How to read breaker labels
Catalog numbers, frame sizes, poles, amperage, AIC ratings — decode any breaker label in two minutes. Read the guide →
THE ELECTRICAL HUB
The Electrical Surplus Resource Hub.
Everything about electrical surplus in one place — how to identify it, what drives its value, how to sell it, and where the market is going.
THE HUB
Everything about electrical surplus, in one place.
Circuit breakers, panelboards, switchgear, transformers, bus duct — the electrical equipment inside every commercial and industrial building has a deep secondary market. This hub is the complete reference: how to identify what you have, what drives its value, how to sell it, and where the market is going.
Start with the guides below, or jump straight to selling if you already know what you have.
Selling electrical surplus?
We buy breakers, panels, switchgear, transformers, and bus duct — new surplus, used, and full facility lots. Send photos for today’s price.
Try the tools
The value estimator grades your lot by value tier, and the identification quiz teaches you to read equipment like a buyer.
THE GUIDES
Electrical knowledge base
Twelve guides, each one the complete picture on its topic.
Circuit breaker value guide
What makes a used breaker worth money: brand, condition, obsolescence, and frame size. Read the guide →
How to sell electrical surplus
The complete selling process: inventory, photography, nameplates, and how to get the strongest offer. Read the guide →
Panelboard value guide
Interiors, cans, trims, and copper bus — what each part of a panelboard is worth. Read the guide →
Switchgear value guide
Lineups, drawout breakers, and relays — how industrial switchgear is valued used. Read the guide →
Transformer value guide
When a transformer is resale equipment and when it is a copper recovery job. Read the guide →
Obsolete breaker guide
Zinsco, FPE, Challenger, Pushmatic — why they are obsolete, the safety controversies, and the replacement market. Read the guide →
Electrical market trends
Electrification, lead times, and copper content — the forces moving used electrical values. Read the guide →
Reading panel schedules
How to inventory a panel for sale using its directory card and schedule. Read the guide →
Identification quiz
Six questions that teach you to read electrical equipment like a buyer. Take the quiz →
Value estimator
Grade your lot by value tier — no prices, just where it sits in the market. Estimate value →
Sell to Ironcrest
Breakers, panels, switchgear, transformers, bus duct — send photos for today’s price. Get an offer →
THE SHORT VERSION
Why electrical surplus has value
New gear is expensive and slow
Factory lead times on switchgear and large breakers routinely stretch for months. Used and new-surplus equipment fills the gap — contractors and facilities pay real money to skip the wait.
Buildings retire it constantly
Renovations, upgrades, plant closings, and decommissioning push breakers, panels, and transformers onto the secondary market every day. The supply never stops.
Copper is inside everything
Bus bar, windings, breaker contacts, cable — even equipment with no resale market carries recoverable copper. Nothing electrical should go to the dumpster unpriced.
THE LIFECYCLE
Where used electrical equipment comes from
Every piece of used electrical gear has an origin story, and the story predicts the condition. New surplus — distributor overstock, cancelled jobs, contractor leftovers — is the cream: never installed, often still boxed. Renovation pulls come from tenant improvements and upgrades; clean, documented, mid-life. Decommissioning lots arrive in volume from plant closings and data center teardowns — the best source of large frames and switchgear. Estate and retirement sales (see our retired electrician guide) surface lifetime accumulations: mixed, unsorted, and full of surprises — including obsolete lines nobody else has. Knowing the source tells a buyer what to expect before the first photo loads, and tells a seller how to present the lot.
QUESTIONS
Electrical hub questions, answered.
What is this electrical resource hub?
A free knowledge base covering electrical surplus equipment: how to identify it, what drives its value, how to sell it, and where the market is going. Written by Ironcrest Industrial, a buyer of electrical equipment.
What electrical equipment do you buy?
Circuit breakers, panelboards, switchgear, transformers, bus duct, MCC buckets, and related gear — new surplus, used, obsolete lines, and full facility lots.
I have a panel full of breakers. Where do I start?
Start with how to read breaker labels, then how to inventory the panel. Ten minutes of identification turns a mystery panel into a priced lot.
Do you buy old or obsolete breakers?
Yes — including obsolete lines like Zinsco, FPE, and Pushmatic, which have an active replacement market. See our obsolete breaker guide for the full picture, including the safety considerations.
HOW IT WORKS
Three steps to an offer.
01Send photos
Photograph the equipment, nameplates, and quantities in place, then send them through the contact form.
02Material review
We review what the equipment is, its condition and quantity, and how it grades for resale versus recovery.
03Receive an offer
For qualifying material, we discuss a direct purchase offer and the next steps.