Selling your F150 catalytic converter can get you serious money if you are familiar with the market trends. However, you can only get the best deal when you check a reputable site for your Ford F150 catalytic converter scrap price and sell it to the right buyer.
My guide contains the current Ford scrap catalytic converter prices and pictures as well as a discussion about what influences scrap value. I also explained why companies would pay a high sum for a converter.
Generally, original scrap F150 cats can cost as high as $850, while the aftermarket ones can be sold for as high as $40.
Read further to understand this huge difference in prices in our first discussion below.
Contents
How Much Is a Ford F150 Catalytic Converter Worth?
| You may have read online that some buyers are willing to pay as high as $1,000 for scrap catalytic converters. I can assure you that that isn’t usually true. OEM F150 cats can cost $200-$900, while the aftermarket types can be sold for as low as $30 to $40. |
Ford F150 catalytic converter scrap price is significantly influenced by the amount of recyclable precious metals contained, the year of the truck, and the type of engine as well. I will elaborate on those parameters and others in a later section.
We have naturally-aspirated engines (above 5 liters) with eight or six cylinders that may contain one or two costly cats. At the same time, an F150 with an EcoBoost (turbocharged) or a hybrid engine will have a cheaper converter.
The difference in price between big-engine converters and the small-engine types can be as high as 200% at any time. However, keep in mind that model-year is a factor in this case. For instance, an old cat from a 5.4-liter engine that was manufactured two decades ago may be cheaper than a newer cat from a 2.7 EcoBoost engine.
Read more: Ford F250 Catalytic Converter Scrap Price: So Valuable!
Ford F150 Catalytic Converter Scrap Price: Let’s Analyze
It may be impossible to precisely determine scrap prices because the scrapper or recycling company has to put aspects like working conditions, residual parts, and recycling benefits into consideration. I have stated the Ford catalytic converter scrap price, so let’s start exploring the possible value of your catalytic converter based on the factors that influence scrap prices.
What Factors Affect Your F150 Catalytic Converter Scrap Value?
Potential buyers of scrap catalytic converters base their quotes on the following factors:
Type of Catalytic Converter
The buyer will base his or her price on whether it is an OEM cat or an aftermarket replacement. Many non-OEM scrap converters may be worth nothing after their appraisal.
Physical Condition
Prices are partially determined based on the appearance of the converters. The more holes and rust seen on their bodies, the lower their prices will be. Scrappers or recycling companies may be able to get most of the metal parts out of a well-maintained cat. You will get a good deal in such a case.
Also, be careful of companies that will try to convince you that your cat is too damaged or rusty to be sold for a price that you think is worth it. Nearly all old model-year converters are rusty, so appearance shouldn’t be a major factor.
Lifespan
Sellers can get a good price on a scrap converter that has some mileage left on it and performs well. A recent model-year cat would definitely get you a profitable deal.
Amount of Precious Metals
Honeycomb types have all the precious metals that recycling companies look for in catalytic converters. Only original cats are considered precious and contain the valuable metals required by potential buyers. I’ll show you how valuable those metals are in the next part.
Serial Numbers
Cat serial numbers are typically stated on their outer shells. Those numbers will tell buyers important information about your cats, such as your car brand and your cat type.
Vehicle Year
Prices of converters from older years go down annually because their parts are experiencing slow decay. But parts from recent model-year F150s may appreciate yearly.
Engines
Keep in mind that the type of cat depends on the engine being used. Also, the fact is that the bigger the engine, the bigger the catalytic converter. And of course, a bigger cat will be of more value in the market.
Recycling Capacity
What is the amount of recyclable components in the converter? Be noted that I am not referring only to the precious metals here. There are other metallic components like copper, cerium, iron, manganese, nickel, and stainless steel foil that can be extracted from the scrap.
Read more: Ford F150 & Other F-series Models Weight: How Much Do These Trucks Weigh? [ With Charts]
Why Companies Pay that Much for Your Ford F150 Catalytic Converter?
Recycling companies would want to pay as much as $850 for your scrap catalytic converter because they will make money from extracting its valuable parts (the precious metals). The most valuable components utilized in the manufacturing of F150 cats are stated below along with their potential value.
Rhodium
Rhodium is the most expensive of all three precious metals (the others are palladium and platinum) in a converter. It can cost up to $650 per gram.
Palladium
Palladium is cheaper than rhodium (but costlier than platinum) when it comes to scrap value. It could be worth $75 per gram.
Platinum
The price of platinum increases daily and Ford converters are known to have a high amount of this metal (3.5g-8g). It is worth about $35 per gram, but it isn’t possible to extract all the platinum from a scrap cat.
The amount of each of the aforementioned metals in a catalytic converter differs based on the cat type.
Their quantity distribution is usually as stated below.
Rhodium: 2g
Platinum: 7g
Palladium: 7g
Honeycomb damage may reduce the amounts of the precious metals. A small converter may only contain a gram of rhodium, 3 grams of palladium, and 3 grams of platinum. That is part of the reason a recycling company won’t offer fixed quotes for all cats. The F150 catalytic converter scrap would have to be appraised based on the amount of each valuable part it has.
The other metallic parts that I mentioned earlier (copper, iron, nickel, etc.) can only add a few dollars to the total scrap value of the cat. They are usually in far smaller ratios than precious metals.
Read more: How to Tell If F150 Has Max Tow Package? [5 Easiest Methods]
Ford F150 Catalytic Converter Scrap Price – FAQs
Q1. What Does a Catalytic Converter Do?
Answer:
A catalytic converter, or ‘cat’ for short, is a mechanical component that regulates the gaseous exchange within the emission system. When fuel is burned within a vehicle, toxic gases are produced. Instead of releasing harmful substances into the environment, the Ford vehicle uses cats. By controlling the emission of harmful gases, cats make sure fewer pollutants are released into the surrounding area. This makes the catalytic converter a vital part of the vehicle.
Varying metals are used to build catalytic converters. Palladium, copper, platinum, iron, nickel, and rhodium are only a few used for manufacturing catalytic converters. These materials also tend to be recycled, making them even more worthy of attention (and heavy price tags).
Q2. What Is The Ford F150 Catalytic Converter Location?
Answer:
A Ford F-150 has two converters. Their location varies from year to year. Usually, they locate beneath the truck, about 2.5 – 3.5 feet away from the engine towards the muffler. One of the two catalytic converters is at the lower front side, and the other is at the lower backside.
Q3. How to Identify Ford Catalytic Converter?
Answer:
Ford manufacturers were considerate while coding the catalytic converter. Therefore, understanding those serial codes and where to find them on the catalytic converter will help you get a fair estimate for the Ford catalytic converter scrap price. Here are some points that will help you identify the code on your Ford cats:
● The manufacturers have put together a 9-14 digit serial code engraved onto the cat component. For instance, the serial code for Ford 150 is XL345E. The long code is generally divided into three different parts. For profitable Ford catalytic converter scrap prices, make yourself aware of all the broken down codes.
● Most Ford cars have 2, 4, or 6 cats. These sets have two pre-cats and two primary cats. All these sets will have serial codes. Sending the pictures of all the codes to the seller will help him price your scrap catalytic converter accurately.
● A Ford logo or the FoMoCo (Ford Motor Company) will be written at the top of the series.
● The Ford cats have a shield with two dots and slots on the two ends. This indicates that what you have in your hand is a Ford catalytic converter.
Q4. Where to Get the Best F150 Catalytic Converter Scrap Price?
Answer:
Don’t worry about keeping track of the prices of precious metals that catalytic converters contain. They don’t affect the final prices of cats totally. The prices of the metals may increase continually, but it happens slowly. And you can never be sure about the future rate of increase.
Ensure that you look for a company that will offer you the best deal on your sale. Inquire from as many companies as you can so you can get many price options. Private buyers, auto repair shops, auto dealerships, middlemen, scrap yards, and others won’t give you as much as a recycling company would.
You can check sites like Capital Core or RCCats with your PC, tablet, or smartphone to know Ford F150 cat prices. The site is easy to utilize and it contains a free catalytic converter scrap price guide.
Q5. How to Prepare Your Ford F150 Catalytic Converter for Scrap?
Answer:
The tips below will help you in getting a great deal when selling your catalytic converter.
- Know the make, model, and year of the vehicle. As stated earlier, the serial number can be found on the cat’s outer shell. Use it for a Ford catalytic converter number lookup.
- Verify if it is an original cat or a replacement. Original Ford catalytic converters are more expensive than the aftermarket ones because of the former’s higher quality.
- Take away the exhaust pipe at the two ends of the cat’s shell. This will make things easy for those at the scrap yard. It will mean more money for you as well.
- Don’t remove the honeycomb structure from within the cat. That component helps the scrapper in identifying the converter’s source vehicle for proper quote evaluation. It also contains precious metals.
Final Thoughts
The catalytic converters within a Ford F150 may bring you a significant fortune if it has more metallic components and better working conditions. Get a quote from more than one buyer and compare the prices to see the difference. Being fully informed about Ford catalytic converter will help you get a reasonable scrap price out of the deal.
