A car or light truck axle assembly weighs 150 to 250 pounds and prices as cast iron, which puts it around twenty to thirty five dollars. A heavy truck axle reaches fifty or more. But a Ford 9-inch, Dana 60 or GM 12-bolt housing sells into the enthusiast market for many times that, so identify before you weigh.
Why differentials get unit prices
Most yards quote a rear end per unit rather than per pound, and there is a practical reason.
An axle assembly is awkward. It is heavy, it holds fluid, it has steel tubes welded to a cast centre, and it does not stack. Weighing each one individually slows the queue, so a yard prices the shape rather than the scale ticket.
That convenience cuts both ways. A unit price is quick, but it flattens the difference between a light car axle and a heavy truck one, so it is worth asking whether they will weigh it if the unit looks heavy.
Today’s rates by axle type
Route or component Basis Notes Value today (USD) Measurement What the figure is based on What changes it Computed from the live rate unless marked a reference Sought-after axle (Ford 9in, Dana 60, GM 12-bolt) Per unit Enthusiast market, not scrap. Check the housing first $150 to $600 Ford 9in third member alone Per unit Removable centre section; sold separately $100 to $400 Limited-slip or posi carrier Per unit Reusable component inside an otherwise ordinary axle $60 to $300 Light truck or car axle assembly 150 to 250 lb Cast housing plus steel gears; drained $20 to $33 Heavy truck axle assembly 250 to 400 lb Fourteen-bolt and similar $33 to $53 Third member only, common type 60 to 90 lb Centre section without the housing tubes $7.92 to $12
The bottom three rows are the ordinary rear differential scrap value: cast iron by weight, which is one of the cheapest grades on the site. The top three are the exception, and they are where this page earns its place.
The differential housing weight table
Weight is what drives the metal figure, and the range is wide.
- Car and light truck assembly: roughly 150 to 250 pounds complete.
- Heavy truck assembly: 250 to 400 pounds, including fourteen-bolt and similar.
- Third member alone: 60 to 90 pounds without the housing tubes.
- Dana 60 against a Ford 9-inch: the Dana is reported to run about 40 pounds heavier.
The 8.8 rear end weight question comes up often because it is the most common Ford axle in the scrap stream. It sits in the car and light truck band, and unless it carries a limited-slip carrier it is an ordinary cast iron unit.
The gear oil rule
This is not about price and it is not optional.
Yards require assemblies to arrive free of fluids, and a differential holds a litre or two of thick gear oil that leaks for hours once disturbed. A full unit gets refused at the gate, drained at your cost, or deducted against.
Gear oil disposal before scrap is straightforward. Remove the fill plug first so it drains properly, then the drain plug or the cover, catch it in a sealed container, and let the housing stand overnight to finish dripping. Take the oil to a garage or civic amenity site that accepts waste oil.
Doing this badly is the most common reason a heavy load gets turned away, and it costs you the whole trip rather than a deduction.
Complete axle versus bare housing
A complete axle scrap price includes the tubes, the axle shafts, the brake backing plates and often the drums or discs.
That all counts as weight, and most of it is steel or iron, so the axle scrap value of an assembled unit beats the sum of its stripped parts. Leaving it together is usually the right call. Stripping the shafts out gains you little because they are steel either way, as the drive shaft page explains for axles specifically.
There is one exception worth knowing. If the brake drums are aluminium rather than iron, which is rare but not unknown, they are worth separating. A magnet answers that in a second.
The resale exception
Here is the part that overturns the metal figure entirely, and it applies to more vehicles than people expect.
Three axle families have a large, permanent aftermarket in performance and restoration work:
- Ford 9-inch, with a 9 inch ring gear and a removable third member, which is why the centre section alone is a separately traded item.
- GM 12-bolt, with an 8.875 inch ring gear.
- Dana 60, with a 9.75 inch ring gear and the strongest of the three.
The rebuild parts market shows why the cores hold value. Posi and limited-slip carriers for these families list around $342 to $898, ring and pinion sets from roughly $198 to $748, and a complete aftermarket 9-inch bolt-in housing runs into the $2,000 range.
Against that, used complete axles change hands in the low hundreds. Reported enthusiast transactions include around $200 to $300 for a serviceable used rear end and $600 for a matched pair of Dana 60s.
So the dana 60 core value question, and the same question for a 9-inch or 12-bolt, is not a scrap question at all. It is a used-parts question, and the answer is usually several times the metal. The transmission and turbocharger pages describe the same pattern on other drivetrain parts, and the parts ranking puts the axle in context against the rest of the car.
Limited-slips: the part inside worth more than the whole
Even on an ordinary axle, one component can be worth pulling.
A limited-slip or posi carrier sits inside the housing and is a reusable unit in its own right, listing new in the hundreds. If the cover is already off and the carrier is intact, it is worth separating and selling as a part rather than sending it to the furnace inside its housing.
Manufacturers use different names for the same idea. Posi-traction is Chevrolet’s term, Sure Grip is Chrysler’s, and LSD is the general one. Any of those on a tag or a cover means check before scrapping.
Differential prices around the world
Iron and steel settle in US dollars, so the metal in an axle is worth the same everywhere. Currency and local buyer depth are what change.
Market Equivalent range Local market note United States $7.92 to 52.80 Deepest buyer pool. Even within the US, state to state runs $50 to $60 per ton apart. United Kingdom £5.62 to 37.50 Strong processing capacity. Battery and PGM material reported 20 to 40 percent above thin markets. Canada C$10.63 to 70.84 Similar structure to the US; thinner in the prairies and the north. Australia A$10.44 to 69.61 Good coastal capacity, long hauls inland. Distance is the main discount. Germany €6.96 to 46.37 Dense processing and strict documentation. Good grades pay well; paperwork matters. India ₹688.91 to 4,593 Large volume, but black mass export restrictions have compressed local payables. Bangladesh ৳856.76 to 5,712 Ferrous depth is good. Specialist converter, PGM and battery buyers are scarce. United Arab Emirates AED27.63 to 184.21 Re-export hub with real processing depth. Among the better-paying markets outside the West. Saudi Arabia SAR27.62 to 184.14 Growing capacity; specialist PGM and battery buyers still limited. Turkey ₺399.16 to 2,661 Major ferrous importer, so steel grades hold up better than non-ferrous here. South Africa R107.43 to 716.17 Reported below UAE and UK on battery material; processing infrastructure is the constraint. China CN¥52.15 to 347.69 Aggressive bidder on imported battery material; 2026 recycling rules moved payables down.
Treat these as the metal-value anchor rather than a local quote. The enthusiast market for specific axle families is strongly regional, so a housing worth real money in one market may have no buyer in another.
Questions people actually ask
“The yard offered me thirty dollars for something I could barely lift.”
That is roughly right for cast iron at car axle weight. Iron is one of the lowest-value grades, and weight alone does not rescue it. The only route to a better number is the housing identification above.
“Is a front differential worth the same?”
Broadly yes on metal. A front differential scrap sale prices the same way, by weight as cast iron, though front units are usually lighter and the enthusiast exceptions are fewer.
“Do I need to take the axle shafts out?”
No. They are steel and count as weight, so leaving them in is simpler and costs nothing.
Common mistakes
- Scrapping a Ford 9-inch, Dana 60 or GM 12-bolt without checking, when those housings sell for many times their metal value.
- Arriving with gear oil still in the housing, which gets loads refused rather than merely deducted.
- Sending a limited-slip carrier to the furnace inside an otherwise ordinary axle.
- Accepting a unit price on a heavy truck axle without asking whether they will weigh it instead.
- Stripping axle shafts out for no gain, since they are steel and count as weight either way.
- Assuming the rear end scrap price tracks its weight. Iron is cheap, and the badge on the housing matters far more than the number on the scale.
Figures on this page are indicative buyer ranges, not offers to buy. Metal rows are computed from the site’s tracked daily benchmarks; enthusiast and parts prices are published market references and are not futures-linked. Weigh your own unit rather than relying on typical figures.
Frequently asked questions
What is the differential scrap price today?
A car or light truck axle assembly weighs 150 to 250 pounds and prices as cast iron, which lands it around twenty to thirty five dollars. A heavy truck assembly at 250 to 400 pounds reaches fifty or more. Cast iron is one of the cheapest grades, so weight alone does not lift the figure much.
Why do scrap yards price differentials per unit instead of per pound?
Because an axle assembly is awkward to handle. It is heavy, holds fluid, has steel tubes welded to a cast centre and does not stack, so weighing each one slows the queue. If your unit looks heavy for its class, it is worth asking whether they will weigh it instead.
Which differentials are worth more than scrap value?
The Ford 9-inch, GM 12-bolt and Dana 60 families, which have a large permanent aftermarket in performance and restoration work. Posi carriers for these list around $342 to $898 new and ring and pinion sets from $198 to $748, so used complete axles change hands in the low hundreds rather than at metal value.
What is a Dana 60 core value?
It is a used-parts question rather than a scrap one. Reported enthusiast transactions include around $600 for a matched pair, against a metal value of perhaps fifty dollars each. The Dana 60 carries a 9.75 inch ring gear, the largest of the three popular families, and weighs about 40 pounds more than a Ford 9-inch.
Do I have to drain the gear oil before scrapping a differential?
Yes, and it is the most common reason a heavy load gets refused at the gate. Remove the fill plug first so it drains properly, then the drain plug or cover, catch the oil in a sealed container and let the housing stand overnight. Take waste oil to a garage or civic amenity site.
What does a differential housing weight come to?
Car and light truck assemblies run roughly 150 to 250 pounds complete, heavy truck assemblies 250 to 400 pounds, and a third member alone 60 to 90 pounds without the housing tubes. A Dana 60 runs about 40 pounds heavier than a comparable Ford 9-inch.
What is the 8.8 rear end weight?
It sits in the car and light truck band, roughly 150 to 250 pounds as a complete assembly. It is the most common Ford axle in the scrap stream, and unless it carries a limited-slip carrier it is an ordinary cast iron unit priced by weight.
Should I remove the axle shafts before scrapping?
No. Axle shafts are solid steel and count as weight in a complete axle scrap price, so removing them gains nothing and costs you time. The one thing worth checking with a magnet is whether the brake drums are aluminium rather than iron.
Is a front differential scrap value the same as a rear one?
Broadly yes on metal, since both price as cast iron by weight. Front units are usually lighter, and the enthusiast exceptions that lift rear axle values are fewer, so a front differential is more often a straightforward metal sale.
Is a limited-slip carrier worth removing?
Often yes. A posi or limited-slip carrier is a reusable unit that lists new in the hundreds, so if the cover is already off and the carrier is intact it is worth selling as a part. Posi-traction, Sure Grip and LSD are different manufacturers' names for the same idea.