Junkyards and salvage yards near you
Directory sites tell you where the yards are. None of them tell you what a yard will actually hand you for the car, which is the only number you needed. Both are below.
What a junkyard pays for a whole car
Start here, because it decides whether the drive is worth it. A yard buying your car as a unit is really buying two things: the recyclable metal in it, which is a function of weight, and whatever it expects to resell from it. The catalytic converter usually sits somewhere between the two and carries more value than people expect.
What a yard pays for a whole car in the US
Clean title, catalytic converter still on the car, no crash damage. Regional scrap basis $150 - $180 per ton, as of 2026-08.
| Vehicle | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Small car, will not start | $250 - $420 |
| Mid-size sedan, will not start | $295 - $490 |
| SUV or minivan, will not start | $400 - $670 |
| Full-size pickup, will not start | $505 - $845 |
Estimates from our own model, not offers, and not quotes from any yard on this page. Our own estimate of what a whole scrap car fetches per ton in this region - not a live per-state quote and not a mill index. A yard that has to send its own truck for the car will usually pay less than one you drive it to.
Regional scrap prices differ, so the figures on each state page below are calculated for that region rather than repeated from this one.
Self-service, full-service, or a buyer that comes to you
These are three different businesses, and picking the wrong one is what makes people feel they were lowballed.
- Self-service yards (often named "U-Pull" or "Pick-n-Pull") let you walk the lot and pull parts yourself for a small entry fee. They buy whole cars too, and they are the best option if your car has parts people still want.
- Full-service yards pull parts for you and sell them over a counter. They tend to be pickier about which cars they buy, because they are paying staff to dismantle them.
- Online buyers quote instantly without seeing the car and arrange free pickup. You trade a little negotiating upside for certainty and no phone calls.
Before you call a yard
- Know your number first. Run the estimate so you can recognise a lowball offer instead of guessing.
- Ask whether the quote is before or after towing, and get it in writing if the car has to be collected.
- Have the paperwork ready. If you have no title, check your state's rule first - it changes which yards can legally take the car.
- Do not remove the catalytic converter to sell separately. It almost always costs more than it makes.
- Confirm the yard is open and still trading before you drive. Listings go stale everywhere, including here.
Junkyards by state
807 mapped yards across 29 states. Each state page lists them by city with the state's own scrap estimate and, where we have checked it against the state's published source, its title and junk-vehicle rules.
Frequently asked questions
Mostly it comes down to weight and to whether the catalytic converter is still fitted. The table on this page gives our estimate for four vehicle sizes for a car that will not start with a clean title. The floor under any offer is the recyclable metal plus the converter; anything above it is what the yard expects to make reselling parts, which is why a yard that wants your specific car for parts can pay noticeably more than one that will only crush it.
About this list. Locations come from OpenStreetMap (ODbL 1.0), snapshot 2026-08-23. OpenStreetMap is a volunteer map rather than a licensing registry, so this directory is a real but partial list - there are yards operating that nobody has mapped yet, and a listed yard may have changed hands or closed. We have not verified any yard's licence, and a listing here is not a recommendation: some may buy parts only rather than a whole car. Phone before you drive out. Cities are ordered by how many yards we have mapped, and yards within a city alphabetically. We do not accept payment for placement on this page. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.