Resale equipment or copper recovery? The five-test decision tree — plus the PCB warning every seller of old transformers must read.
Every used transformer faces the same fork: sell it as working equipment, or sell it for the copper and steel inside. The right answer depends on kVA, condition, winding metal, and age — and choosing wrong costs real money. Working transformers sell for multiples of scrap; dead ones are priced by the pound. Here is how to tell which you have.
Dry-type and oil-filled, working or dead — priced for resale where possible, for recovery where not. Send the nameplate →
A transformer that tests clean — proper turns ratio, good insulation resistance (megger), no overheating history — is resale equipment. One that is shorted, burnt, or oil-contaminated beyond service is recovery. Testing decides the stream; guessing costs money.
Common commercial sizes (15–500 kVA dry-type, 480V/208Y/120V) have the deepest resale market — they are what buildings actually need. Odd voltages, tiny sizes, and obsolete configurations slide toward recovery.
Copper-wound transformers are worth more both as equipment and as scrap. Aluminum-wound is common and functional — just priced lower. The nameplate sometimes states it; otherwise weight and vintage hint at it.
Dry-type (air-cooled, VPI or cast resin) dominates commercial buildings — simpler to handle, simpler to sell. Oil-filled (padmount, substation) serves utilities and heavy industry; bigger tickets, heavier logistics, and oil testing (DGA) as part of valuation.
DOE efficiency standards (TP-1, and the newer 2016 standards) made older transformers less desirable new — but the used market still absorbs them for the right application. Very old units with obsolete insulation systems trend toward recovery.
Transformers manufactured before 1979 may contain PCB-contaminated oil (askarel) — regulated, hazardous, and expensive to dispose of. If the nameplate shows pre-1979 manufacture or asks “contains PCBs,” stop and get proper environmental handling. Do not drain it, do not sell it casually, do not guess. This is the one transformer topic where caution outranks commerce.
Dead transformers are copper mines: windings (the prize — heavy copper coils), core steel (silicon steel laminations), tank steel, and oil (recyclable through proper channels). Larger units hold hundreds of pounds of copper. Recovery value follows weight and winding metal — which is why the nameplate kVA and the copper-vs-aluminum question still matter even when the transformer will never hum again.
The nameplate carries the entire valuation: kVA (capacity — the headline number), primary/secondary voltage (e.g. 480V to 208Y/120V), impedance % (matters for paralleling and fault calculations), taps (voltage adjustment range, e.g. ±2×2.5%), vector group / phase (Dyn1, Y-Y — the winding configuration), insulation class and temperature rise (150°C, 115°C, 80°C — lower rise means better built), serial number and date (age and traceability), and winding material when stated. Photograph the whole plate straight-on — a blurry kVA is a useless kVA. For oil-filled units, add the oil test history (DGA) and the tank condition. Ten data points, one photo, complete valuation.
If it tests clean, quite possibly a lot — working commercial transformers have a deep resale market. If dead, it is still valuable for copper recovery. The nameplate (kVA, voltage, impedance, serial) starts every valuation.
The nameplate sometimes states it. Otherwise: copper-wound units are heavier for the same kVA, and older American-made units are usually copper. When uncertain, price it as unknown and let testing decide.
Pre-1979 oil-filled units may contain PCBs — regulated hazardous material. Do not drain, move casually, or sell without proper environmental handling. Check the nameplate date first.
Yes — for copper and steel recovery. Send the nameplate and overall photos; weight estimates help.
Dissolved gas analysis reveals what is happening inside an oil-filled transformer: overheating, arcing, insulation breakdown. A clean DGA is the oil-filled equivalent of a clean bill of health.
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.