Scrap Car Battery Prices Today
As of October 2, 2026, scrap yards are paying about $0.20 to $0.28 per pound for whole car and truck batteries, or roughly $7.04 to $9.68 for a typical 35-pound battery. That's 24% to 33% of the LME lead price of $0.84, since only about 60 percent of a battery's weight is lead.
Every lead grade is on the scrap lead prices page, and every metal is on the scrap metal prices hub.
What yards pay for car batteries
- Per pound
- $0.20 to $0.28
- Per kilogram
- $0.44 to $0.61
- Per 35 lb battery
- $7.04 to $9.68
Estimated yard price: 24% to 33% of the LME lead price ($0.84/lb as of October 2, 2026). Ranges cover the spread between yards.
Estimates checked against posted yard boards on September 18, 2026.
Car battery calculator
Enter how many batteries you have. The estimate uses the per-pound range in the price card above. Add a yard's quote to see where it lands in that range.
Estimated payout
$7.04 to $9.68
1 battery is about 35 lb (15.9 kg). At $0.20 to $0.28 per lb.
Counts use a typical 35 lb car battery. Most weigh 30 to 45 pounds, so switch to weight if you know yours. Yards pay on their own scale after grading, and boards differ by region, so use the range to judge a quote.
LME lead, the price behind batteries
Battery prices are a fixed share of this price per pound. Lead is the least volatile of the base metals, so timing matters less here than it does for copper.
What yards want with a battery
Bought whole, by the pound, for the lead plates inside (about 60% of the weight). Keep them upright and uncracked.
A typical car battery weighs 30 to 45 pounds, which is why the calculator starts at 35. Truck batteries sell on the same line. Forklift and other industrial batteries are far heavier, so weigh those and ask the yard how it prices them.
Before you haul one in, check the core charge. Auto parts stores in most states refund a core charge on a returned battery, and for one or two batteries the refund often beats the scrap price. Yards are the better outlet for batteries in quantity, cracked cases (some refuse them), and anywhere a store won't take one without a purchase.
Keep them upright, don't crack the case, and don't drain the acid. Most states require retailers to accept batteries for recycling and ban them from landfills, so a dead battery never has to cost you anything. The scrap lead prices page covers soft lead and wheel weights.
What lowers what a battery brings
- 1A cracked or leaking case. Some yards take them in a spill-proof container at a lower price, and others refuse them. Call first.
- 2Selling one at a time. Yards pay better per pound for a pallet of batteries than for two in a trunk, and some will pick up.
- 3Lithium or hybrid packs in the mix. This line is for lead-acid batteries. Lithium-ion and hybrid packs are a different material, so ask the yard before bringing them.
Related grades
Nearby grades and what they bring per pound. The full board is on the scrap lead prices page.
Where this estimate comes from
The estimate is the live LME lead price times the share yards typically pay for this grade (24% to 33%). The share was set by dividing posted yard prices by the same day's benchmark, using these public boards, and last checked on September 18, 2026:
- Rockaway Recycling (New Jersey), posted board of September 18, 2026
- Central Metal Recycling (Chicago), posted board, mid-September 2026
- MetalRecap national price survey, September 17, 2026
- ScrapMonster North American grade spreads, June 2026
Published by MetalCharts, a free precious metals resource providing real-time prices, interactive charts, educational guides, and portfolio management tools. All market data sourced from COMEX, LBMA, and LME.
Explore MetalCharts
Free tools and data for precious metals investors