About
ScrapTally exists to answer one question
"Is this worth it?" — before you buy the lot, haul the appliance, or spend an evening stripping wire.
What ScrapTally is
ScrapTally is a set of free calculators and practical guides for metal scrappers — from weekend curb-finders to semi-pro lot buyers. The calculators estimate copper yield from cables, compare stripping against selling as-is, and break down what appliances, motors, and circuit boards actually pay.
Who's behind it
ScrapTally is run by a small team of scrappers and builders who got tired of guessing at the curb and doing wire math on the back of a receipt. We're not a scrap yard, a refiner, or a tool vendor — we don't buy your metal or sell you a machine, which means the tools have no reason to flatter any particular answer. When a cheaper option wins the math, the calculator says so.
How we research the numbers
Every recovery rate and composition figure on this site is checked against at least two independent sources — published scrap-yard grading guides, wire-stripper vendors, e-scrap buyer sheets, and community teardown reports — and each data file cites its sources. We deliberately set defaults at the conservative end of every range, because it's better to be pleasantly surprised at the scale than upside-down on a lot. When our numbers and your teardown disagree, yours win: tell us, and the tables improve.
How the prices work
We don't publish live scrap prices — they vary too much between yards and regions for a global number to be honest, and a stale price is worse than none. Instead, every calculator takes your local yard prices and remembers them in your browser (nothing is uploaded — see our privacy policy).
Editorial standards
Where guides touch safety or legality (capacitors, refrigerant, catalytic converters, wire burning), we say plainly what we won't recommend and why — we'd rather lose a click than give advice that gets someone hurt or fined. Gear pages may contain affiliate links, marked as such; see the affiliate disclosure. Recommendations are driven by payback math, not commissions.
The short version
All calculators run in your browser with your local yard prices. No accounts, no tracking of your numbers.
Recovery rates and values are checked against 2+ sources and default to the cautious end.
No DIY gold chemistry, no wire burning, no "tricks" that get you banned from the yard.
Disclaimer
Everything on ScrapTally — every calculator result, recovery rate, and price — is an estimate for general information only, not financial, legal, or safety advice. Actual payouts depend on your yard's grading, the current market, and the condition of your material. Always confirm prices with your local scrap yard, and follow the laws and safety rules that apply where you live before buying, selling, cutting, or handling scrap. ScrapTally isn't responsible for decisions made on the basis of these tools. See our terms of use for the full version.
Questions or corrections?
Spotted a recovery rate that doesn't match your teardown? Tell us — the tables improve with field reports.