Is a Washing Machine Worth Scrapping?

Washing machines are one of the most common free scores in scrapping — curbs, “haul it away” listings, appliance swaps. At 130–200 lb each they feel like they should be worth real money. The honest answer: as a whole unit it’s a steel-price payday, modest but easy. The upside hides in one component, and one heavy surprise inside pays nothing at all.

Quick answer (US yards, October 2026): a typical 150 lb washer brings about $11 sold whole at the light-iron rate. Broken down it’s about $12, so for one machine, selling whole is usually the right call. The motor’s copper is what makes a teardown pay once you have several.

What’s inside a washing machine

By weight, a washer is roughly half to 60% steel — the cabinet, frame, and (usually) the drum. At light-iron prices that’s the bulk of the payout and it’s pennies per pound; a 150 lb washer sold whole is essentially a steel sale.

The interesting parts:

• The motor — a copper-wound electric motor, the single most valuable piece. Sold separately, electric motors grade well above shred steel, and the 1–2 lb of copper winding inside is why.
• Wiring and solenoids — a modest harness of insulated copper wire and copper-wound valves.
• A possible stainless drum — many machines have a stainless inner drum, which grades far above mild steel if you separate it. Check with a magnet: stainless 304 barely sticks.
• The concrete counterweight — here’s the gotcha. Most washers carry a large concrete block (sometimes two, 25–50 lb) to damp the spin cycle. It’s a big share of that impressive curb weight and it’s worth nothing. If you sell the machine whole, you’re hauling free concrete to the yard; some yards even dock for it.

Run your own numbers

Enter the weight and your local prices — the calculator splits the machine into its metals and shows the estimated value (switch the preset to Washing Machine):

Whole vs broken down

Selling whole is a five-minute transaction at the yard’s appliance or shred price, and for one machine that’s often the right call.

Breaking it down earns more per pound but costs time: pull the motor (usually a few bolts and a belt), cut the wiring harness, drop the concrete counterweight in your trash — not the truck — and separate a stainless drum if you’ve got one. The motor alone is the highest-value five minutes; whether the full teardown pays depends on your yard’s prices and your speed. Run the same logic you’d use on wire through the Strip or Sell calculator — it’s the identical time-versus-payout question.

If you have a steady source — an appliance installer who’d rather you take the old units — breakdown economics improve fast, because your setup time amortizes across machines. Two tools make that teardown quick: a cordless drill/driver for the cabinet screws, and a pry bar to pop panels and free the motor mount.

The verdict

Worth scrapping? Yes, if it’s on your way — free metal you were going to move anyway is always yes. Worth driving across town for one? Barely, at steel prices. The play is volume plus the motor: a truckload of washers with the motors pulled and counterweights dumped is a genuinely decent haul. Pricing a bulk lot someone’s selling? Check the asking price against the metal with the Scrap Lot Deal Analyzer.

Related

• The full Appliance Scrap Value Calculator — water heaters, microwaves, AC units, and more.
• Is a Water Heater Worth Scrapping? — the same breakdown for the other big curb find.
• Know your ferrous grades: Steel & Iron Scrap Grades.
• All the What’s It Worth? guides.