Why Diesel catalytic converter scrap are expensive?
By: Mr. Jeremy Lessaris / Read more about us.
Catalytic converters found in diesel-powered vehicles have less amount of precious metals present.
Therefore, the scrap value for the Diesel catalytic converters is not high. Some of them even prove to be valueless.
Diesel catalytic converters are worth from $25 to $300 for each unit.
An OEM DPF catalytic converter will have more value than an aftermarket item.
At the same time, which model of the vehicle the CAT comes from will also dictate the overall value.
How does a diesel catalytic converter work?
The presence of dense and thick pollutants requires Diesel converters to use a different approach while going through the oxidation and reduction processes.
Step one: Oxidation in the DOC chamber
DOC or Diesel Oxidation Catalyst chamber of every diesel converter will convert carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide in the presence of platinum and palladium.
Step two: regeneration of Diesel particulates in the DPF chamber
Soot or Diesel particulates that are only common to Diesel engines are being broken down into smaller substances in this particular section.
This process is called regeneration. Diesel Particulate Filter or DPF does this job in the presence of platinum and palladium.
Step three: reduction of NOx in the SCR chamber
The Selective Catalytic Reduction or SCR chamber in the final stage breaks down the nitrogen dioxide gases into singular nitrogen molecules.
However, this chamber may or may not use rhodium as the catalyst because of its inefficiency to work in a high oxygen environment.
The presence of rhodium in the SCR chamber will enhance the recycling value of any Diesel converter.
Recycle value of scrap diesel CATs
Most Diesel converters use ammonia or urea in the SCR chamber instead of rhodium.
As a result, the price of a diesel converter tends to be cheaper compared to a gasoline converter.
The maximum recycle value that you can expect to get from a Diesel CAT will be around $300 to $400 in most cases.
Some Diesel converters can be as cheap as $5.
Scrap Diesel catalytic converters prices
| Types | Price |
| Average price | $5-$300 |
| Heavy equipment | $10-$150 |
| Ford | $250-$400 |
| Dodge RAM | $70-$250 |
| Diesel truck | $30-$280 |
| GM | $9-$250 |
| Chevy | $30-$180 |
| BMW | $80-$350 |
Scrap Diesel converters’ average price
On average, the scrap value of a scrap diesel catalytic converter will be from $5 to $300.
A typical diesel cat does not include a higher quantity of platinum, palladium, and rhodium.
Larger trucks and luxury diesel-powered vehicles may include high-end cats loaded with enough precious metals.
Selling those cats as scraps will bring higher profits compared to those that have a low quantity of precious metals.
Heavy equipment diesel scraps converter prices
Although platinum and palladium are present in heavy equipment cats, the presence of rhodium is rare.
Scrap heavy equipment cats are worth from $10 to $150.
The price of an OEM cat will go over $100. The price of an aftermarket heavy-equipment cat scrap unit will be between $20 and $40.
Ford scraps diesel catalytic converter prices.
Ford brings some of the most luxurious diesel-powered engines to the market.
The catalytic converters that come with ford engines tend to be expensive as well.
An OEM scrap diesel cat from a ford engine will have a price range from $250 to $400.
For example, Ford 6.0 and 6.7 diesel cats are worth over $250 for the scrap.
The catalytic converters found on the Ford F250 and F350 will get a quote of over $350 from any scrapyard.
Further speculation can sell them at a price of over $500 for the scrap.
Dodge RAM diesel catalytic converters scrap value.
RAM 1500, 2500, and 3500 are some of the popular Dodge trucks that run on diesel.
The catalytic converters found on these trucks show a good efficiency rate when it comes to controlling the emission of exhaust chemicals.
The price of a Dodge RAM diesel catalytic converter will be between $70 and $250 for the scrap.
An OEM Dodge RAM diesel-powered cat will always have a worth of over $150 for the scrap.
Diesel trucks catalytic converter’s scrap value
Trucks tend to run on diesel more than luxury cars and SUVs.
Smaller trucks usually have catalytic converters with less platinum, palladium, and rhodium.
Therefore, the price of small diesel truck catalytic converters will be from $25 to $40.
Larger trucks usually contain a small quantity of rhodium inside of the chamber.
A catalytic converter that comes with a larger diesel-powered truck engine is worth over $150 for the scrap.
The price range for a diesel truck engine’s catalytic converter scrap unit will be from $30 to $180.
GM diesel catalytic converters’ scrap value
Small diesel GM cats are worth from $25 to $80, whereas larger GM cats are worth over $150 for the scrap.
The diesel engines that General Motors brings have a higher efficiency rate.
The cats installed with these engines aid the process greatly.
Diesel GM cats still do not have a higher proportionate amount of metals.
It is possible to get a quote from $9 to $250 for a GM diesel cat scrap unit.
Chevy diesel catalytic converters scrap value.
The inclusion of Chevrolet Tahoe, Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Colorado increases the number of diesel vehicles and engines in the Chevy repertoire.
How much Chevy diesel catalytic converters are worth?
Truly speaking, they are not that expensive for the scrap. At max, you can get a quote over $150 but not over $200.
A diesel Chevy cat unit will get a quote between $30 and $180 for the scrap.
BMW diesel catalytic converters scrap value
Although most BMW models are gasoline-powered, some of the dedicated BMW models are running on diesel engines.
The X5, 320d, 540d, xDrive, and 35d are some of the recent diesel engines included in the BMW repertoire.
Like BMW cars catalytic converters are expensive as well for the scrap.
The price of a BMW diesel catalytic converter will be between $80 and $350 for the scrap.
In most situations, an OEM BMW diesel cat will get a quote of over $200 for the scrap from any scrapyards.
International diesel catalytic converter scrap price
Here are the top five countries with the highest interest in Diesel catalytic converters and the expected scrap value for the scrap diesel catalytic converters-
| Country | Price |
| UK | £10-£50 |
| South Africa | 50 ZAR-350 ZAR |
| Australia | $5-$150 |
| Ireland | €5-€80 |
| Canada | $9-$250 |
In terms of interest rate, the UK seems to remain a little ahead of the USA.
This list excludes the USA as all the information we have discussed in this article is valid across America.