How to Get Paid for Catalytic Converters: A Seller’s Guide

In Florida, a detached catalytic converter is restricted scrap. Value depends on the unit's PGM loading and condition, you need proof of ownership per unit, and only a registered secondary metals recycler can buy it, paying by check or bank transfer, never cash. 

Knowing how to get paid for catalytic converters starts with one fact: in Florida, a detached converter is restricted scrap. A registered buyer must verify who you are, confirm where each unit came from and pay you by check or bank transfer. Follow that path and the money arrives on schedule. 

Skip it and you risk losing the sale and, without proof of ownership, facing a third-degree felony. This guide helps auto repair shops, vehicle dismantlers and fleet operators manage converters generated through their regular operations.

Why catalytic converters are valuable

Platinum, palladium and rhodium coat a converter’s ceramic honeycomb. These platinum group metals (PGMs) turn carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides into less harmful gases. The steel casing has little value. The coating holds most of the value, which is why converter recycling plays an important role when mined PGM supply remains tight.

Quantities are small but the metals are expensive. Industry estimates place a typical passenger-car unit at roughly 3 to 7 grams of platinum, 2 to 7 grams of palladium and 1 to 2 grams of rhodium. Heavy-duty diesel units can carry more than 12 grams of total PGM.

Prices explain the rest. In the second week of September 2026, platinum traded near $1,800 per troy ounce, palladium between $1,300 and $1,400 and rhodium above $9,000. Platinum and palladium trade on COMEX. Rhodium is quoted spot by refiners. All three move daily, which is why serious buyers quote against live markets rather than a printed list.

What affects a catalytic converter scrap price?

The first factor is the converter you are selling. Original-equipment converters carry far more PGM loading than aftermarket replacements, which are built to meet emissions rules at minimum cost. The part number stamped on the shell lets a buyer match the unit to historical assay data for that model.

The vehicle matters too. Larger engines need larger converters and heavier coatings. Hybrids often carry higher loadings because the catalyst must work while the engine is cold. Diesel units rely on platinum. Gasoline units rely on palladium and rhodium.

Condition finishes the calculation. PGM recovery happens at a refinery that mills and assays the substrate, so an intact honeycomb is worth more than a cracked or melted one. Buyers also discount illegible part numbers. Deliver each unit whole, uncut and with the number visible.

Legal and documentation requirements in Florida

Florida treats a detached converter as restricted regulated metals property under section 538.26 of the Florida Statutes. A registered secondary metals recycler may buy one only with reasonable proof that you own it, such as a receipt or bill of sale, or that you are authorized to sell it, such as a signed letter on the owner’s letterhead dated within the last 90 days.

The Catalytic Converter Antitheft Act, section 860.142, in force since July 1, 2023, adds criminal penalties. Only a registered secondary metals recycler may knowingly purchase a detached converter. Possessing, buying or selling a stolen unit, one with altered identification numbers or one without proof of ownership is a third-degree felony. Holding two or more detached converters without a satisfactory explanation creates a legal inference that they may be stolen.

Under section 538.19, every transaction must be documented with your photo ID number, a signed statement of ownership, your right thumbprint, the tag number of your vehicle and photos of both the material and the seller. That record must reach law enforcement before 10 a.m. on the next business day. A buyer who skips it is breaking the law.

How can you sell catalytic converters legally and avoid scams

The first check is registration. To sell a catalytic converter legally in Florida, you deal only with a secondary metals recycler registered with the Florida Department of Revenue and buying from a fixed location. Ask for the registration and the yard address. Buyers who operate from a truck, a parking lot or a messaging app are who the statute targets.

The second check is the method of payment. Under section 538.235, a recycler may not pay cash for restricted property in any amount. You are paid either by a check made out to you or by an electronic transfer into a bank account held by you or by your employer. An offer of cash on the spot is not a convenience. It is a warning.

The third check is paperwork. A legitimate buyer gives you a weight ticket from a certified scale, a written price per unit or per lot and a copy of the transaction record. Keep those with the repair order or bill of sale that identifies the vehicle each unit came from.

Seller checklist before you deliver

Run this list before the truck leaves your shop. Every item maps to a statutory requirement or a price factor, so a missing item costs you the sale or part of the value.

• Proof of ownership per unit: repair order, salvage title or bill of sale naming the vehicle.
• Authorization letter on company letterhead, dated within 90 days, if an employee delivers.
• Valid government photo ID with current address for the person delivering.
• Part numbers legible on every shell. Shells whole and uncut.
• Written quote tied to the live PGM market, with unit count and grading.
• Buyer confirmed as a registered secondary metals recycler at a fixed Florida location.
• Payment by check or bank transfer to your business account. Never cash.

Keep the completed checklist with the transaction record. The recycler must retain its records for 3 years, and matching your file to that window covers both sides if law enforcement asks about a unit.

When and how you get paid

Payment timing for converters is set by statute. Under section 538.235 the recycler must mail the check or send the transfer within 3 days of the purchase. Checks go to the street address on file, never a post office box. Electronic payments go only to an account where you or your business is the account holder.

Commercial vendors get one advantage. A company that produces regulated metal as part of its normal operations can be handed a check at the moment of sale instead of receiving it by mail. Confirm with the buyer how your account is classified before your first delivery.

One more rule shapes the buyer’s timeline. Section 538.26 requires the recycler to hold a purchased detached converter for 10 business days before processing it, with exceptions for units bought from another recycler, a salvage dealer or an exempt vendor. That hold does not delay your payment. It does mean the buyer needs your paperwork complete before the unit enters the yard.

Sell converters to General Metals Corp!

Sell your catalytic converters to General Metals Corp in Miami

General Metals Corp has bought scrap in Miami since 1970 and operates as a registered secondary metals recycler from a fixed yard. Every lot is weighed on certified scales and quoted against the live platinum, palladium and rhodium market, so you can check the number yourself before you deliver.

Repair shops, dismantlers and fleets across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach are set up as commercial accounts, which means [a check at the time of delivery / payment within the window Florida law sets]. The paperwork described above is handled at the counter: bring your proof of ownership, your ID and legible part numbers, and you leave with your weight ticket, written quote and transaction record.

Contact Us to schedule a delivery.