Transmissions are commonly quoted at $0.10 to $0.30 per pound, which puts a whole unit at roughly $10 to $120 depending on weight. That is low because the aluminium case is graded as contaminated by the steel inside it. A rebuildable core, by contrast, can be worth several times that.
One part, two commodities
A transmission is an aluminium shell wrapped around a lot of steel. Gears, shafts, clutch packs, the torque converter and dozens of fasteners all sit inside a cast housing.
That mix is why the rate disappoints. The yard is not paying you a transmission aluminum scrap price, because what you have handed over is not aluminium. It is a mixed unit, and it is graded accordingly.
One recycler defines the relevant grade plainly: aluminium breakage containing steel or other contaminants is bought on a 45 percent recovery basis. You are paid for the aluminium they expect to actually get out, not for what the unit weighs.
Today’s rates
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 Automatic, whole unit 110 to 176 lb Mixed grade at $0.10 to $0.30 per lb $11 to $53 Manual gearbox, whole unit About 88 lb Lighter, so lower on weight alone $9.00 to $26 Heavy or truck unit Up to 400 lb Top of the published per-unit range $40 to $120 Rebuildable core Per unit Core market. Check the case code before scrapping $60 to $400 Separated aluminium case After gutting Only if the yard pays a clean cast rate $39 to $61 Separated steel internals Gears, shafts, converter Steel grade by weight $9.00 to $18
Published figures put the transmission scrap price between $0.10 and $0.30 per pound, which works out to roughly $10 to $120 per unit.
Weights, for reference:
- Automatic: commonly 50 to 80 kg, or about 110 to 176 pounds.
- Manual gearbox: lighter, around 40 kg or 88 pounds, because there are fewer internal parts, so the gearbox scrap price on a manual is lower simply on weight.
- Across all types: the working range quoted by recyclers is 100 to 400 pounds.
For scrap purposes the type barely matters. Automatic, manual and CVT are all priced on metal content and weight rather than on what they do.
The cost nobody counts
This is the finding that makes the transmission different from every other part on this site.
Many yards apply a lower per-weight rate to a car with the drivetrain already removed, reportedly on the order of 15 to 20 percent less per hundredweight. The reason is straightforward: the engine block and transmission case are dense, clean metal, and taking them out leaves the shredder with a lighter, thinner shell.
So pulling the transmission costs you twice. You lose the premium those dense parts added to the base rate, and you gain only a low mixed-metal rate on the part itself.
That is not an argument for never removing it. It is an argument for knowing which of the two numbers you are trading away, and checking the one thing that overturns the whole calculation.
When it is a core, not scrap
The overturning factor is core value, and on transmissions it is larger than on almost any other part.
Core buyers are reported to pay 50 to 200 percent more than scrap value, and for desirable units far more than that. Used transmissions carry core charges running into the hundreds, and in some cases up to a thousand dollars.
Specific units that the rebuild trade actively wants include the 6L80, 6L90, 4L65, 4L80, 10L80, 6R80, 6R140, 10R80, Allison 1000, 48RE and 68RFE. If the code on your case is on that list, do not treat it as metal.
A real example of the gap: one rebuilder reported buying Turbo 400 cores from a junkyard at $60 each, and noted this was more than the yard would have received as scrap, which is why they kept selling them.
The transmission core value vs scrap question therefore has a clear order of operations. Find the code first, check whether anyone rebuilds it, and only then weigh it.
What kills core value
Four things, all checkable before you decide.
- A cracked case. Makes the unit worthless as a rebuildable part regardless of internal condition.
- Bent shafts from a crash. Even if it technically still turns, impact damage ends the core value.
- Coolant contamination. If the engine failed and pushed coolant into the transmission, the internals are ruined.
- The reason it came out. If the transmission itself failed, it carries no premium over metal.
Draining the fluid
This one is not optional and it is not about price.
Yards require vehicles and heavy assemblies to arrive free of fluids, transmission fluid included. A unit still full will be refused, or drained at your cost, or deducted against.
Drain it into a container, let it stand to finish dripping, and take the fluid to a proper disposal point. It costs half an hour and removes the most common reason a load gets turned away at the gate.
Break-even math on cracking the case: breaking transmission for aluminum
The engine block on this site is the part where breaking pays handsomely, because cast aluminium shatters away from steel in minutes. A transmission is a harder case, and the honest answer is more mixed.
The housing is thinner, the internals are bulkier and more tangled, and there is a torque converter to deal with separately. One scrapper’s verdict on gutting a common automatic was blunt: the case does not weigh enough to make it worth the time.
So the sequence that actually works:
- Read the code and check core demand. This decides everything else.
- If it is scrap, weigh it whole and take the mixed rate.
- Consider breaking only if you have several units, the yard’s clean cast rate is well above its breakage rate, and the fluid is already out.
For the part where breaking definitely does pay, see the engine block page. The most valuable parts ranking shows where the transmission lands against everything else by return per hour.
Transmission prices around the world
Aluminium and steel settle in US dollars, so the metal in a transmission is worth the same everywhere. Currency and local buyer depth are what change.
Market Equivalent range Local market note United States $9.00 to 60.90 Deepest buyer pool. Even within the US, state to state runs $50 to $60 per ton apart. United Kingdom £6.39 to 43.25 Strong processing capacity. Battery and PGM material reported 20 to 40 percent above thin markets. Canada C$12.07 to 81.70 Similar structure to the US; thinner in the prairies and the north. Australia A$11.86 to 80.28 Good coastal capacity, long hauls inland. Distance is the main discount. Germany €7.90 to 53.49 Dense processing and strict documentation. Good grades pay well; paperwork matters. India ₹782.85 to 5,297 Large volume, but black mass export restrictions have compressed local payables. Bangladesh ৳973.59 to 6,588 Ferrous depth is good. Specialist converter, PGM and battery buyers are scarce. United Arab Emirates AED31.40 to 212.47 Re-export hub with real processing depth. Among the better-paying markets outside the West. Saudi Arabia SAR31.39 to 212.39 Growing capacity; specialist PGM and battery buyers still limited. Turkey ₺453.59 to 3,069 Major ferrous importer, so steel grades hold up better than non-ferrous here. South Africa R122.07 to 826.04 Reported below UAE and UK on battery material; processing infrastructure is the constraint. China CN¥59.27 to 401.03 Aggressive bidder on imported battery material; 2026 recycling rules moved payables down.
Treat these as the metal-value anchor rather than a local quote. Core demand is highly regional and does not convert this way, so a unit worth good money to a rebuilder in one market may have no buyer in another.
Questions people actually ask
“Why is a hundred and fifty pound part only worth thirty dollars?”
Because you are paid on recovered aluminium rather than on total weight, and the steel inside pulls the grade down. At a 45 percent recovery basis, more than half the unit is being valued as something the yard has to separate out.
“Is an automatic worth more than a manual?”
As scrap, only because it is heavier. As a used part or a core, often yes, because automatics are more in demand and cost more to replace.
“What about the torque converter?”
It is mostly steel and it holds fluid, so drain it and expect steel-grade pricing. The torque converter scrap price is not where the value in this assembly sits.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the transmission without checking the code, when a rebuildable unit can be worth several times its metal.
- Ignoring that removing dense drivetrain parts can cut the per-hundredweight rate on the rest of the car by 15 to 20 percent.
- Arriving with fluid still in the case, which gets loads refused at the gate.
- Expecting a clean aluminium rate on a unit full of steel, when breakage grades are bought on roughly 45 percent recovery.
- Cracking a case that a rebuilder would have bought, which cannot be undone.
- Assuming the transfer case scrap value follows the same rules. It is a separate mixed unit and should be quoted separately.
- Treating a cvt transmission scrap price as different from any other. For metal it is not; for core value it very much is.
Figures on this page are indicative buyer ranges, not offers to buy. Metal rows are computed from the site’s tracked daily benchmarks; core values and grade recoveries are published market references and are not futures-linked. Weigh your own unit rather than relying on typical figures.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a transmission worth in scrap?
Published figures put transmissions at $0.10 to $0.30 per pound, which works out to roughly $10 to $120 per unit depending on weight. Automatics commonly run 110 to 176 pounds and manual gearboxes around 88 pounds, with the overall range quoted between 100 and 400 pounds.
Why is the transmission scrap price so low for such a heavy part?
Because you are paid on recovered aluminium rather than total weight. A transmission is an aluminium case full of steel, so it grades as breakage. One recycler defines that grade as bought on a 45 percent recovery basis, meaning more than half the unit is treated as material they must separate out.
Is a transmission worth more as a core than as scrap?
Frequently yes. Core buyers are reported to pay 50 to 200 percent more than scrap value, and used transmissions carry core charges running into the hundreds or beyond. Units the rebuild trade actively wants include the 6L80, 6L90, 4L65, 4L80, 10L80, 6R80, 6R140, 10R80, Allison 1000, 48RE and 68RFE.
Does removing the transmission lower what I get for the car?
It can. Many yards apply a lower per-weight rate to a vehicle with the drivetrain already removed, reportedly around 15 to 20 percent less per hundredweight, because the engine block and transmission case are dense clean metal. So pulling it costs you on both sides unless it is a valuable core.
Is an automatic transmission scrap value higher than a manual?
As scrap, only because it weighs more. Yards price on metal content and weight rather than transmission type. As a used part or a rebuildable core, automatics often do command more because they are in higher demand and cost more to replace.
Do I have to drain the transmission fluid first?
Yes. Yards require assemblies to arrive free of fluids, and a unit still full will be refused, drained at your cost, or deducted against. Drain it, let it stand to finish dripping, and dispose of the fluid at a proper collection point.
Is breaking a transmission for aluminium worth it?
Usually less so than an engine block. The housing is thinner, the internals are bulkier, and there is a torque converter to handle separately. One scrapper's verdict on gutting a common automatic was that the case simply does not weigh enough to justify the time.
What is the torque converter scrap price?
It is mostly steel and holds fluid, so expect steel-grade pricing after draining. It is heavy, which helps the total, but it is not where the value in the assembly sits and it should not be counted as aluminium.
Is the transfer case scrap value the same as a transmission?
It follows similar logic but should be quoted separately. It is another mixed aluminium and steel unit, so it grades as breakage rather than clean aluminium, and it has its own core market on four-wheel-drive applications worth checking before scrapping.
Does a CVT transmission scrap price differ from a conventional one?
For metal, no. Yards price on weight and metal content, so the type makes little difference. For core value it matters a great deal, since rebuilder demand for CVT units differs sharply from demand for conventional automatics.