GM catalytic converter classes run about $0 to $350 in 2026. Large GM units bring $60 to $300, breadloaf units $75 to $250, GM Regular $60 to $200, GM Low Grade $40 to $150, and bead or pancake types $40 to $150. Buyers price these by class rather than by vehicle, and the definitions below explain each one.
This page is the glossary for the whole General Motors family. Converters from Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn and Hummer are all priced against the same set of class names, so whatever badge your vehicle wears, the vocabulary below is the vocabulary a buyer will use.
Why the vocabulary exists
The terms are older than most people assume, and knowing where they came from explains why they are inconsistent.
In the early 1990s the recycling trade knew very little about converters. Many went straight to the shredder. The first price lists carried only two categories — bead and honeycomb — and units traded for a few dollars each.
As competition grew, buyers realised that not every honeycomb converter held the same amount of precious metal, and the two categories multiplied. The industry ended up with classifications such as Standard Domestic, GM Medium, XL Foreign, Small Flow, Airtube, XBody and Jumbo Bead, most of which are still in use.
That history matters for one practical reason. These names grew up organically across competing businesses rather than being set by any standards body. They are widely understood but not formally standardised, and two buyers can use the same word slightly differently. Treat them as a shared working language rather than as fixed specifications.
GM catalytic converter classes and prices
Model Years Notes Indicative range (USD) Measurement Model years covered What sets the unit apart Buyer quotes for one complete unit, honeycomb intact Breadloaf Mostly 1990s to 2000s Long rounded shell; among the better domestic grades $75 to $250 Large GM 1990s to 2010s Trucks, vans and SUVs; multiple cores or foil sections $60 to $300 GM Medium 1990s to 2010s Mid-size platforms $75 to $225 AC (including 4-dot markings) Various Sub-class sorted by the dots or marks on the shell $50 to $200 GM Regular 1990s to 2010s Ordinary passenger car unit $60 to $200 Flow and small flow Various Named for the internal flow design, not the vehicle $50 to $175 GM Low Grade Mostly older four-cylinder Lightest loadings on the GM list $40 to $150 Bead and jumbo bead Late 1970s to early 1990s Ceramic pellets, not honeycomb; sand sound is normal $40 to $150 Pancake Late 1970s to 1990s Flat pellet-filled shell; a bead cat by another name $40 to $150 Airtube Older domestic Air injection tube fitted into the shell $40 to $150 Diesel particulate filter (Duramax) 2007 onward Large platinum-bearing filter, priced separately $100 to $350 Diesel oxidation catalyst (Duramax) 2001 to 2018 Mostly platinum, almost no rhodium $75 to $250 Domestic pre-cat Various Small unit close to the engine, often overlooked $20 to $100 Aftermarket replacement All years Universal unit, trace metal $5 to $50 Damaged, hollow or cut open Any Substrate broken or missing; shell value only $0 to $20
Ranges are compiled from published core-buyer class lists, catalyst exchange transaction data and current scrap guides; they are not a live per-code feed. Unlike the other brand pages on this site, the rows above are trade classes rather than vehicles, because that is how GM units are actually sorted.
The size grades
Four names, arranged by how much catalyst is inside.
Large GM covers scrap OEM converters removed from larger General Motors trucks, vans and SUVs. These shells are physically bulkier and frequently hold multiple ceramic cores or foil sections rather than a single brick. Silverado, Sierra, Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban, Express and Savana land here, at $60 to $300.
GM Medium covers mid-size platforms — TrailBlazer, Envoy, Colorado, Canyon, Equinox — at $75 to $225.
GM Regular is the ordinary passenger car unit: Impala, Malibu, Grand Prix, LeSabre, older S10. Expect $60 to $200.
GM Low Grade is the bottom of the list, mostly older four-cylinder cars such as the Cavalier, Sunfire and Aveo, at $40 to $150.
The construction types
These names describe what is inside the shell rather than how big it is, and they cut across the size grades.
Honeycomb is the modern standard: a single ceramic brick with thousands of small channels. If you shake one and hear a rattle, the substrate has broken up and the price drops sharply.
Bead, and its larger sibling jumbo bead, describes shells filled with thousands of small ceramic pellets instead of a brick. GM fitted these from the late 1970s into the early 1990s. Two things follow, and both are counterintuitive. A soft sand-like sound when shaken is completely normal on a bead cat — it means the pellets are still there and the unit is full. And these converters look more valuable than they are, because their size suggests more metal than the pellet loading actually provides. Expect $40 to $150.
Pancake is a flat, wide, pellet-filled shell from the same era. In practice it is a bead converter in a different shape, and it prices in the same band.
One rule applies to both: never empty a bead or pancake unit before selling. Buyers price the sealed converter, and a shell with the pellets poured out loses almost all of its value.
The shape and marking names
The remaining terms are descriptive rather than technical, which is why they vary most between buyers.
Breadloaf describes a long, rounded shell resembling a loaf. It is among the better domestic grades at $75 to $250, and buyers sometimes distinguish a small breadloaf from a full-size one.
Flow, and small flow, refers to the internal flow arrangement rather than to any particular vehicle. Expect $50 to $175.
Airtube describes older domestic units with an air injection tube fitted into the shell, at $40 to $150.
AC is a sub-class sorted by markings stamped or cast on the shell, and you will hear graders refer to variants by the number of dots — a four-dot AC being the one most commonly named. It sits at $50 to $200. If a buyer uses this term, ask which marking they are reading, since this is the class where usage differs most from yard to yard.
GM prices around the world
Platinum, palladium and rhodium settle in US dollars, so a GM class holds the same metal value in every market. Currency and local buyer depth are what change. The table converts the GM class span into each market’s money at today’s rate.
Market Currency Unit Equivalent range United States USD per unit $40.00 to 300.00 United Kingdom GBP per unit £29.59 to 221.92 Canada CAD per unit C$55.32 to 414.92 Australia AUD per unit A$55.51 to 416.30 Germany EUR per unit €34.44 to 258.32 India INR per unit ₹3,782 to 28,364 Bangladesh BDT per unit ৳4,917 to 36,878 United Arab Emirates AED per unit AED146.90 to 1,102 Saudi Arabia SAR per unit SAR150.00 to 1,125 Turkey TRY per unit ₺1,938 to 14,538 South Africa ZAR per unit R638.30 to 4,787 China CNY per unit CN¥268.78 to 2,016
These conversions are the metal-value anchor rather than a local quote. GM classes are primarily a North American vocabulary; buyers elsewhere are more likely to price by stamped code than by these class names.
How to use a class name without being caught out
Three habits protect you.
Photograph the unit from above and from the side, so both size and shape are visible, and include any stamped numbers or markings. Class assignment is a visual judgement, and you want the buyer making it from good information.
Ask what puts your unit in the class they name. A fair buyer will point to the size, the internal construction or the markings. An unfair one will not explain.
And check the class against the table above before agreeing. If a Silverado unit is being called GM Regular rather than Large GM, that is a difference of roughly a hundred dollars, and it is worth one polite question.
For vehicle-by-vehicle figures rather than class figures, the Chevrolet page maps individual models onto these classes.
Questions people actually ask
What does Large GM mean on a scrap price list?
It is the class for scrap OEM converters taken from larger General Motors trucks, vans and SUVs. These units are bulkier than passenger-car converters and often contain multiple ceramic cores or foil sections in a single shell, which places them at $60 to $300 — well above GM Regular and GM Low Grade.
What is the difference between a bead and a pancake converter?
Mostly shape. Both are filled with ceramic pellets rather than a honeycomb brick, and both came from the late 1970s to early 1990s. A pancake is the flat, wide version. They price in the same $40 to $150 band, and neither should ever be emptied before sale.
Are these GM class names official?
No. They grew up across competing scrap businesses from the early 1990s onward rather than being set by any standards body. They are widely understood, but two buyers can use the same word slightly differently, so it is reasonable to ask what a buyer means by a class name.
Do Buick, Cadillac and Pontiac converters use the same classes?
Yes. Domestic converters from Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn and Hummer are all graded against the GM class list, because they came off related platforms with related catalyst formulations.
Figures on this page are indicative buyer ranges for complete, uncut original units and are not offers to buy. Converter types, codes and selling rules are covered on the main catalytic converter price page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a GM catalytic converter worth as scrap?
By class, roughly $40 to $300 for an intact original unit in 2026. Large GM units bring $60 to $300, breadloaf $75 to $250, GM Medium $75 to $225, GM Regular $60 to $200, and GM Low Grade, bead, pancake or airtube types $40 to $150.
What does Large GM mean on a catalytic converter price list?
It is the trade class for scrap OEM converters removed from larger General Motors trucks, vans and SUVs. These shells are physically bulkier and often hold multiple ceramic cores or foil sections rather than a single brick, which places them at $60 to $300.
What is the difference between a bead and a pancake catalytic converter?
Mainly the shape. Both are filled with thousands of ceramic pellets rather than a honeycomb brick, and both date from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. A pancake is the flat, wide version. Both sit at $40 to $150 and neither should be emptied before selling.
My GM converter makes a sand-like sound — is it damaged?
Not if it is a bead or pancake type. On those, a soft sand-like sound when shaken is normal and means the ceramic pellets are still inside. On a honeycomb converter the same rattle means the substrate has broken up, which does reduce the value sharply.
Are GM converter class names standardised?
No. They developed across competing scrap businesses from the early 1990s, when price lists carried only bead and honeycomb, and expanded into names such as GM Medium, Small Flow, Airtube and Jumbo Bead. They are widely understood but not formally set, so buyers can use them slightly differently.
Do Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac and Saturn converters use the GM classes?
Yes. Domestic converters from Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn and Hummer are graded against the same GM class list, because they came off related platforms with related catalyst formulations.