog dated May 2026, and the Prius figure from RKL Auto Recycling’s posted price. Our full price table, metal prices and buyer list are on the catalytic converter scrap price guide.
Why the lookup can’t give you an exact price
Two converters from the same model year can be worth very different amounts. Buyers price by the code stamped on the shell, which tells them the part and roughly how much platinum, palladium and rhodium it holds. The metal market moves too: RRCats’ average was $103.30 on September 30, $93.52 on October 18 and $90.15 on October 23.
Find the code on your converter
Look along the converter body, under the car, for stamped or engraved numbers. Clean off rust with a wire brush and take a clear photo. Give that code to a converter buyer for a quote. If there is no factory code, or it looks like a generic part number, it’s likely an aftermarket unit.
Factory or aftermarket
A factory (OEM) converter usually carries the automaker’s logo or part number. Replacements are often lighter and newer-looking than the rest of the exhaust. Our guide has more on telling OEM from aftermarket.
Sell the converter or the whole car?
For a junk car, the whole car usually wins. A 3,000-pound car is worth about $275 for its weight alone at iScrap’s October 2026 average of $183.63 per ton, before any parts value, and the converter is part of that offer. Peddle says a missing converter can cut a car’s value by 30% or more, and buyers deduct for it at pickup. Use the junk car value calculator to see the weight number for your car.
When selling the converter alone makes sense
Mostly when the car is already gone and you kept the converter with its paperwork, or when a repair shop replaced it and handed you the old one. Expect the buyer to ask for ID and proof of where the converter came from.
The paperwork for a detached converter
Laws on detached converters have tightened. Texas sellers must give a recycler the year, make, model and VIN plus title or ownership proof (HB 4110). In Florida only registered secondary metals recyclers may knowingly buy a detached converter. Ohio’s HB 210, in effect since October 6, 2026, made converter theft and receiving a stolen converter fifth-degree felonies. Our converter laws section covers more states.
Don't cut it off to sell separately
Pulling the converter off a car you are about to junk adds legal paperwork, costs you the deduction at pickup and can leave you with a part only a licensed buyer can take. Leave it on.If your converter is already missing or stolen
Tell the buyer up front when you request the offer. A missing converter is a known deduction, and saying so avoids a surprise cut when the tow truck arrives. If it was stolen, file a police report, then check whether your comprehensive coverage pays for it before you decide whether to fix or sell. Our guide on whether the car is worth fixing walks through that math.
What to do with your number
Use the lookup as a sanity check, not a quote. If you are selling the car, get two free offers for the complete car and compare them with the weight value. If you are selling a loose converter, get a quote by code from a licensed buyer and bring your ID and paperwork. See how to sell a car for parts if you are thinking of parting it out.
Free online quotes and free towing. Compare two offers before you say yes.
Best overall Towing: free Peddle
Instant online offer for junk, damaged, and running cars in all 50 states.
- Best for
- Most junk cars, including ones without a title
- Payment
- Usually a check at pickup
- No title?
- Sometimes OK. Tell them up front
- Coverage
- All 50 states
- Offer shows on screen in a few minutes
- No fees. Towing and title transfer included
- Cancel any time, even after you accept
Watch for: Offer can drop at pickup if the car does not match what you entered.
Get my Peddle offer Best for wrecked cars Towing: free CarBrain
Buys wrecked, damaged, and mechanically dead cars as-is, often for more than scrap.
- Best for
- Accident damage, blown engines, newer cars that died
- Payment
- Check at pickup
- No title?
- Needed in most states
- Coverage
- 48 states (not AK or HI)
- Quote in about 90 seconds for many cars
- Offer held for up to 7 days
- Pickup usually 24 to 48 hours after you accept
Watch for: Needs the title in your name in most cases. Missing parts lower the price.
Get my CarBrain offerFAQ
How do I look up my catalytic converter's price?
Start with your vehicle type in the lookup above for a typical range. For an exact quote, find the code stamped on the converter shell and give it to a converter buyer, because buyers price by code, not by car model. RRCats, one buyer whose list we read, says its own prices are guidelines only and the final quote depends on the serial number, condition and the metal market.
How much is a catalytic converter worth in scrap right now?
RRCats put its national average at $90.15 per converter on October 23, 2026. Ranges are wide: regular domestic units $20–$128, large GM $80–$280, large foreign $90–$450, exotic $200–$583 and Ford torpedo units $110–$1,150 on the same list. A Toyota Prius converter runs about $300–$700, and aftermarket replacements about $10–$30.
Why is my aftermarket catalytic converter worth so little?
Replacement converters carry much less platinum, palladium and rhodium than factory units. A buyer blog we read puts aftermarket converters at about $10–$30, against $200 or more for many factory ones, and ScrapMonster's late-September list showed $17. Peddle says a cheap aftermarket converter also lowers a car's resale value compared with the original.
Should I sell the converter or the whole car?
For most junk cars, sell the whole car. The converter is already part of a complete-car offer, and Peddle says a missing converter can cut a car's value by 30% or more. Selling a detached converter also brings paperwork: many states require ID, the VIN and title or registration, and only certain businesses may buy one.
Do hybrids have more valuable catalytic converters?
Usually. Hybrids like the Prius need more catalyst, so their converters carry more precious metal. One buyer blog lists Prius converters at $300–$700, and RKL Auto Recycling posted a Prius converter at $445 on October 9, 2026. That is also why hybrid converters are a frequent theft target.
Sources we checked
- RRCats: catalytic converter scrap prices (national average and category ranges)
- ScrapMonster: catalytic converter scrap price
- Junkyard Inventory: catalytic converter scrap prices by vehicle (May 2026)
- Peddle blog: What is a catalytic converter and how does it affect resale
- Texas HB 4110 (converter sales to metal recyclers)
- Florida Statutes 860.142 (detached catalytic converters)
Written and fact-checked by the Junk Car Worth team. Prices and buyer policies checked October 2026. How we estimate value.
