Current Prices for Scrap Automotive Batteries in North Carolina
Track current market prices for Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck) and find the highest-paying scrap yards in North Carolina. Our data monitors national averages so you know exactly what your dead lead-acid batteries are worth before you load up.
Average Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck) Price
- Low (up to $0.05): Floor price, typically for small loads.
- Mid ($0.07): A fair deal for standard quantities.
- High ($0.08+): Top-dollar rate. Offered for large commercial loads or by the most competitive buyers.
Pricing verified from 2 live board rates today.
Top Scrap Yards Buying Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck) North Carolina
Don't let dead batteries pile up in your shop. Check out these local buyers in North Carolina to compare current payouts for Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck). Use our national benchmarks to negotiate the best rate, but always call the scale ahead of time to lock in today's price.
CMC Recycling
CMC Recycling
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🚀 List your scrap yard ⟶Compare Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck) with Similar Grades
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.
Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck) 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.
Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck): Scrap Yard Price vs. World Market (LME)
Avg scrap yard price
World market price (LME)
Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck): Spread vs. Exchange — Monthly History
| Period | World price (per lb) | Scrap yard price (per lb) | Spread vs. exchange |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 (current) | $0.878181 | $0.38 | -$0.50 (57.1%) |
| February 2026 | $0.892971 | $0.40 | -$0.50 (55.6%) |
| January 2026 | $0.92151 | $0.43 | -$0.49 (53.3%) |
| December 2025 | $0.901455 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40%) |
| November 2025 | $0.918033 | $0.43 | -$0.49 (52.9%) |
| October 2025 | $0.907758 | $0.55 | -$0.36 (39.9%) |
| September 2025 | $0.906913 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40.2%) |
| August 2025 | $0.906455 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40%) |
| July 2025 | $0.925719 | $0.56 | -$0.37 (40%) |
| June 2025 | $0.91682 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (39.8%) |
| May 2025 | $0.907029 | $0.55 | -$0.36 (39.9%) |
| April 2025 | $0.88155 | $0.53 | -$0.35 (40.1%) |
| March 2025 | $0.926848 | $0.43 | -$0.49 (53.3%) |
| February 2025 | $0.896882 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40%) |
| January 2025 | $0.88191 | $0.53 | -$0.35 (40.1%) |
| December 2024 | $0.914952 | $0.55 | -$0.36 (39.9%) |
| November 2024 | $0.91361 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (40%) |
| October 2024 | $0.938668 | $0.56 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| September 2024 | $0.926587 | $0.56 | -$0.37 (39.9%) |
| August 2024 | $0.920674 | $0.55 | -$0.37 (39.9%) |
| July 2024 | $0.971394 | $0.58 | -$0.39 (40.1%) |
| June 2024 | $1.000473 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| May 2024 | $1.020332 | $0.61 | -$0.41 (40%) |
| April 2024 | $0.979673 | $0.59 | -$0.39 (40%) |
| March 2024 | $0.939158 | $0.56 | -$0.38 (40%) |
| February 2024 | $0.946955 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40%) |
| January 2024 | $0.962006 | $0.58 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| December 2023 | $0.937619 | $0.56 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| November 2023 | $0.998843 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| October 2023 | $0.954132 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| September 2023 | $1.00769 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| August 2023 | $0.975368 | $0.59 | -$0.39 (39.9%) |
| July 2023 | $0.959526 | $0.58 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| June 2023 | $0.94668 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| May 2023 | $0.948729 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40%) |
| April 2023 | $0.96532 | $0.58 | -$0.39 (40.1%) |
| March 2023 | $0.954935 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| February 2023 | $0.947779 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40.1%) |
| January 2023 | $0.995823 | $0.47 | -$0.52 (52.5%) |
| December 2022 | $1.006974 | $0.60 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| November 2022 | $0.954497 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| October 2022 | $0.900239 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (39.9%) |
| September 2022 | $0.851097 | $0.51 | -$0.34 (40.1%) |
| August 2022 | $0.940587 | $0.46 | -$0.48 (50.8%) |
| July 2022 | $0.89739 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40%) |
| June 2022 | $0.943147 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (40%) |
| May 2022 | $0.979358 | $0.48 | -$0.50 (51%) |
| April 2022 | $1.085437 | $0.65 | -$0.44 (40.1%) |
| March 2022 | $1.067548 | $0.64 | -$0.43 (40%) |
| February 2022 | $1.041989 | $0.63 | -$0.42 (39.9%) |
| January 2022 | $1.055206 | $0.63 | -$0.42 (40.1%) |
| December 2021 | $1.033365 | $0.62 | -$0.41 (40%) |
| November 2021 | $1.04863 | $0.63 | -$0.42 (39.9%) |
| October 2021 | $1.051348 | $0.49 | -$0.56 (53.5%) |
| September 2021 | $1.00872 | $0.61 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| August 2021 | $1.045868 | $0.58 | -$0.46 (44.3%) |
| July 2021 | $1.060394 | $0.56 | -$0.50 (46.7%) |
| June 2021 | $0.994603 | $0.47 | -$0.52 (52.3%) |
| May 2021 | $0.991113 | $0.59 | -$0.40 (40%) |
| April 2021 | $0.915917 | $0.46 | -$0.46 (50%) |
| March 2021 | $0.893019 | $0.54 | -$0.36 (40.1%) |
| February 2021 | $0.94915 | $0.57 | -$0.38 (39.9%) |
| January 2021 | $0.921013 | $0.37 | -$0.55 (60.1%) |
Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck) 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 | $0.05 / lb | -$0.03 | $0.05 - $0.05 |
| 1/13/2026 | $0.08 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.08 - $0.08 |
| 11/26/2025 | $0.10 / lb | +$0.02 | $0.10 - $0.10 |
| 3/28/2025 | $0.08 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.08 - $0.08 |
| 1/28/2023 | $0.10 / lb | -$0.09 | $0.10 - $0.10 |
| 8/12/2022 | $0.19 / lb | +$0.04 | $0.19 - $0.19 |
| 5/20/2022 | $0.15 / lb | +$0.03 | $0.15 - $0.15 |
| 10/28/2021 | $0.12 / lb | -$0.08 | $0.12 - $0.12 |
| 8/3/2021 | $0.20 / lb | +$0.06 | $0.20 - $0.20 |
| 6/14/2021 | $0.14 / lb | -$0.07 | $0.14 - $0.14 |
| 4/22/2021 | $0.21 / lb | -$0.02 | $0.21 - $0.21 |
| 1/28/2021 | $0.23 / lb | +$0.03 | $0.23 - $0.23 |
Turning Dead Cells into Cash
For mechanics and scrappers alike in North Carolina, Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck) are a heavy, reliable source of steady cash. Standard 12-volt car and truck batteries are heavily sought after by processors solely for their lead content. Our market data shows that national buyers are currently paying anywhere from $0.15 to $0.26 per pound, depending on the volume you are hauling. The average typically sits right around $0.20. Because these units are heavy—often weighing between 30 and 50 pounds a piece—those pennies per pound add up extremely fast when you show up with a full pallet.
Keep Your Battery Haul Sorted
Walking into the yard with a mixed pallet of random batteries is a guaranteed way to lose money at the scale. Scrap yards deal with hazardous materials when handling batteries, and mixed loads disrupt their shipping standards. For example, if you get lazy and stack Telecom & Absolyte Batteries right alongside your standard Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck), you run the risk of downgrading the entire load, costing you about $0.08 per pound. Sort your batteries properly to secure the top rate.
- Scrap Lead Acid Batteries: Standard industrial batteries generally trade between $0.15 to $0.31/lb.
- Small Lead Acid Batteries: Typically found in UPS backups and ride-on toys, fetching $0.20 to $0.22/lb.
- Lithium Ion Batteries: Never mix these with lead-acid! They are a severe fire hazard at the yard and have a completely different price range of $0.40 to $0.40/lb.
Pallet Prep for the Heavy Hauler
If you're bringing in more than a couple of batteries, present them professionally. Yards prefer them stacked neatly on a solid wooden pallet, no more than three layers high, with heavy-duty cardboard placed between each layer to protect the terminals from shorting out. Shrink-wrap the entire stack tightly. A neatly wrapped pallet gets you weighed and paid faster, showing the yard manager you know what you're doing.
Yard Pro Tip: Never show up to the scale with leaking or physically cracked battery cases. Most scrap yards will outright reject them due to strict EPA and DOT regulations regarding spilled battery acid. If you find a cracked battery in your stash, put it in a heavy-duty, acid-resistant plastic bin or battery box and inform the scale manager immediately upon arrival so they can handle it safely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do scrap yards buy old car batteries?
They are bought purely to recycle the lead. A standard automotive lead-acid battery is highly recyclable, and extracting that lead is much more cost-effective than mining new ore. This high recyclability rate is what drives the current national average of $0.20 per pound.
How does the commodities market affect battery prices?
The scrap value of your automotive batteries tracks closely with the global lead spot price on the LME. Because yards have to factor in the hazardous transport and smelting costs to process the internal lead and acid safely, the price you get at the local scale usually hovers about 92.4% below the spot market rate.
Should I drain the acid out before scrapping them?
Absolutely not. You should never attempt to drain battery acid yourself. It is highly corrosive, toxic, and illegal to dump. Scrap yards expect to buy automotive batteries 'wet' and ship them to specialized smelters that are fully equipped to safely drain, neutralize, and recycle the acid alongside the plastic casing and lead.
Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck) scrap prices in North Carolina on the map
The map shows cities in North Carolina with Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck) scrap prices. Click a marker or pick a city in the list below to see Automotive Batteries (Car & Truck) prices in that location.