Metals Hiding in Common Junk Items
Most people have no idea how much metal is sitting in the stuff they want to throw away. That broken washing machine in your basement? About 120 pounds of steel and 5-8 pounds of copper wiring. The old water heater in the garage? 80-100 pounds of steel plus copper fittings and sometimes a brass drain valve.
Here's a rough breakdown of metal content in common junk removal items:
- Refrigerator: 100-150 lbs steel, 2-4 lbs copper, 1-2 lbs aluminum
- Washer/dryer: 100-130 lbs steel, 5-8 lbs copper (motor windings)
- Water heater: 80-100 lbs steel, 3-5 lbs copper fittings
- Dishwasher: 60-80 lbs steel, 2-3 lbs copper
- Mattress (innerspring): 25-35 lbs steel springs
- Exercise equipment (treadmill, elliptical): 80-200 lbs steel
- Metal filing cabinet: 50-80 lbs steel
- Cast iron bathtub: 250-350 lbs cast iron
The copper is where the real value hides. Copper wiring in motors, copper tubing in old appliances, brass fittings on plumbing fixtures — these are worth significantly more per pound than steel.
Current Scrap Prices in Oregon
Scrap metal prices change constantly — they're tied to global commodity markets, Chinese demand, and domestic manufacturing output. But here are ballpark ranges you'll see at Oregon scrap yards as of early 2026:
- Steel/iron (mixed): $0.06-$0.10 per pound. This is the bulk of what comes out of junk removal.
- Copper (#1 clean): $3.50-$4.20 per pound. Clean copper wire and tubing with no solder or insulation.
- Copper (#2 dirty): $3.00-$3.60 per pound. Copper with insulation, paint, or solder attached.
- Insulated copper wire: $1.50-$2.50 per pound, depending on gauge and insulation type.
- Aluminum (clean): $0.50-$0.75 per pound. Siding, window frames, storm doors.
- Brass: $1.80-$2.40 per pound. Faucets, valves, door hardware, decorative fixtures.
- Stainless steel: $0.25-$0.40 per pound. Sinks, appliance panels, cookware.
- Cast iron: $0.08-$0.12 per pound. Bathtubs, radiators, old pipe.
These numbers come from ISRI (Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries) and local Portland-area yard postings. Your actual payout depends on quantity, cleanliness, and which yard you go to.
The Highest-Value Items
If you're wondering which junk items have the most scrap value, here's the honest ranking:
Cast iron bathtub: $20-$40. They're incredibly heavy (300+ lbs) which is exactly why people hire junk removal for them, but the scrap value is decent. Getting one out of a second-floor bathroom is the real cost.
Water heater: $8-$15. Between the steel tank and copper fittings, a water heater is one of the better items to scrap. Plus they're relatively easy to move on a hand truck.
Washer or dryer: $10-$18. The electric motors inside contain tightly wound copper coils. Some scrappers tear the motors apart for the copper alone.
Old copper plumbing: $3-$4 per pound. If you're remodeling and pulling out copper pipe, save it. Even a small bathroom remodel can yield 5-10 lbs of copper tubing worth $15-$40.
Aluminum storm doors and windows: $5-$15 each. Lightweight but the aluminum value adds up, especially with a full house renovation.
The stuff that's NOT worth scrapping yourself? Steel filing cabinets, steel shelving, mattress springs. The steel value is so low per pound that the time and gas to haul it to a scrap yard doesn't pencil out unless you have a full truck load.
When Scrapping Isn't Worth Your Time
Here's the math most people don't do. Say you have an old refrigerator with about $12-$18 worth of scrap metal. To get that money, you need to: disconnect it, move it (150+ lbs) to your truck, drive to a scrap yard, wait in line, unload it, and drive home. That's 2-3 hours minimum for under $20.
Professional junk removal services factor scrap value into their pricing. When Otesse picks up an old appliance, the metal recovery offsets part of the disposal cost. You're effectively getting credit for the scrap value through a lower removal price — without spending your Saturday at the scrap yard.
Scrapping makes sense if you're doing a major renovation with a lot of metal coming out, you already have a truck and trailer, or you're a contractor who accumulates metal regularly. For a single appliance or a weekend cleanout? Hire somebody.
How Junk Removal Crews Handle Metals
Every junk removal load gets mentally sorted by the crew as they're loading it. Metals are the first thing they identify because they have the clearest recycling path and the most consistent value.
At Otesse, metal items get routed to our recycling partners rather than the landfill. Appliances with refrigerant (fridges, freezers, AC units) go through proper freon recovery first — that's an EPA requirement. Then the cleaned unit goes to a metal recycler.
The scrap revenue doesn't make junk removal profitable on its own — not even close. But it does two things: it keeps hundreds of tons of metal out of Oregon landfills annually, and it helps keep our pricing competitive. That old water heater has value. We make sure it gets recovered.
