What's actually inside your appliances: a scrap teardown value guide

A dead appliance looks like a single lump of scrap, but it almost never is. Inside that steel shell is usually a mix of metals with wildly different values — and the most valuable parts are the ones you can’t see. The seller who hands over a whole washing machine and the seller who spends twenty minutes pulling its motor first can walk away with meaningfully different payouts for the same machine. This guide covers what’s inside the common household appliances, what it’s worth, and where the teardown effort actually pays off.

The general principle: find the copper

Across almost every appliance, the same rule applies: the value is in the copper, and the copper is in the motor. A steel cabinet is heavy but cheap — scrap steel pays a fraction of what copper does. So the question with any appliance is always where’s the motor, and can I get it out easily? The copper windings inside a motor or compressor are frequently worth more than the entire steel body wrapped around them.

That said, teardown effort has limits. Pulling a compressor takes tools and time, and for a single appliance the payoff may be modest. The economics improve sharply with volume — a tradie or renovator clearing ten machines should absolutely strip them; a homeowner with one old fridge might reasonably just weigh it in whole. Know which situation you’re in.

Refrigerators and freezers

A fridge combines a steel cabinet, a copper-wound compressor (the heavy black cylinder at the back or bottom), copper or aluminium tubing, and sometimes aluminium fins. The compressor is the prize — it’s dense with copper and, even sold whole as a sealed unit, fetches well above scrap-steel rates.

Important safety and legal note: older fridges and any air conditioning contain refrigerant gases that must be degassed by a licensed technician before scrapping. Many yards will not accept un-degassed units, and venting refrigerant is illegal. Factor this in before you start.

Washing machines and dishwashers

These are some of the best teardown candidates. A washing machine contains a substantial electric motor (copper-rich), increasingly a stainless steel drum, a steel chassis, and assorted wiring and pumps. The motor is usually accessible from the back or underside with basic tools, and pulling it lets you sell the copper-heavy motor separately from the low-value steel frame. The stainless steel drum, where present, is also worth separating — it pays better than plain steel. Dishwashers follow the same pattern with a smaller motor and pump assembly. See the full breakdowns on the appliances category page.

Air conditioners

Air conditioners are among the most copper-dense appliances in the average home. Both the indoor and outdoor units contain copper tubing and copper-wound motors and compressors, plus aluminium fins on the heat exchangers. The outdoor condenser unit in particular is a strong scrap prospect. As with fridges, the system must be professionally degassed first — split-system AC holds refrigerant under pressure, and this is not a DIY step.

Microwaves

A microwave punches above its weight thanks to its transformer — a heavy block of copper (or sometimes aluminium) winding around a steel core. The transformer is the single most valuable component and is usually straightforward to remove once the casing is off. Caution: the capacitor inside a microwave can hold a dangerous charge even when unplugged; if you’re not confident discharging it safely, sell the unit whole rather than risk it.

Hot water systems

An old electric hot water cylinder is a sleeper. Many contain a copper tank or copper elements, and the heating elements and thermostats add further value. Even where the tank is steel, the copper components inside justify a look before you write it off as plain steel scrap. This crosses over with plumbing scrap — the same copper-and-brass economics apply.

What’s not worth the effort

Not everything rewards a teardown:

• Small kitchen appliances (toasters, kettles, blenders) contain too little metal to justify dismantling — weigh them in whole or check whether they’re better routed to e-waste recycling.
• Plastic-heavy appliances are mostly non-metal mass; the metal that’s there is usually a small motor at best.
• Anything with a dangerous stored charge or pressurised gas you can’t safely handle — the few extra dollars are never worth an injury.

The bottom line

Before any appliance goes to the yard, ask three questions: where’s the motor or compressor, can I remove it safely with the tools I have, and am I doing one unit or ten? If the copper-rich component comes out easily and you’ve got volume, the teardown pays. If it’s sealed behind a pressurised system or a single unit isn’t worth the hour, weigh it in whole and move on.

You can see component-by-component value estimates for specific appliances on the appliances page, and check current copper rates for your city on the copper price page before deciding how far to take the strip-down.