Quick answer
Most cars on Calgary roads weigh between about 1,000 kg and 2,600 kg empty, and a full-size pickup is roughly one and a half times the mass of a compact sedan. Weight sets the floor of what a scrap car is worth, because the shell is sold as metal by the tonne. It does not set the ceiling, which comes from the parts still bolted to it.
How much does a car actually weigh?
The number to use is curb weight. Transport Canada defines curb weight as the vehicle in running order with standard equipment and a nominal tank of fuel, but with no driver, passengers or cargo. That is the figure a scrap yard cares about, because it is the closest published number to what rolls onto the flatbed.
Transport Canada publishes curb weights for every mainstream model sold in Canada in its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database. Pulled from that data, here is how common Calgary vehicles stack up by class (model year of the record in brackets):
- Subcompact hatchbacks: Mitsubishi Mirage 940 kg (2021), Chevrolet Spark 1,019 kg (2016), Honda Fit 1,131 to 1,170 kg (2018).
- Compact sedans: Hyundai Elantra 1,236 kg (2021), Honda Civic 1,313 to 1,391 kg (2022), Toyota Corolla 1,315 to 1,395 kg (2019), Mazda3 1,321 to 1,483 kg (2019).
- Mid-size sedans: Honda Accord 1,433 to 1,532 kg (2018), Toyota Camry 1,495 to 1,610 kg (2017), Dodge Charger 1,785 to 2,075 kg (2015).
- Compact SUVs: Honda CR-V 1,502 to 1,580 kg (2017), Toyota RAV4 1,528 to 1,703 kg (2019), Ford Escape 1,496 to 1,762 kg (2020).
- Minivans: Honda Odyssey 2,063 kg (2021), Toyota Sienna 2,096 to 2,150 kg (2021).
- Mid-size pickups: Ford Ranger 1,974 to 2,014 kg (2019), Toyota Tacoma 1,948 to 2,032 kg (2016), Chevrolet Colorado 1,791 to 2,032 kg (2014).
- Half-ton pickups: Ford F-150 1,823 to 2,266 kg (2021), Chevrolet Silverado 1500 1,986 to 2,208 kg (2018 to 2019), GMC Sierra 1500 1,986 to 2,217 kg (2019), Toyota Tundra 2,310 to 2,550 kg (2022).
- Full-size SUVs: Chevrolet Tahoe 2,429 to 2,515 kg (2020), Chevrolet Suburban 2,483 to 2,578 kg (2020), Ford Expedition 2,551 to 2,628 kg (2018).
- Three-quarter and one-ton pickups: Ford F-250 2,578 to 3,037 kg (2017), Ford F-350 2,680 to 3,347 kg (2017).
- Electric vehicles: Tesla Model 3 1,645 to 1,847 kg (2018), Tesla Model Y 1,780 to 2,003 kg (2021).
Manufacturer spec sheets agree with these ranges. Honda Canada lists the 2026 Civic sedan at 1,310 kg for the LX and 1,480 kg for the Sport Touring Hybrid, so a hybrid battery and extra equipment add roughly 170 kg to the same body.
What part of that weight is scrap value?
A scrap yard does not pay for curb weight. It pays for the mass that survives dismantling and goes to the shredder or the metal buyer. Before that happens, the fuel is drained, the battery, tires and fluids come out, and anything sold as a used part leaves the car. Glass, carpet, seat foam, plastic bumpers, wiring insulation and rubber all weigh something on the scale at the yard gate and are worth nothing as ferrous scrap.
That is why two vehicles with identical curb weights can be worth different amounts as metal. A truck with a steel frame, a cast-iron block and steel body panels carries more sellable steel per kilogram than a modern unibody car with an aluminum hood, an aluminum engine and a lot of composite trim. Aluminum and copper are worth more per kilogram than steel, but they are a smaller share of the vehicle and take more labour to separate.
The weight-based value is the floor. Every complete vehicle has one, no matter how badly it runs, because the shell is always worth something as metal. What sits on top of that floor depends on what can be resold.
Where the rest of the money comes from: parts
Parts value is what pushes a scrap offer above the metal floor. A used parts yard is looking at demand for the specific model, the condition of the high-value components, and how quickly it can move them. The components that matter most:
- Engine and transmission that still run, especially in trucks and SUVs that are common on Alberta job sites.
- Catalytic converter, valued for the precious metals inside rather than for its weight.
- Alloy wheels with decent tires, which sell as a set.
- Body panels, doors, tailgates, mirrors and lights on models with a lot of collision demand.
- Hybrid and EV battery packs, which are handled separately and are worth far more than their mass in steel.
- Airbags, seats, infotainment units and other interior components that are undamaged.
A car with a blown engine but a clean body and a full set of good panels can still beat a heavier vehicle that has been in a front-end collision. The scale at the gate is not the whole story.
Why is a Civic priced differently from an F-150?
Start with the mass. A 2022 Civic sedan sits at roughly 1,313 to 1,391 kg and a 2021 F-150 at roughly 1,823 to 2,266 kg in Transport Canada’s data, so the truck has about 500 to 900 kg more material before anything else is considered. On metal alone the F-150 starts ahead.
Then look at what that material is. The F-150 has a full steel ladder frame, heavy axles, a large transmission and big brakes, all of which are dense steel and cast iron. The Civic is a steel unibody with a small aluminum engine, so its metal mix is simpler and its total is smaller.
Finally, parts demand. Half-ton trucks are everywhere in Calgary and southern Alberta, so a running EcoBoost or 5.0 L engine, a 4×4 transfer case, a tailgate or a set of 20-inch wheels has a ready buyer. Civics are also common, which keeps parts moving, but each part is worth less and there is less of it. The gap between the two is the sum of more metal, denser metal and more valuable parts.
Does a heavier car always pay more?
No. Weight only wins when the rest of the vehicle is equal. A one-ton diesel with a seized engine, missing catalytic converter and a rusted-out box is a lot of steel and not much else. A lighter, newer SUV with a good drivetrain and clean panels can out-earn it because the parts side of the ledger is bigger. Weight sets the minimum, condition and demand decide the rest.
The other thing to know is what happens when a car is worth nothing but weight. Alberta’s Vehicle Inspection Regulation describes a non-repairable vehicle as one with no resale value except as a source of parts or scrap metal. Once a car has hit that point, its value really is just its metal and any component that can be pulled, so the curb weight figures above are a fair guide to what it will bring.
What to do next
If you want a real number instead of an estimate, call Calgary Scrap Auto Removal at 403-991-7717 with the year, make, model and a quick description of what runs and what does not. We pay cash on the spot, up to $10,000 for the right vehicle, and the flatbed pickup anywhere in Calgary is free. If you would rather drop the vehicle off, the yard is at 4102 16a St SE, Calgary T2G 3T8, open 9 am to 9 pm every day.
