Current Prices for Scrap Aluminum & Steel Transformers in the US
Find the most accurate scrap prices for Aluminum & Steel Transformers in the US. Local yards are currently paying between $0.10 and $0.15 per pound depending on the size of the units and the amount of attached waste.
Average Aluminum & Steel Transformers Price
- Low (up to $0.10): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($0.12): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($0.15+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
Pricing verified from 5 live board rates today.
Top Paying Scrap Yards for Aluminum & Steel Transformers US
Don't just dump your heavy breakage at the first scale you find in the US. Yard payouts for transformers depend entirely on their shredder operations and recovery rates, so compare local quotes against the national average of $0.12 per pound. Always call ahead to ask how they grade units with excess plastic or steel mounting brackets.
Columbus Metal Recycling
USA Scrap Metal & Recycling
E-Z Money Recycling LLC
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🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶How Aluminum & Steel Transformers Compare to Other Breakage
The #1 rule at scrap yards: if you mix grades, they’ll weigh everything at the lowest rate. See the price gap below — if you have higher-value metal, always sort and weigh each grade separately to avoid leaving money on the table.
Aluminum & Steel Transformers Price Trends & Market History
This chart shows where the market is headed. If the line is climbing, prices are rising — you might get a better deal in a few days. If it’s dropping, don’t wait: sell today before yards lower their buy prices further.
Aluminum & Steel Transformers: Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (LME)
Avg scrap yard price
World market price (LME)
Aluminum & Steel Transformers: Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 (current) | $1.097176 | $0.49 | -$0.61 (55.2%) |
| February 2026 | $1.2032 | $0.55 | -$0.65 (54.2%) |
| January 2026 | $1.051423 | $0.63 | -$0.42 (40%) |
| December 2025 | $0.982942 | $0.59 | -$0.39 (40.1%) |
| November 2025 | $0.930043 | $0.51 | -$0.42 (44.7%) |
| October 2025 | $0.887584 | $0.46 | -$0.43 (48%) |
| September 2025 | $0.86119 | $0.52 | -$0.34 (40%) |
| August 2025 | $0.866703 | $0.40 | -$0.47 (54.3%) |
| July 2025 | $0.837774 | $0.50 | -$0.33 (40%) |
| June 2025 | $0.802343 | $0.48 | -$0.32 (39.9%) |
| May 2025 | $0.807171 | $0.48 | -$0.32 (40%) |
| April 2025 | $0.744003 | $0.45 | -$0.30 (39.9%) |
| March 2025 | $0.878574 | $0.53 | -$0.35 (39.9%) |
| February 2025 | $0.893382 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40.1%) |
| January 2025 | $0.812942 | $0.49 | -$0.33 (40%) |
| December 2024 | $0.805026 | $0.48 | -$0.32 (40.1%) |
| November 2024 | $0.80919 | $0.49 | -$0.32 (39.9%) |
| October 2024 | $0.84811 | $0.51 | -$0.34 (40.1%) |
| September 2024 | $0.84145 | $0.51 | -$0.34 (40%) |
| August 2024 | $0.838665 | $0.43 | -$0.41 (48.3%) |
| July 2024 | $0.905877 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40.1%) |
| June 2024 | $0.957757 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| May 2024 | $0.995197 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40.2%) |
| April 2024 | $0.9588 | $0.45 | -$0.51 (53.2%) |
| March 2024 | $0.916803 | $0.46 | -$0.45 (49.5%) |
| February 2024 | $0.908876 | $0.45 | -$0.46 (50.3%) |
| January 2024 | $0.981155 | $0.59 | -$0.39 (39.8%) |
| December 2023 | $0.992781 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| November 2023 | $0.936113 | $0.56 | -$0.37 (40%) |
| October 2023 | $0.91751 | $0.43 | -$0.49 (53.6%) |
| September 2023 | $0.946997 | $0.43 | -$0.52 (54.5%) |
| August 2023 | $0.930013 | $0.56 | -$0.37 (40.1%) |
| July 2023 | $0.934068 | $0.56 | -$0.37 (39.9%) |
| June 2023 | $0.944237 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| May 2023 | $0.9455 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| April 2023 | $0.971563 | $0.58 | -$0.39 (40.1%) |
| March 2023 | $1.031729 | $0.50 | -$0.53 (51.1%) |
| February 2023 | $1.081664 | $0.65 | -$0.43 (40.1%) |
| January 2023 | $1.063787 | $0.64 | -$0.42 (39.9%) |
| December 2022 | $1.03949 | $0.62 | -$0.42 (40%) |
| November 2022 | $1.026153 | $0.62 | -$0.41 (40%) |
| October 2022 | $0.962755 | $0.58 | -$0.39 (40.1%) |
| September 2022 | $0.9553 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| August 2022 | $1.002665 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (39.9%) |
| July 2022 | $0.932735 | $0.56 | -$0.37 (40%) |
| June 2022 | $1.03653 | $0.62 | -$0.41 (40%) |
| May 2022 | $1.104181 | $0.66 | -$0.44 (40%) |
| April 2022 | $1.12712 | $0.68 | -$0.45 (40%) |
| March 2022 | $1.070248 | $0.64 | -$0.43 (40.1%) |
| February 2022 | $1.12205 | $0.67 | -$0.45 (40%) |
| January 2022 | $1.156365 | $0.70 | -$0.46 (39.8%) |
| December 2021 | $1.092839 | $0.66 | -$0.44 (39.8%) |
| November 2021 | $1.072407 | $0.64 | -$0.43 (40%) |
| October 2021 | $1.051368 | $0.63 | -$0.42 (39.9%) |
| September 2021 | $1.110613 | $0.67 | -$0.45 (40.1%) |
| August 2021 | $1.181813 | $0.71 | -$0.47 (39.9%) |
| July 2021 | $1.106519 | $0.66 | -$0.44 (40%) |
| June 2021 | $1.065053 | $0.64 | -$0.43 (40.1%) |
| May 2021 | $1.079274 | $0.65 | -$0.43 (39.9%) |
| April 2021 | $1.063943 | $0.64 | -$0.42 (39.9%) |
| March 2021 | $1.038232 | $0.62 | -$0.41 (39.9%) |
| February 2021 | $0.997864 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| January 2021 | $0.978155 | $0.59 | -$0.39 (40%) |
| December 2020 | $0.912668 | $0.55 | -$0.36 (40%) |
| November 2020 | $0.788713 | $0.47 | -$0.31 (39.9%) |
| October 2020 | $0.748797 | $0.45 | -$0.30 (40%) |
| September 2020 | $0.74391 | $0.45 | -$0.30 (39.9%) |
| August 2020 | $0.681152 | $0.39 | -$0.29 (43.3%) |
| July 2020 | $0.682474 | $0.34 | -$0.34 (50.1%) |
| June 2020 | $0.707093 | $0.43 | -$0.28 (39.8%) |
| May 2020 | $0.667345 | $0.40 | -$0.27 (40.1%) |
| April 2020 | $0.655233 | $0.39 | -$0.26 (40.1%) |
| March 2020 | $0.63179 | $0.38 | -$0.25 (39.9%) |
| February 2020 | $0.865779 | $0.52 | -$0.34 (39.8%) |
| January 2020 | $0.878045 | $0.53 | -$0.35 (39.9%) |
| December 2019 | $0.919229 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (39.9%) |
| November 2019 | $0.903547 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40.1%) |
| October 2019 | $0.820784 | $0.49 | -$0.33 (39.9%) |
| September 2019 | $0.81844 | $0.47 | -$0.35 (42.4%) |
Aluminum & Steel Transformers Scrap Price History — Daily Data
A day-by-day market snapshot in exact numbers. Every day we aggregate buy prices from local scrap yards, recording the average, low, and high. Use this table to track real price movement over recent days.
| Date | Avg price (per lb) | Change | Range (Low/High) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/17/2026 | $0.14 / lb | +$0.04 | $0.10 - $0.20 |
| 11/3/2025 | $0.10 / lb | +$0.05 | $0.10 - $0.10 |
| 8/23/2025 | $0.05 / lb | -$0.18 | $0.05 - $0.05 |
| 8/15/2024 | $0.23 / lb | +$0.13 | $0.23 - $0.23 |
| 4/18/2024 | $0.10 / lb | -$0.12 | $0.10 - $0.10 |
| 3/27/2024 | $0.22 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.22 - $0.22 |
| 2/25/2024 | $0.20 / lb | +$0.12 | $0.20 - $0.20 |
| 10/10/2023 | $0.08 / lb | +$0.03 | $0.06 - $0.09 |
| 9/30/2023 | $0.05 / lb | -$0.15 | $0.05 - $0.05 |
| 3/13/2023 | $0.20 / lb | +$0.15 | $0.20 - $0.20 |
| 8/2/2020 | $0.05 / lb | -$0.05 | $0.05 - $0.05 |
Maximizing Your Payout for Aluminum & Steel Transformers
Scrapping electrical components can be highly profitable if you know exactly what you are hauling. Aluminum & Steel Transformers—commonly pulled from microwaves, power supplies, and industrial control panels—consist of a heavy iron core wrapped in aluminum wire. Right now, our data shows national buyers are paying anywhere from $0.10 for smaller, heavily cased units to $0.15 for large, clean transformers. The national average sits around $0.12 per pound. Because these items are incredibly dense, squeezing every extra penny out of your per-pound rate in the US makes a massive difference on your final ticket.
Yard Pro Tip: Manufacturers often coat aluminum windings in a thin, copper-colored enamel to prevent oxidation and to make them look like high-value copper. Always take a metal file or the edge of your wire cutters and scratch the coils. If you see a bright silver color underneath, it is an aluminum transformer. Never rely just on the outside color, or the yard will quickly correct you at the scale and downgrade your load.
Stop Leaving Money Behind: Sorting Your Coils
The golden rule of the scrap yard is that mixed metal always gets bought at the cheapest grade's price. If you accidentally throw high-value Copper Transformers into a gaylord box filled with Aluminum & Steel Transformers, the scale operator will pay you the aluminum rate for the whole bin. You are throwing away roughly $0.30 per pound on those copper units by being lazy. Take the extra thirty seconds to scratch the coils and separate your copper from your aluminum.
- Clean Transformers: The steel core and aluminum windings are exposed. No plastic housings, no excess wires, and no heavy mounting brackets. This material fetches prices closer to the $0.15 mark.
- Dirty Transformers: Still encased in plastic shells or heavy steel equipment boxes. Because the aluminum recovery percentage is lower, expect payouts to drop closer to $0.10.
Market Drivers for Breakage Scrap
The price of transformer scrap is tied directly to the global commodities market on the LME. Because these units require massive amounts of energy to shred and separate the iron from the aluminum, scrap yards usually buy them at about 87.7% below the spot price of the raw extracted metals. When industrial aluminum demand spikes, you will see a direct bump in what buyers offer for breakage at the scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I take apart an Aluminum & Steel Transformer?
Generally, no. Trying to separate the steel core from the aluminum windings using hand tools takes hours and is rarely worth the labor. Unless you have specialized industrial shearing equipment, you are better off selling them whole at the $0.12 per pound rate.
What is the difference between transformers and dirty motors?
While both are considered "breakage" at the yard, items like Aluminum & Dirty Motors or Automotive Alternators contain moving parts, armatures, and varying ratios of aluminum to steel. Transformers are static magnetic cores with wrapped wire. Some yards group all breakage together, but larger operations pay different rates based on the specific recovery yields of each item.
Why did the yard pay me less than the quoted price?
If your transformers still have large steel mounting brackets attached, or if they are pulled from Automotive AC Compressors and covered in oil and dirt, the yard considers them "dirty." Clean off the excess fluff to get the top-tier price.
Aluminum & Steel Transformers scrap prices — find in your state on the map
The map shows states where we have Aluminum & Steel Transformers scrap prices. Click a state on the map or use the links below to see current Aluminum & Steel Transformers prices in that region.