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Transformer scrap value calculator
How much copper or aluminium is actually in a decommissioned transformer, and what it is worth at the price your yard is paying today. The table below covers every standard pad mounted rating, so the answer is on the page whether or not you use the calculator.
| What is in it | Weight | Counts as |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium windings | 175 to 280 lb | The only high value metal in the unit |
| Core, grain oriented electrical steel | 1,715 lb | Steel, and usually the heaviest single part |
| Tank, cabinet and hardware | 665 lb | Steel |
| Mineral oil | 735 lb, about 98 gallons | No value here, and possibly a cost |
Winding metal is 5 to 8 percent of the total weight on a liquid filled unit, which is the figure most people get wrong. The oil is carried at zero because a yard will not pay for it, and if the unit predates 1980 it has to be tested for PCBs before anyone will take it, which turns the oil from an asset into a disposal bill. Check the nameplate for the winding material before you trust any of this.
Scrap content of every standard rating
Winding metal and estimated value for each standard three phase liquid filled rating, at a copper price of $3 and a steel price of ten cents a pound. Change the prices in the calculator above to whatever you are being quoted.
| kVA | Unit weight | Copper windings | Value if copper | Aluminium windings | Value if aluminium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 1,350 lb | 108 to 162 lb | $410 to $572 | 68 to 108 lb | $132 to $157 |
| 75 | 1,750 lb | 140 to 210 lb | $532 to $742 | 88 to 140 lb | $172 to $203 |
| 112.5 | 2,050 lb | 164 to 246 lb | $623 to $869 | 103 to 164 lb | $201 to $238 |
| 150 | 2,400 lb | 192 to 288 lb | $730 to $1,018 | 120 to 192 lb | $235 to $278 |
| 225 | 3,000 lb | 240 to 360 lb | $912 to $1,272 | 150 to 240 lb | $294 to $348 |
| 300 | 3,500 lb | 280 to 420 lb | $1,064 to $1,484 | 175 to 280 lb | $343 to $406 |
| 500 | 4,900 lb | 392 to 588 lb | $1,490 to $2,078 | 245 to 392 lb | $480 to $568 |
| 750 | 6,600 lb | 528 to 792 lb | $2,006 to $2,798 | 330 to 528 lb | $647 to $766 |
| 1000 | 8,200 lb | 656 to 984 lb | $2,493 to $3,477 | 410 to 656 lb | $804 to $951 |
| 1500 | 11,500 lb | 920 to 1,380 lb | $3,496 to $4,876 | 575 to 920 lb | $1,127 to $1,334 |
| 2000 | 14,500 lb | 1,160 to 1,740 lb | $4,408 to $6,148 | 725 to 1,160 lb | $1,421 to $1,682 |
| 2500 | 17,500 lb | 1,400 to 2,100 lb | $5,320 to $7,420 | 875 to 1,400 lb | $1,715 to $2,030 |
Free to cite with a link to this page. Weights are typical for liquid filled pad mounted units at each rating, and the metal split is a range because build varies by manufacturer and vintage. The nameplate is the only authority for a specific unit.
The mistake that costs the most
People weigh a transformer, see three or four thousand pounds, and price it as if it were a coil of copper. It is not. On a liquid filled unit the core is usually the single heaviest component and it scraps as steel, the tank and cabinet scrap as steel, and the oil is worth nothing at all. The winding metal is a tenth of the weight at best, and on most modern units it is aluminium rather than copper, which is a fifth of the price. Read the nameplate before you agree a number with anyone.
Replacing the unit you are scrapping
Common questions
How much copper is in a transformer?
Less than most people expect. On a liquid filled pad mounted distribution transformer the windings are roughly 8 to 12 percent of the total weight if they are copper, and 5 to 8 percent if they are aluminium. A 3,500 lb unit with copper windings carries somewhere around 280 to 420 lb of copper, not half its weight. The rest is core steel, tank steel and oil.
Are transformer windings copper or aluminium?
Most modern distribution transformers are wound with aluminium, because it is cheaper and the design compensates with a larger conductor. Older units are more often copper. The nameplate states the winding material, and that is the only reliable answer for a specific unit. Copper wound units are heavier at the same rating, so weight is a clue when the nameplate is gone.
What is a scrap transformer worth?
It depends almost entirely on the winding metal and the weight. At a copper price around three dollars a pound and steel around ten cents, a 3,500 lb copper wound unit comes out in the low four figures, and the same unit wound in aluminium comes out far lower, because aluminium scrap is worth a fraction of copper. Set the prices in the calculator to what your yard is actually paying, because those numbers move weekly.
Does the oil have any scrap value?
No, and it can be a cost. A yard will not pay for mineral oil, and a transformer built before 1980 has to be tested for PCBs before anyone will accept it. If it tests positive the oil becomes regulated waste and disposal is a bill, not a credit. That is why the calculator carries the oil at zero.
Why is the core worth so little when it is the heaviest part?
Because grain oriented electrical steel scraps as steel. It is a precision material when it is in service, laminated and oriented so the magnetic path runs with the grain, but once it is cut out of a tank a yard weighs it like any other steel. The value per pound is roughly thirty times lower than copper.
More on what is inside a unit and why the nameplate matters, in the guide to copper content and scrap value. Need a replacement rather than a number, ask for a quote.