With a rate of 76.4%, the city of Los Angeles, CA, has one of the highest recycling rates in the United States. As a result, it is no surprise Los Angeles is home to many recycling centers, including scrap metal processing plants.
If you plan to get rid of your old car, you might want to consider turning it in for scrap metal. Scrapping your car is an eco-friendly way to declutter while earning a little extra cash.
If you’ve never scrapped a car before, you may be curious about how much money you can potentially earn. There isn’t a straightforward answer as scrap metal prices rise and fall over time. Knowing where to start is a little overwhelming, so we’ve laid out the whole process step-by-step.
Finding the specifics
The amount of money you make will depend entirely on the types of metal that make up your car and how much your vehicle weighs. Most cars consist mainly of steel, but they can also contain small amounts of more valuable metals such as copper.
Heavier cars will naturally earn you more money. Knowing the weight of your car can help you more accurately estimate how much you can expect to earn. To find out how much your car weighs, you can usually find it on a sticker somewhere on the door to the driver’s seat. It will be under “curb weight.”
Once you’ve found the weight of your car and determined the types of metals it is made from, multiply the weight by the current scrap metal price.
Keep in mind that this number is merely an estimate. Some metals in your car might not be usable, so you may end up earning less money than your initial estimate predicts.
Make sure you know how to avoid getting ripped off, too. If your car is still drivable when you turn it in or has salvageable parts, you should earn more than typical scrap prices. Some scrap yards may forget about this or even take advantage of people who aren’t aware of how the pricing works, so make sure to keep these factors in mind.
Websites that can help
When it comes to recycling scrap metal, the iScrap App is incredibly helpful. Their page displays the national average scrap metal prices for free; this does not inherently reflect what the prices will be in Los Angeles, but it can at least give you an idea of what to expect.
There are also a few online services, such as Scrap Monster, that tell you exactly how much scrap metal is worth in a given month. Most of these websites, unfortunately, will require a subscription.
If you choose not to subscribe, Scrap Monster has an option to see prices from previous months for free. Seeing the price history gives you a general idea of what you’re getting into, even if it’s not as precise as you want.
If you are looking to find the exact and most recent prices of each given metal, your best bet would be to find a scrap processing plant. However, before you give them a call, make sure you know your car’s weight and metal types.
Scrap Processing Plants
There are plenty of scrap processing plants available in Los Angeles. Make sure to find one with high ratings. A couple of popular options are C&M (with a 4.3-star rating on Google) and Atlas Iron & Metal (4.2-star rating on Google).
The iScrap App can also help direct you towards scrap yards in your area; all you need to do is enter your zip code, and you can browse the nearest plants and see which one is right for you.
Once you’ve found a reliable scrap processing plant, all you need to do is give them a call, and they can provide you with a quote.
Get The Best Scrap Metal Price With Los Angeles Cash for Junk Cars Service
If you want to get rid of your junk car as soon as possible but don’t want to deal with the hassle of finding scrap yards and pricing, you can also opt for our cash for junk car service. We’ll dispose of your car quickly and efficiently, and you’ll still earn some cash in return.
Finding the scrap metal prices in Los Angeles, CA, is pretty simple. Once you know the basics of your vehicle and locate a reliable scrap processing plant in your area, the rest of the process is straightforward. If you want the easiest way to scrap your car though, there's always our Los Angeles cash for junk car service.
