Short answer: A junk car's lowest value is its weight as scrap. On September 29, 2026, iScrap App showed a national average of $177.58 per ton for a complete car. At that price a 3,500 pound sedan works out to about $311 and a 5,500 pound pickup to about $488. Texas yards that resell parts can pay more for a complete car of a model they need, and less when the car is missing parts or has to be towed.
Disclosure: the cash offer form on U-Pull-It.com is run by Wheelzy, which competes with the yards named here, and we may be paid when a reader sells a car through it. Wrench-A-Part did not pay for or review this article. We have not sold a car to Wrench-A-Part ourselves, so everything here comes from public sources.
Last checked: September 29, 2026. Scrap prices are from iscrapapp.com. Buying terms are from wrenchapart.com. Title, transfer and plate rules are from txdmv.gov. Counts of yards are from our directory.
What is scrap paying right now?
| Grade | National average | Reports in the last 45 days |
|---|---|---|
| Complete car | $177.58 per ton | $150 per ton in Missouri on September 16, $170 per ton in Minnesota on September 3 |
| Shreddable steel | $177.27 per ton | $180 per ton in Illinois on September 25, $190 per ton in Michigan on September 24 |
These figures are from iScrap App's price pages as they stood on September 29, 2026. They are averages of prices reported by yards and users. None of the recent reports on those two pages came from Texas, so treat the national average as a guide and call two local yards for the real number. Over the summer the same page showed reports for complete cars from $150 to $250 per ton.
What does that mean for your car?
The arithmetic is weight in pounds, divided by 2,000, times the price per ton. The weights below are examples. Your car's curb weight is on the sticker inside the driver's door or in the owner's manual.
| Example vehicle | Weight | Tons | At $150 | At $177.58 | At $250 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact car | 2,800 lb | 1.40 | $210 | $249 | $350 |
| Midsize sedan | 3,500 lb | 1.75 | $263 | $311 | $438 |
| SUV or minivan | 4,500 lb | 2.25 | $338 | $400 | $563 |
| Full-size pickup | 5,500 lb | 2.75 | $413 | $488 | $688 |
One line in full: 3,500 divided by 2,000 is 1.75 tons, and 1.75 times $177.58 is $310.77. All of these are estimates, not offers. We assume a ton of 2,000 pounds. Some yards quote by the gross ton of 2,240 pounds, which lowers the result by about 11%, so ask which one they use.
The junk car value calculator runs the same sum for your model, and scrap car prices tracks the metal.
Why would a yard pay more or less than scrap?
A self-service yard earns money from the parts before it crushes the shell. A common model with its engine, transmission and catalytic converter in place is worth more to that yard than its weight. The converter alone can change the offer, and you can look up catalytic converter values by model.
Offers drop when the car is incomplete, when it has to be towed a long way, or when the paperwork is not in order. Do not strip the car first unless you have priced the parts. Our notes on what to remove before scrapping a car cover what is yours to keep.
What do Texas yards publish about buying cars?
Few yards publish prices. Some publish terms. Wrench-A-Part, which buys around Austin, San Antonio, Lubbock, Amarillo, Belton and Waco, states the following on its car buying page.
| Question | What Wrench-A-Part says |
|---|---|
| How are you paid? | By certified business check, made out to whomever you choose |
| Which titles does it accept? | Texas titles: clear (blue), certified copy (brown), salvage (purple or pink) and non-repairable (orange) |
| Copies or photos of a title? | Not accepted |
| A title already signed to someone else? | Not accepted |
| Lost title? | Apply to the state for a certified copy. In certain situations it may buy from the current registered owner without one |
| Who has to be there? | Someone at least 18 years old |
A check and not cash is a detail to plan for. Our profile of Wrench-A-Part's Texas locations has the addresses.
A video about the Texas vehicle transfer notification from the Tom the Used Car Dealer channel, published January 2024.
