Are Salvage Yards and Scrap Yards the Same Thing?

Most people think salvage yards and scrap yards are the same thing; they use the terms interchangeably. Are there differences, though?

Typically you will see the words “automotive salvage yard” chunked together, versus “metal scrap yard.”

Auto Salvage Yards

So what are automotive salvage yards? They contain wrecked and/or unusable cars which are then broken down into parts to be resold. Salvage yards typically pay a higher price for “old cars” than metal scrap yards would because they plan to resell parts, whereas metal scrap yards are more concerned with getting metals out of vehicles rather than parts.

At auto salvage yards, fluids are drained out of cars, and vehicles are placed in the yard. Parts that can be resold are usually pulled off the car by employees of the yard. Then they’re stored inside a building for customers to come and buy, making it convenient so customers don’t have to literally remove the parts from old cars themselves. After a car is drained of fluids and stripped of re-sellable parts, an auto salvage yard typically crushes the scrap metal and sells it to a metal scrap yard. 

So what are metal scrap yards? These places take scrap metal from anyone who will sell it– and the metal isn’t just from old cars. Metal scrap yards love to purchase metal in big quantities, by the ton, for instance. Once they receive old metal items, such as appliances, wires, and/or cars, they extract things like copper, aluminum, or cast zinc, and try to re-sell these metals to buyers in order to make a good profit. 

If you have an old car you don’t want, you could sell it to a metal scrap yard or an auto salvage yard. You’d make more money selling to an auto salvage yard…and it’s better for the environment as your spare parts are reused to help other vehicles stay on the road.

If you’re looking for a reliable auto salvage yard in New Jersey, call All American Auto Salvage at 732-574-1945 for more information.