Catalytic Converter Scrap Value
A scrap catalytic converter is worth the platinum, palladium, and rhodium coated onto the honeycomb inside it, minus the considerable cost of getting those metals back out. A typical gasoline-car unit carries a few grams of metal in total, which is why whole converters commonly bring somewhere between about $45 and $450 from recyclers, while thin aftermarket replacements may fetch only $5 to $50. The honest answer to "what is mine worth" is always: it depends on the assay.
Quick answer: most stock gasoline-car converters hold roughly 3 to 7 grams of platinum-group metals combined (big engines and some hybrids more, small and aftermarket units much less). Recyclers pay for the recovered metal after testing, so quotes vary unit by unit. Track the metals themselves on the platinum, palladium, and rhodium price pages.
What is actually inside a converter
The working part of a converter is a ceramic honeycomb washcoated with three platinum-group metals, each doing a different job. Palladium and platinum oxidize unburned fuel and carbon monoxide; rhodium breaks down nitrogen oxides, a job nothing else does as well, which is a large part of why rhodium is so expensive. Gasoline-engine units lean on palladium with a little rhodium; diesel units are traditionally platinum-rich. Assay labs that test scrap catalyst report a typical passenger-car unit at about 3 to 7 grams of total PGM content, with the full range running from around 1 gram in small or aftermarket units to 15 or more in large-engine and some hybrid converters, and rhodium specifically usually between 0.1 and 2 grams.
The math, using real prices
Take a mid-size gasoline unit holding 1.5 g of palladium, 0.3 g of rhodium, and 0.2 g of platinum. At the site's 2026-07-22 snapshot prices (palladium $1,276, rhodium $8,150, platinum $1,602 per troy ounce), the contained metal is worth about $62 + $79 + $10, roughly $150 of metal content. Notice something surprising: the 0.3 g of rhodium is worth more than the 1.5 g of palladium. Rhodium's per-gram price dominates converter value, which is why converter prices spiked so hard when rhodium hit its 2021 record. You can rerun this math with live prices for each metal in the free calculator: enter the gram figure, pick the metal, use pure (99.9%) purity.
Why recyclers pay by assay, not by flat price
Metal loadings vary enormously by engine size, emissions standard, model year, and whether the unit is original or an aftermarket replacement, and none of that is visible from the outside. So serious buyers de-can the converter, mill the honeycomb, and test it, using XRF or lab assay, then pay on the recovered metal. Flat per-unit price lists you see online are estimates built on top of that process, useful for ballparks and nothing more. It also explains the painful surprise many sellers meet: an aftermarket unit that looks identical to the original can carry a tenth of the metal and a tenth of the price.
Why you get less than the metal value
As with scrap gold, nobody pays 100% of contained metal. The honeycomb must be decanned, ground, assayed, smelted, and refined, each step with real costs and metal losses, and the refiner, collector, and any middlemen each take a margin. Payouts quoted as a percentage of contained metal are normal, and selling direct to a larger processor generally beats selling through a chain of middlemen. Get more than one quote; the spread between buyers can be large.
A note on theft and proof of ownership
High metal prices made converter theft a national problem: US insurance claims for converter theft ran about 16,600 in 2020 and peaked near 65,000 in 2022 before falling by half as metal prices cooled. Legitimate buyers responded, and many US states now require sellers to show proof of vehicle ownership, ID, or both. If you are selling a converter you cut from your own car, keep the vehicle title or repair paperwork handy; a buyer who asks for it is a good sign, not a bad one.
This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice. Metal contents are typical ranges reported by assay laboratories and recyclers, not a promise about any specific unit; prices are indicative and move constantly. Confirm quotes and local seller requirements with a licensed buyer.