Dead or old air conditioners are among the most common scrap sold from Pakistani homes, and among the most valuable. Most of the value is in the copper and the compressor.
What is inside an AC
- Copper: the pipes and the coils in the indoor and outdoor units. Coils are often copper tubes with aluminium fins.
- Compressor: the heavy sealed unit in the outdoor part. It contains copper windings and steel.
- Aluminium: the fins on the coils, sometimes the coils themselves in newer units.
- Iron and steel: the outdoor unit body, the frame and brackets.
- Plastic and wiring: the indoor unit cover, the circuit board and cables.
How buyers price it
Buyers either pay a price per unit (for example per 1.5 ton split AC) or weigh the parts separately: copper at the copper rate, the compressor at a compressor rate, and the body at the iron rate. Separated parts usually fetch more, but only if you can remove them safely.
Things that change the price
- Copper versus aluminium coils (copper is worth much more).
- Whether the compressor is present and complete.
- Whether the unit is complete, or parts have already been removed.
- Whether it still works: a working unit may sell better second-hand than as scrap.
Selling an old AC on Scrap Exchange
Take photos of both units and the model plate, publish them, and compare offers. Buyers in Islamabad and Rawalpindi can come and dismantle the units. See selling an old AC and today's copper rate.