Scrap value is the reason free appliance pickup exists — and knowing what your appliance is worth helps you decide whether to sell, donate, or just schedule a removal.
Every old appliance sitting in your garage or basement has a scrap metal value — even if it's completely broken. That value is what makes free appliance pickup economically viable: the metals recovered from your fridge, washer, or water heater pay for the labor to collect them. Understanding this math also helps you make smarter decisions about your old appliances: is it worth selling on Marketplace, donating, dropping at a scrap yard yourself, or simply requesting a free pickup?
This guide breaks down appliance scrap value in detail — by type, by metal, and in the context of current 2026 commodity prices.
Scrap yards don't appraise appliances by model or age — they price them by weight multiplied by the metal type's current market price. Most household appliances are primarily steel (the cheapest metal by weight), with smaller but more valuable quantities of copper and aluminum mixed in.
Here's why copper matters so much: steel currently trades around $0.06–0.10 per pound at scrap yards. Aluminum brings $0.40–0.60 per pound. But copper — found in motors, compressors, wiring, and heat exchangers — commands roughly $3.50–4.00 per pound for #2 copper in 2026. That means a 2-pound copper motor winding is worth as much as 70 pounds of steel. Appliances with more copper content are worth meaningfully more per pound than comparable steel-heavy units.
Note that actual prices fluctuate based on commodity markets. The figures in this guide reflect approximate 2026 averages — check current prices at iScrapApp.com or call your local yard before making decisions based on exact dollar amounts.
| Appliance | Avg Weight | Key Metals | Est. Scrap Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 200–300 lbs | Steel, copper (compressor), aluminum (condenser) | $15–40 |
| Chest freezer | 100–200 lbs | Steel, copper (compressor) | $10–30 |
| Washing machine | 150–200 lbs | Steel, copper (motor & pump) | $10–25 |
| Dryer (electric) | 100–150 lbs | Steel, copper (heating element, motor) | $8–20 |
| Dishwasher | 60–100 lbs | Steel (tub), copper (motor wiring) | $5–15 |
| Oven / range | 100–200 lbs | Steel, cast iron grates | $8–20 |
| Microwave | 25–60 lbs | Steel, minimal copper (transformer) | $2–8 |
| Tank water heater | 150–300 lbs | Steel tank, copper fittings & anode | $15–40 |
| Tankless water heater | 30–80 lbs | Copper heat exchanger (primary), brass fittings | $30–60 |
Estimates based on approximate 2026 scrap commodity prices. Actual values vary by location and current market conditions.
For tank water heaters, the scrap value is comparable to a full-size refrigerator — both typically land in the $15–40 range. A large 80-gallon water heater can push toward the higher end because of sheer steel weight.
The real outlier is the tankless water heater. Unlike tank units that are mostly steel, tankless models are built around a copper heat exchanger — the component that rapidly heats water as it flows through. That heat exchanger can contain 5–15 pounds of copper depending on the unit's capacity. At $3.50–4.00/lb for copper, a single tankless unit can yield $30 to $60 in scrap value despite weighing only 30–80 pounds total. That puts a tankless water heater ahead of a full-size refrigerator on a per-pound basis. See our water heater pickup page for more details.
Standard refrigerators earn their scrap value through volume and compressor copper. A 250-pound French door fridge with its aluminum condenser coils and copper-wound compressor is a solid scrap unit — just not exceptional on a per-pound basis the way tankless water heaters are.
Scrap prices represent the floor of what your appliance is worth, not the ceiling. If your appliance works — or has a diagnosable, fixable problem — it's almost always worth more as a resale unit than as raw metal.
These are approximate 2026 averages for the metals found in household appliances. Prices fluctuate weekly based on global commodity markets — what you see at your local yard may vary by 10–20%:
The scrap revenue from a single appliance rarely covers the full cost of a dedicated pickup trip on its own — $15–40 per unit doesn't pay for two people, a truck, fuel, and overhead. What makes free pickup sustainable is routing efficiency: when a crew picks up 8–12 appliances in the same neighborhood on the same day, the combined scrap value ($150–400 per run) covers costs and generates a margin.
That's why free pickup services focus on metro areas and request pickups by neighborhood clustering. You benefit from free, professional removal and responsible recycling that keeps appliances out of the landfill. The service benefits from the accumulated scrap value across a route. When you request a free pickup, you're participating in a system that's economically self-sustaining — no subsidies, no hidden costs passed on to you. To help the process along, disconnect the appliance beforehand and have it ready curbside or just outside the garage.
If you bring a large appliance (refrigerator, washer, water heater) directly to a scrap yard yourself, most yards will pay you the scrap weight value on the spot — typically $10–40 per unit in 2026 depending on weight and metal prices. If you use a free pickup service, the scrap value offsets the cost of removal instead of going to you as cash. For a working appliance, selling it on Facebook Marketplace ($50–200) will almost always net more than the scrap price.
A refrigerator compressor is a sealed steel canister containing a copper motor winding and refrigerant oil. The copper winding is the high-value component — a typical household compressor contains roughly 1–2 lbs of copper wire. At current prices around $3.50–4.00/lb for #2 copper, the compressor alone is worth $5–8 in copper content. Scrappers who specifically harvest compressors will pay $15–25 each because they process them in volume.
Washers are generally worth slightly more than dryers in scrap because they're heavier (150–200 lbs vs. 100–150 lbs) and contain more copper — the motor and pump assembly in a washer has a higher copper content than a dryer's heating element. Electric dryers do contain copper heating coils, but the overall copper weight is lower. Expect roughly $10–25 for a washer vs. $8–20 for an electric dryer at current 2026 scrap prices.
Appliance brand has almost no effect on scrap value. Scrap yards price by metal type and weight, not by manufacturer. A 250-lb Samsung refrigerator and a 250-lb Whirlpool refrigerator of similar construction will fetch the same scrap price. Brand matters only if you're selling a working appliance on the secondary market, where recognizable brands (LG, Samsung, Sub-Zero) can command higher resale prices than lesser-known manufacturers.
Local haulers handle the scrap — you get free removal and responsible recycling. A local hauler will call or text you within 24 hours of your request. Haulers offset costs by refurbishing and reselling working appliances.
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