Catalytic converter scrap price: what sets it, and how to sell one legally
A catalytic converter is worth whatever the few grams of platinum, palladium and rhodium inside it fetch on the day, less the cost of getting them out. That is why one unit sells for twenty pounds and another from the same scrapyard for three hundred, and why the buyer asks for the code on the shell before quoting.
Catalytic converter scrap price: key facts
| What it is | A steel shell around a ceramic honeycomb coated with platinum, palladium and rhodium, fitted to the exhaust of every new petrol car sold in the UK since 1993 and to diesels since the late 1990s |
|---|---|
| What makes it valuable | Those three metals, known as the platinum group metals. A unit holds a few grams in total, and rhodium alone has traded at several times the price of gold |
| Typical UK scrap value | From under £20 for an aftermarket replacement or a lightly loaded diesel unit to several hundred pounds for some hybrids |
| How buyers price it | From the code stamped on the shell, looked up in a database of metal loadings, against that day's metal prices |
| The law | Only a licensed scrap metal dealer may buy it, the dealer must record your photo ID and address, and payment by cash is banned |
| Theft | A target for thieves since 2019 because a unit comes off in minutes. Honest sellers are asked more questions as a result |
Why one converter is worth £20 and another £300
Every converter does the same job, cleaning exhaust gases over a coating of platinum group metals, but manufacturers use very different amounts of those metals to do it. A small petrol car carries a different loading from a large one, petrol units lean towards palladium and rhodium while diesel units lean towards platinum, and hybrids carry more than most because an engine that keeps stopping and starting runs cooler and needs more metal to reach the same result. That is why hybrids were the favourite target of the theft wave that began in 2019.
Replacement converters sold by parts suppliers, often called aftermarket or pattern parts, carry a fraction of the loading of the original and are worth a fraction as scrap. Diesel particulate filters, which sit beside or in place of the converter on a modern diesel, also carry platinum and are bought the same way. The ceramic brick inside is the only part with value; the stainless steel shell is weighed in with the ordinary stainless.
How a buyer prices it
Every original converter carries a code stamped into the shell. A buyer reads it, looks it up in a database that records the metal content of that model, and multiplies by the prices of platinum, palladium and rhodium that day, published by the London Bullion Market Association and the refiners. The quote you get is that figure less the buyer's margin and the cost of refining, which involves cutting the brick out, milling it and sending it to a refiner who recovers the metals and pays for what is actually there. A buyer who quotes without seeing the code, or who offers one flat price for any unit, is guessing in their own favour.
Prices move with the metal markets. Rhodium climbed to extraordinary levels in 2021 and has fallen a long way since, taking converter prices with it, so a figure a friend was quoted two years ago tells you little about today. The LBMA price pages show where the three metals stand.
Selling one legally
You may sell a converter you own: the one that came off your own car, or the ones your garage removes in the course of its work. The buyer must hold a scrap metal dealer licence from the local council, must see and record your photo ID and proof of address, and may not pay you in cash. The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 makes cash payment an offence for the dealer, so an offer of notes in the yard is a sign to walk away. Payment comes by bank transfer or cheque, and the dealer keeps a record of every unit bought, which is what makes stolen ones hard to sell.
If you are scrapping the whole car, the converter is part of what the authorised treatment facility is paying for, and a car with its original converter in place is worth more than one without. Our guides to scrap car prices and scrapping a car explain how the figure is built. Do not remove the converter from a car you intend to drive or sell on: a car that had one fitted as standard fails its MOT without it.
Garages, MOT stations and exhaust fitters collect converters steadily. They are worth batching rather than selling one at a time, kept somewhere locked, and sold to a specialist buyer or licensed dealer who prices each unit by its code, with the paperwork kept alongside the rest of the business's waste records. The directory below lists the licensed dealers in your postcode area; the ones that buy converters say so on their page or will tell you on the phone.
Theft, and what it means for sellers
Because a converter can be cut from a parked car in a couple of minutes and sold for a worthwhile sum, thefts rose sharply from 2019, with hybrids and vehicles with high ground clearance the usual targets. Crimestoppers advises owners to park with the exhaust close to a wall or between other cars, to fit a catalytic converter lock or guard where one exists for the model, and to have the unit marked with a forensic marking kit so it can be traced. For sellers the effect is more questions: a buyer who asks where a unit came from, wants to see the car's paperwork, or declines a bag of mixed units from someone with no trade connection is doing what the law expects. If you are offered converters cheaply by someone who cannot say where they came from, the answer is no.
Where the metal goes
The brick is crushed and sent to a refiner, where more than nine tenths of the platinum group metals are recovered and returned to the market, much of it into new converters. It is one of the clearest examples of urban mining: the metals are worth so much that a kilo of spent ceramic carries more of them than a tonne of the ore they were first dug from.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a catalytic converter worth as scrap?
Anywhere from under £20 to several hundred pounds. The figure depends on how much platinum, palladium and rhodium the particular model carries and on the metal prices that day. Buyers price each unit from the code stamped on its shell, so a quote given without the code is a guess.
Can I sell a catalytic converter for cash?
No. The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 bans cash payment for scrap metal in England and Wales. A licensed dealer records your photo ID and address and pays by bank transfer or cheque. A buyer offering cash is breaking the law.
Which cars have the most valuable catalytic converters?
Hybrids generally, because their engines run cooler and need a heavier loading of metal, followed by larger petrol engines. Aftermarket replacement units carry far less metal and are worth far less.
Is it legal to sell my old catalytic converter?
Yes, if it is yours, to a licensed scrap metal dealer or a specialist buyer, with your ID recorded and payment made by transfer or cheque. Garages may sell the units they remove in the course of their work in the same way.
Why does the buyer want the code on the converter?
The code identifies the model, and a database records how much platinum, palladium and rhodium that model carries. Without it the buyer cannot tell a lightly loaded unit from a rich one.
Does removing the catalytic converter affect the MOT?
Yes. A car that had a catalytic converter fitted as standard fails its MOT if the converter is missing, so it should only come off a car that is being scrapped.
Sources
- Catalytic converter theft, Crimestoppers
- Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, section 12, offence of buying scrap metal for cash
- Scrap metal dealer registration, GOV.UK
- LBMA precious metal prices, including platinum and palladium
- Platinum group metal management and recycling, Johnson Matthey
- British Metals Recycling Association