What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
Transformer scrap value starts with the copper or aluminum winding, steel core and tank, then changes with oil condition, contamination and removal requirements.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-phase | 10 - 333 kVA | up to 25 kV | Liquid or dry |
| 3-phase | 25 - 10,000 kVA | 25 kV | Liquid-filled |
Who we buy from
Six kinds of seller
- Recyclers
- Electrical contractors
- Equipment dealers
- End users
- Demo contractors
- Distributors
Fast offers
A written offer the same business day, based on your photographs.
Dedicated logistics
Our own crew, trailer and crane, not a brokered haul.
No broker fees
One buyer from first call to cleared pad, with nothing skimmed.
How it works
Six steps from photograph to payment
- 01
Take pictures
Photograph the nameplate, the inside of the cabinet and the tank from both ends. Four frames on a phone are enough to price most units.
- 02
Send them to us
Email or text the photographs with the site address and whether the unit is still energised. We reply the same business day with questions or a number.
- 03
Review the offer
The offer names the unit, the site, the price and the pickup window. It is written, dated and good for thirty days unless the unit changes hands.
- 04
We schedule freight
A crew, a trailer and a crane if the pad needs one. You get the date and the arrival window, and the site does not have to close for it.
- 05
Testing on arrival
Winding resistance, insulation resistance and a turns ratio check, plus oil analysis where the unit is liquid-filled. Results travel with the unit.
- 06
Get paid
Payment is released against the signed bill of sale and the scale ticket, by check or ACH, with the paperwork copy left on site.
What we handle
The parts sellers dread
Rigging
Crane, skates and a route survey for anything that will not roll onto a trailer.
Oil containment
Pans, absorbent and a spill plan before a drain plug is touched.
Bill of sale
A document that clears a lien, a lease or a bankruptcy file, not a handwritten note.
PCB paperwork
Testing and manifesting for pre-1979 oil, handled before the unit moves.
On the ground
Straight answer
A transformer's total weight is not its recoverable metal weight. The scale includes dielectric fluid, porcelain bushings, insulation, wood blocking and other material that does not belong in a copper or steel calculation.
A tank marked 12,000 pounds cannot be treated as 12,000 pounds of metal.
Copper windings, aluminum windings and laminated core steel follow different recovery paths. Oil adds handling work rather than winding content. Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed and obsolete transformers across North Carolina, including units with burned windings, leaking gaskets or damaged radiator banks.
Local reality
The buyers
An intact transformer buyer examines more than the tank and its gross weight. Nameplate ratings, winding material, failure history and oil records help establish whether an offline unit has another use or belongs in material recovery.
A faulted 13.8 kV unit needs different scrutiny than an unused spare.
A scrap processor may focus on separated copper, aluminum and steel, while a demolition contractor may need the entire assembly removed from a fenced yard. Clarify who handles oil, bushings and contaminated debris before comparing assessments.
A bare core-and-coil assembly is not equivalent to an unopened tank.
Around the site
Valuation
The useful arithmetic separates estimated winding metal, core steel, tank steel and fluid volume. Shipping weight alone cannot identify those fractions.
Manufacturer drawings or a prior teardown of the same design can improve estimates; the nameplate's kVA rating does not establish how much copper is inside.
Deductions reflect actual recovery work: draining oil, separating insulation, cutting the tank and managing waste. PCB documentation, water in the oil or fire debris can change the handling plan.
Missing bushings and removed radiators also matter because the equipment no longer matches its original shipping weight.
Where it sits
How it runs
Assessment starts with nameplate photographs, overall views, dimensions and an explanation of the failure or retirement. Include the oil test report if one exists.
Photographs of the drain valve, radiator headers and bottom seam help distinguish a contained leak from oil already reaching the pad.
Before pickup, the site owner must arrange qualified electrical isolation and confirm removal boundaries. Record who disconnects cables, drains fluid and releases the unit.
A lowboy needs a workable approach, and lifting points must be checked before a spreader bar carries a corroded tank off its pad.
On the ground
Around North Carolina
A transformer behind a Charlotte manufacturing plant may have paved access but limited crane clearance under overhead conductors. In a Greensboro demolition yard, broken concrete can prevent a trailer from reaching the pad.
Those conditions affect the removal plan even when two units carry identical nameplates.
Eastern North Carolina sites may present soft shoulders, standing water or flood exposure around the tank. Mountain facilities near Asheville can have steep drives and tight turns.
Report those conditions alongside equipment dimensions; oil sampling and lifting arrangements should not depend on assumptions made from a street address.
Local reality
First step
Build a short equipment file before anyone estimates recoverable material: readable nameplate, winding information if documented, approximate weight, oil quantity and current photographs. Add the PCB report or state that none is available.
Do not open the tank solely to identify copper without a qualified handling plan.
For a North Carolina removal assessment, identify the owner, site contact and access restrictions, including gate width and overhead lines. State whether the transformer remains connected or has been isolated.
Keep its failure report with the photographs so burned windings are not mistaken for an intact spare.
Get started
Get an offer in minutes
Five fields is all it takes. Photographs help, but a nameplate and a town are enough to start.
No fee, no obligation. We reply the same business day.
Tell us what you have
We reply the same business day.
Questions
Straight answers
Equipment types
Does nameplate weight tell you the copper content?
No. Nameplate weight may include the tank, core, winding, oil and accessories, depending on how the manufacturer labels it. Copper content requires design information or a defensible material estimate. Confirm whether a listed weight is shipping weight, total assembled weight or untanking weight.
Service area
How does PCB paperwork affect transformer scrap assessment?
A PCB test report helps determine the fluid and equipment handling requirements. Match the report to the transformer's serial number or documented sample location.
Payment
Should oil be drained before the transformer is assessed?
Do not drain oil just to simplify an assessment. First establish the fluid's condition, applicable handling requirements and who will accept it. Keep the drain valve secured and report leaks.
Logistics
Around North Carolina: what should a seller know?
A transformer behind a Charlotte manufacturing plant may have paved access but limited crane clearance under overhead conductors. In a Greensboro demolition yard, broken concrete can prevent a trailer from reaching the pad.
Testing
First step: what should a seller know?
Build a short equipment file before anyone estimates recoverable material: readable nameplate, winding information if documented, approximate weight, oil quantity and current photographs. Add the PCB report or state that none is available.