A catalytic converter is typically worth $50 to $250 in scrap, or up to $800 for a converter removed from a hybrid vehicle, according to a National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) release dated 10 May 2023. The metal inside the unit sets that price, not the vehicle badge on the outside: platinum, palladium and rhodium hold the entire recoverable value, and it is their grams, not the car's make, model or year, that decide what a buyer offers. The sections below break that worth down by converter type, age and metal, and point to where a reader checks one specific unit rather than a population average.
How Much Is a Catalytic Converter Worth?#
A catalytic converter is worth whatever its platinum, palladium and rhodium content is worth, converted from grams to troy ounces and priced at the day's metal prices, less a buyer's costs. Dividing by 31.1034768, the exact number of grams in one troy ounce, turns a converter's metal content into the unit the market prices in. Three factors then move that contained value for any single converter: which of the three metals it holds and in what ratio, how many grams of each the substrate carries, and the costs a buyer subtracts before paying. Catalytic converters sit inside the broader category of scrap platinum group metals, alongside refining and other recovered PGM sources; the deduction chain from contained value to a seller's check follows next.
Catalytic Converter Value by Type: Gasoline, Diesel and Hybrid#
Hybrid and diesel converters with a lean NOx trap are typically worth the most, and small-engine gasoline converters the least, because loading and metal mix vary by type, according to the US Department of Energy and the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC). Seven converter categories set that range, listed below with a typical PGM basis for each.
| Type | Typical PGM content | Why worth more or less |
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline, small engine (about 1.5 L) | 2.48 g total (0.14 g Pt, 2.20 g Pd, 0.14 g Rh) | Smallest catalyst volume of the mainstream types; lowest total grams |
| Gasoline, large engine (about 3.0 L) | 4.95 g total (0.28 g Pt, 4.40 g Pd, 0.28 g Rh) | Roughly double the small-engine gasoline loading on the same basis |
| Diesel, DOC and DPF only (no LNT) | 7.93 g total (5.79 g Pt, 2.14 g Pd, 0 g Rh), 3.0 L basis | Platinum-heavy and rhodium-free; the DOC and DPF oxidize but do not reduce NOx |
| Diesel with a lean NOx trap (LNT) | 17.30 g total (13.30 g Pt, 2.14 g Pd, 1.88 g Rh), 3.0 L basis | Highest-loading diesel architecture; the LNT alone can add up to 7.5 g Pt and 1.9 g Rh on a 3.0 L engine |
| Hybrid | No single published gram average; design loading exceeds a comparable gasoline unit | Runs cooler and less often, so it needs more PGM to reach light-off and keeps more of its as-built content |
| Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) unit | 0 g PGM | Reduces NOx with urea (AdBlue) over a vanadium- or zeolite-based catalyst; sells only as stainless steel scrap |
| Aftermarket replacement | Commonly 3 to 5 times less value than the OEM part for the same vehicle | Certified to a lower durability standard, so built to the minimum PGM loading that clears it |
Sources: US DOE EERE Program Record #16006, 17 February 2016 (Sanchez et al. 2012 gasoline and diesel loading tables); RRCats, "OEM vs Aftermarket Catalytic Converters".
A diesel converter's loading depends heavily on whether it carries a lean NOx trap or a urea-based SCR system instead, a difference covered in full on diesel catalytic converter and DPF scrap value. Among gasoline units, an OEM converter typically holds three to five times the value of an aftermarket replacement for the same vehicle, because aftermarket parts are certified to a lower emissions-durability standard and built to the minimum loading that clears it, according to RRCats. Across all seven types, a typical gasoline unit still nets $50 to $250 in scrap and a hybrid up to $800, per NICB's 10 May 2023 release, before the type-by-type differences above narrow that range further. The type carrying the most platinum and rhodium together, a diesel system with an LNT, is also the one most exposed to the price swings covered under most valuable catalytic converters.
Catalytic Converter Value by Age and Condition#
A converter's age affects its worth mainly through which emissions era it was built to, not through the calendar year on the vehicle's title. WPIC estimates that catalytic converters reaching scrapyards in 2026 come mostly from 2010 to 2014 model-year vehicles, an average age of 12 to 16 years between manufacture and scrapping. That era sits inside the palladium-substitution period: from the late 1990s, tightening US and European emissions rules pushed manufacturers to swap platinum for cheaper palladium in gasoline three-way catalysts, so a typical 2010-2014 gasoline unit is palladium-dominant. Older units carry less of today's mix, not more: a US converter built before 1981 held only platinum and palladium in a two-way oxidation design and carries no rhodium at all, because three-way, rhodium-using catalysts only entered US service from model year 1981. Condition follows the same rule as age: a converter's worth depends on how much of its original loading survives use, corrosion and any prior tampering, not on cosmetic wear.
How Much of That Worth Is Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium#
Of a converter's worth, platinum (Pt, atomic number 78, CAS 7440-06-4), palladium (Pd, atomic number 46, CAS 7440-05-3) and rhodium (Rh, atomic number 45, CAS 7440-16-6) each contribute a different share depending on whether the vehicle is gasoline or diesel. The table below splits that share for each metal on both fuel types.
| Metal | Role in the converter | Share of value, gasoline TWC | Share of value, diesel system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum (Pt, 78, CAS 7440-06-4) | Oxidizes CO and hydrocarbons; dominant metal in diesel systems | about 4% | about 64% |
| Palladium (Pd, 46, CAS 7440-05-3) | Oxidizes CO and hydrocarbons; dominant metal in gasoline three-way catalysts | about 74% | about 20% |
| Rhodium (Rh, 45, CAS 7440-16-6) | Reduces NOx, the function no other metal performs as well | about 22% | about 16% |
A DailyPlatinum calculation from US DOE 2011 gram loadings (gasoline: 0.28 g Pt, 4.55 g Pd, 0.28 g Rh; diesel: 7.53 g Pt, 2.22 g Pd, 0.39 g Rh) priced at WPIC's 2024 average metals prices (Pt $957, Pd $982, Rh $4,640 per troy ounce), not a live quote.
A gasoline three-way catalyst is palladium-dominant on that basis, even though rhodium makes up only a small fraction of its grams, while a diesel system inverts the mix because it runs on platinum-based oxidation rather than a palladium-heavy three-way reaction. Ruthenium, iridium and osmium, the three platinum group metals a converter never carries in meaningful quantity, play no part in either figure, and a buyer will not pay for metal a unit does not contain. How much platinum, palladium and rhodium is in a catalytic converter, in grams rather than value share, is covered on how much platinum, palladium and rhodium is in a catalytic converter.
What a Junkyard or Scrapyard Actually Pays#
A scrapyard is offered far less than the converter's contained metal value, because a refiner and an aggregator each take a cut before the yard sees its residual, according to WPIC's Platinum Essentials report of 20 August 2025. On a North American converter holding $250 of contained platinum, palladium and rhodium at 2024 average prices, the refiner pays the aggregator roughly 92.5% of that value after a 2% processing loss, and the aggregator then spends $90 to $200 collecting, decanning, crushing and assaying the unit before it ever reaches the refiner.
What remains for the scrapyard, once those costs are paid, is the residual at the bottom of that chain: WPIC's reconstruction implies a break-even offer to the scrapyard of about $34 per converter on 2024 prices, down from about $402 at 2021's much higher metal prices. The full percentage-by-percentage breakdown of that chain, step by step from contained value to the scrapyard's check, is set out on catalytic converter scrap prices, which also walks through the five-step calculation this page does not repeat.
Why a Catalytic Converter's Worth Changes With Metal Prices#
WPIC estimates a North American converter's contained metal value at $250 in 2024 against $719 in 2021, a 65% fall driven mainly by rhodium's price collapse over the same period, in its Platinum Essentials report of 20 August 2025. Rhodium's average price fell from $20,080 per troy ounce in 2021 to $4,640 in 2024, a decline that alone cut a North American converter's rhodium value from $367 to $85, more than accounting for the total swing. Platinum and palladium moved less over the same years: platinum's contribution slipped only from $45 to $39, and palladium's from $307 to $126, a smaller proportional fall than rhodium's.
A converter's price sensitivity concentrates in whichever metal carries the most of its value, and WPIC notes that palladium, not platinum, is usually that metal, because the average passenger-vehicle unit holds around three times as much palladium as platinum. The full calculation behind both years' figures is on catalytic converter scrap prices.
These figures are averages across a whole vehicle population; a specific converter's worth depends on its own stamped code and its own assay, not on a national or regional average. The next step is checking that number directly.
Finding Out What Your Specific Converter Is Worth#
A specific converter's worth is checked against its own stamped manufacturer code and its own assay, not against a national average. Two units bearing the exact same code can differ in value once weighed and assayed, because loading varies by production run and by how much of the original PGM content survived in-use aging. The two practical routes to a specific figure are looking the converter up by its code and getting a buyer to quote on it directly.
Look Up Your Converter by Code or Serial Number#
A converter code does not encode its PGM content directly; buyers match it to an average assay built from previously sampled units bearing the same code, not to a published specification. Manufacturers stamp their own code formats onto the shell, heat shield or end cap, four common examples of which are listed below.
- General Motors: 8 to 10 digit numeric codes, stamped on the circular end cap.
- Ford: alphanumeric codes with hyphens, stamped on the heat shield or body.
- Honda and Acura: codes carrying an 18160- prefix that denotes the converter assembly.
- Toyota and Lexus: 5-digit-to-5-digit codes, often marked Denso or Toyota.
Source: ScrapMonster, "Converter Identification Guide 2026".
That average carries real uncertainty: two units sharing a code can still assay differently because of production changes, in-use loss or prior tampering, and rare codes have thin sampling behind their average. A buyer's own grading system, covered on catalytic converter grades, sorts codes into value tiers before an individual unit is assayed by the methods on catalytic converter assay, so a code lookup gives a starting estimate, not a final number. The formats different manufacturers use, and where to find the code on a specific converter, are covered in full on catalytic converter codes and serial numbers.
Get a Quote From a Buyer#
A quote from a buyer who assays the actual unit is the most direct route to a specific converter's worth, more reliable than any code-database average. A calculator that turns a converter's grams and today's metal prices into an estimate is available at catalytic converter PGM value calculator, useful for a rough figure before a unit goes for assay. Buyers differ in the assay method they use, the percentage of contained value they pay and how quickly they settle, differences compared on catalytic converter buyers and recyclers.
Related Catalytic Converter Value Guides#
Four related catalytic converter value guides extend a specific part of this valuation, each anchored in its own worked figures, listed below.
- Most valuable catalytic converters: which vehicles and codes carry the highest PGM loadings, and why.
- How much platinum, palladium and rhodium is in a catalytic converter: gram-level content by fuel type and era.
- Diesel catalytic converter and DPF scrap value: DOC, DPF, LNT and SCR content compared side by side.
- Scrap platinum group metals: the wider category of platinum, palladium and rhodium scrap, including refining.
Catalytic Converter Worth FAQ#
The five questions below extend the figures above with their own dated sources.
Is it worth it to scrap a catalytic converter?#
Scrapping a catalytic converter is worth it whenever a buyer's offer exceeds the time and effort of removing and delivering it, which for most gasoline units runs $50 to $250, according to NICB's 10 May 2023 release. Payable percentages also matter: platinum and palladium typically pay out at 96% to 98% of assayed content and rhodium at 88% to 93%, so a rhodium-heavy unit keeps slightly less of its assayed value.
How much is a used catalytic converter worth for scrap?#
A used catalytic converter is worth the same range as any other scrap unit, $50 to $250, unless it is aftermarket, in which case it typically realizes three to five times less than an OEM part for the same vehicle, according to RRCats. ScrapMonster puts a typical aftermarket unit at around $20 against $100 to $800 or more for the OEM equivalent. Telling the two apart before selling is covered on identify an OEM or aftermarket catalytic converter.
How much is an old catalytic converter worth?#
An old converter's worth depends on its emissions era, not on its calendar age alone: a pre-1981 US converter carries no rhodium at all, because three-way catalysts only entered US service from model year 1981, while a typical 2010-2014 unit, the vintage WPIC says makes up most of today's scrap flow, carries the full three-metal mix most buyers grade against.
Who pays the highest price for catalytic converters?#
The buyer with the best assay data and the lowest costs for a converter's specific code typically pays the most; no single named buyer pays the highest price for every code, because payable percentages and processing costs differ by buyer. Comparing offers across catalytic converter buyers and recyclers is the only reliable way to find the best price for one specific converter.
How much is a stolen catalytic converter worth?#
A stolen converter nets a thief $50 to $250, or up to $800 for one taken from a hybrid vehicle, the same range NICB reports for a legitimately sold unit (10 May 2023), far less than the $1,000 to $3,500 or more it costs the owner to replace it. That gap between a thief's payout and an owner's replacement cost is the main driver behind catalytic converter theft, which rises and falls with PGM prices.