Scrap Hard Drive Prices

As of September 2026, the scrap hard drive (HDD) market is characterized by stable pricing driven by rare earth magnet recovery and stringent data security requirements ScrapmonsterIscrapapp.

Current Scrap Pricing (September 2026)

The value of scrap hard drives depends heavily on the presence of the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and the volume of material Scrapmonster.

* Average U.S. National Rate: $0.36/lb (~$0.79/kg) Iscrapapp.

* Regional Range: Prices fluctuate from $0.05/lb for stripped casings up to $0.90/lb in high-demand areas like Massachusetts Scrapmonster.

* Bulk Wholesale (B2B): Market prices for mixed HDD scrap range from $210 to $320 per ton for bulk international shipments AlibabaAlibaba.

Market Trends & Key Insights

* Urban Mining of Rare Earths: A major value driver is the recovery of Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) magnets, which are critical for electric vehicle (EV) motors and wind turbines ScrapmonsterScrapmonster.

* Data Security Premium: Unlike other scrap, HDDs require verified destruction. Recyclers often trade off scrap value against the cost of providing "Certificates of Destruction" Scrapmonster.

* Enterprise Stock Refresh: The market is currently seeing an influx of 3.5-inch enterprise drives from data center hardware refreshes, which are preferred for their higher aluminum and steel yields compared to laptop drives YcombinatorScrapmonster.

* PCB High-Value Recovery: The gold, silver, and palladium content in HDD logic boards remains a significant pricing anchor. Boards alone can fetch significantly higher rates than the mechanical drive bodies ScrapmonsterAlibaba.