Interior, can, and trim — three products in one box. What each part is worth, copper vs. aluminum bus, and how to photograph a panel for a full valuation.
Every panelboard breaks into the interior (bus bar, lugs, and mounting hardware — the valuable core), the can/box (the steel enclosure), and the trim/cover (the dead-front door). Buyers price them separately, and sellers who know the split get paid for all three instead of one blended number.
Complete panels, interiors only, and panelboards loaded with breakers. Send photos →
The money. Copper or aluminum bus bar, tin- or silver-plated stabs, main lugs or main breaker mounting. Copper-bus interiors command a real premium over aluminum — check the bus color where the plating is worn. Interiors sell on their own constantly: someone’s panel needs exactly that interior, and the used market is where they find it.
A panelboard loaded with breakers is worth the panel plus the breakers — inventory them using our panel schedule guide and price both. Never let a loaded panel sell as an empty one.
The steel enclosure and dead-front cover. Lower value individually, but complete panels (can + interior + trim, same brand and vintage) sell fastest — a drop-in replacement with no fitment questions.
Main-breaker panels (with the big main disconnect installed) outvalue MLO (main lugs only) panels — the main breaker alone is a significant asset. Note which you have.
Higher amperage (225A, 400A, 600A+) and higher space counts (42-space is the commercial standard) mean broader demand. Small residential load centers are commodity items; commercial panelboards are the market.
Square D, Eaton, Siemens, GE — the installed base drives replacement demand. Older vintages can be more valuable when they are the only source of a compatible interior (see our obsolete guide).
Copper bus interiors are worth more both as replacements and as recovery. Aluminum bus is functional and common — just priced accordingly. Scratch a hidden spot to check; plating hides the base metal.
Clean, dry panels from office buildings beat damp basement panels every time. Corrosion on bus bar, burnt stabs, and water staining all get priced in — photograph honestly.
The manufacturer label (make, model, amperage, catalog number), the open interior showing bus and breakers, the directory card, and a close-up of the bus bar showing copper vs. aluminum. Four photos, full valuation.
It depends on brand, amperage, copper vs. aluminum bus, and condition — interiors are the most-traded part of the panel because they are the exact replacement someone needs. Send the manufacturer label and interior photos for today’s price.
No — inventory them in place and sell the loaded panel as a package, or let the buyer advise. A loaded panel is worth panel plus breakers; removing them early just creates two mysteries.
Look where plating is worn or scratch a hidden spot: copper shows pinkish-gold, aluminum shows silver-gray. Copper-bus interiors command a premium.
Yes — interiors trade on their own constantly. Cans and trims have lower individual value but complete panels sell fastest.
Roughly: load centers are residential/light-commercial (plug-on breakers, lower AIC); panelboards are commercial/industrial (bolt-on breakers, higher AIC, copper bus common). The market treats them as different tiers.
Photograph the equipment, nameplates, and quantities in place, then send them through the contact form.
We review what the equipment is, its condition and quantity, and how it grades for resale versus recovery.
For qualifying material, we discuss a direct purchase offer and the next steps.
Manufacturer nameplates, breaker catalog numbers, panel schedules. Labels are the entire valuation.
Call or text 312-880-8174 or use the quote form.
A real offer based on your photos and today’s market — not a calculator, not a guess.
Breakers, panels, switchgear, transformers — send photos for today’s price.