Catalytic Converter Recycling in South Africa
We buy scrap catalytic converters and DPFs from dealers, scrap yards and workshops in South Africa. You are paid on assayed platinum, palladium and rhodium content — not on an estimate from a photo.
How is a catalytic converter priced in South Africa?
There is no fixed rand-per-unit rate, and a buyer who offers one before testing your material is pricing in their own risk – at your expense. South Africa produces most of the world’s platinum and rhodium, but the value of a used converter still comes down to what is inside the specific unit in front of you.
The calculation
Metal content
How many grams of platinum, palladium and rhodium sit in the ceramic. This is the variable that decides everything, and it cannot be judged by eye.
PGM market price
Publicly traded and easy to check. Rhodium sits in the smallest quantity and usually carries the largest share of the value.
Payable percentage
The share of metal value the buyer passes on. Ask what it is. A dealer who will not put a number to it is telling you something.
Ceramic weight
The weight of honeycomb left once the shell is off.
Nothing is priced before it is tested. The assay result is the basis of your settlement, not an opening position for negotiation.
Why the code on the shell matters
South African dealers trade by converter code rather than by car model, and for good reason: the same vehicle sold in different years or markets can carry very different units. Catalytic converter codes are stamped or printed on the shell, and they are the closest thing the trade has to an identifier.
A code tells you which family a converter belongs to and roughly what to expect. Any catalytic converter price list built on codes is a starting point, not an answer – two units with the same code can still differ once tested, because of age, mileage and whether the vehicle ran properly.
When you send photos, include the code. It lets us tell you quickly whether a lot is worth shipping before either of us spends money on logistics.
What is inside a catalytic converter?
A ceramic honeycomb coated with three platinum group metals: platinum, palladium and rhodium. A single unit usually holds only a few grams in total. The steel shell and the ceramic itself are worth almost nothing – everything of value is in that thin coating.
South Africa mines most of the world’s platinum and rhodium, which is why converters here attract so much attention, legitimate and otherwise. It is also why rhodium content matters more than weight: present in the smallest quantity of the three, it frequently accounts for the largest share of a lot’s value.
Diesel vehicles add a second component. A DPF is not a catalytic converter, leans towards platinum, and should be kept in a separate lot – mixing the two lowers the assay for everything in the batch.
Catalytic converter recycling process
1. Consulting
Before anything moves we look at what you have. Send photos and the codes on the shells. With that we can tell you whether a lot is worth collecting before either side spends money on transport.
2. Cargo delivery
Collection is arranged from the point nearest you. Transport, the local paperwork and any permits the consignment requires are handled from there, so you are not left coordinating between parties yourself.
3. Processing
Converters arrive whole and are opened here. The honeycomb is recovered and milled until the fraction is even throughout. This is deliberately our step, not yours - a unit cut open in a yard is harder to grade, and before milling no honest number exists because a whole honeycomb cannot be sampled in a way that represents the consignment.
4. Sampling
A whole lot of crushed ceramics is thoroughly mixed into a homogeneous substance. Then, each lot's representative sample is collected to accurately determine the precious metal content.
5. Assaying
XRF gives the first reading and ICP confirms it. Both are the methods refiners and regulators recognise, which carries weight here - PGM-bearing material moving out of South Africa can be subject to forensic profiling, and a documented lab result is what stands up to that.
6. Settlement
With content confirmed, terms are agreed and payment is made through traceable channels with records kept on both sides - which is what the legislation now expects anyway. Payment is typically immediate on small quantities and within 24 to 48 hours on bulk lots once the lab assessment is done.
RECOHUB — Trusted Scrap Valuations for Your Catalytic Converters
Is it legal to sell scrap catalytic converters in South Africa?
Yes – if you are dealing through the registered channel. South Africa regulates this trade more tightly than most markets, and in 2026 the rules around theft and export have been tightened further.
Second-Hand Goods Act (Act 6 of 2009)
Dealers and recyclers must be registered, and the Act places record-keeping obligations on workshops, scrap yards and anyone handling converters.
Identification on payout
A valid South African ID or passport is required for payment. This is not paperwork for its own sake - it is what separates a legitimate lot from a stolen one.
Export permits
Moving PGM-bearing material out of South Africa falls under the Precious Metals Act and the Customs and Excise Act. Unregulated cross-border flows, particularly towards neighbouring countries, are being actively targeted.
What it means for you
More material is staying inside the regulated domestic channel, which is good news if your paperwork is in order and a growing problem if it is not.
Every consignment comes with a question about where it came from. We are not looking to make life difficult for a workshop clearing out a month of exhaust work - we are looking to keep material that cannot be accounted for out of the chain.
Is a DPF the same as a catalytic converter?
No, and in South Africa the confusion is expensive. A converter works chemically on exhaust gases. A DPF is a trap – it collects diesel soot and burns it off. They live beside each other in the exhaust line and both hold ceramic, which is why they end up in the same bin far more often than they should.
Their value is not comparable. On a petrol vehicle the money sits mostly in rhodium, supported by palladium. A DPF is platinum-heavy with very little rhodium, so two units of identical weight can settle in completely different ranges.
This matters more here than in most markets, because bakkies and 4WDs make up so much of what comes through a South African yard – and those are diesel. If your intake is Hilux, Fortuner and Ranger, you are handling far more DPF material than a yard in a petrol-dominated market would.
We buy both. Sort them into separate lots before collection – a consignment that arrives already separated is quicker to grade, and there is no guesswork about what is in it.
Send photos and the converter code - we will tell you what you have
Why Choose Recohub in South Africa?
- Your payment traces to a lab result. Not to an opinion about what the unit looks like, and not to a flat rate per piece.
- Local collection, one point of contact. Collection points in the main metros, and one person on your transaction from first photo to settlement.
- Documented from the start. ID on payout, a written record of the transaction, and a question about where the material came from — which protects your side as much as ours.
- ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certified.
Where in South Africa can we collect from?
Collection runs through established points in the four main metros, so material does not have to travel far before it is in the right hands. Whoever you speak to first stays with the transaction through to settlement.
Collection runs through established points in the four main metros, so material does not have to travel far before it is in the right hands. Whoever you speak to first stays with the transaction through to settlement.
|
City
|
Province
|
How it works
|
|---|---|---|
|
Johannesburg
|
Gauteng
|
Collection arranged locally
|
|
Pretoria
|
Gauteng
|
Collection arranged locally
|
|
Cape Town
|
Western Cape
|
Collection arranged locally
|
|
Durban
|
KwaZulu-Natal
|
Collection arranged locally
|
There is no minimum quantity. For larger volumes collection comes to you; smaller lots are handled the same way on price. If your town is not on the list, ask anyway – the reach goes further than the four points suggest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I sell my catalytic converter in South Africa?
You can sell catalytic converters to any registered dealer, but not every dealer prices them the same way. We have collection points in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, and collection can be arranged from any of them. Send photos of the units with the code on the shell and an approximate count, and you will know what you have before anything moves.
What is the catalytic converter scrap price in South Africa?
There is no fixed rate, and no standard catalytic converter price in South Africa that applies across vehicles. The price depends on the assayed platinum, palladium and rhodium content of the ceramic, valued at current market prices, less the payable percentage and processing costs. Some buyers quote a catalytic converter price per kg for decanned ceramic, which is closer to reality than a per-unit figure but still an average. Two units that look identical can differ substantially once tested, which is why any firm figure quoted before an assay is guesswork.
How much is a catalytic converter worth in South Africa?
It depends almost entirely on what is inside the specific unit. A converter typically holds a few grams of precious metal in total, and the split between platinum, palladium and rhodium varies by vehicle, by year and by how the car was driven. Weight and appearance tell you very little on their own.
Are you registered catalytic converter buyers in South Africa?
Searching for catalytic converter buyers near me will turn up everything from licensed recyclers to someone with a bakkie and a cash offer. We buy from workshops, scrap yards, dealers and private sellers alike – what matters is that the transaction is documented. A valid South African ID or passport is required for payout under the Second-Hand Goods Act, and we ask for proof of ownership where it is available. If a buyer is willing to skip that step, the risk does not disappear – it simply moves onto you.
Is a DPF the same as a catalytic converter?
No. The difference between a DPF and a catalytic converter is what each one is for: the DPF collects and burns diesel soot, the converter treats exhaust gases chemically. Under a bakkie they look alike, but a DPF is platinum-heavy with almost no rhodium. We buy both, and with so many diesel vehicles coming through South African yards a DPF pile is worth building rather than ignoring.
What is inside a catalytic converter that makes it so expensive?
A thin coating of platinum, palladium and rhodium on a ceramic honeycomb. Rhodium is the rarest of the three and usually carries the largest share of the value, despite being present in the smallest quantity. South Africa mines most of the world’s supply of both platinum and rhodium.
How much palladium is in a catalytic converter?
A few grams at most, alongside smaller amounts of platinum and rhodium – and the balance shifts with every vehicle. Of the three, rhodium is the scarcest and usually the one that decides what a consignment is worth. The spread between units is wide enough that guessing from the outside is not worth doing; the number comes from the lab.
Do you need the catalytic converter code to give a price?
It helps a great deal. South African dealers trade by the code on the shell rather than by car model, because the same model can carry very different units. The code tells us which family a converter belongs to and whether a lot is worth shipping – though it never replaces the assay.
Is it legal to sell scrap catalytic converters in South Africa?
Yes, through the registered channel. The Second-Hand Goods Act places registration and record-keeping obligations on dealers and recyclers, and export of PGM-bearing material falls under the Precious Metals Act and the Customs and Excise Act. In 2026 both theft enforcement and export controls have been tightened further.
Should I cut the converter open before selling it?
No. Send it whole. Cutting the housing makes the unit harder to grade and usually costs you money rather than saving it, and a converter whose honeycomb has already been emptied has nothing recoverable left in it. There is a second reason to leave it alone: processing converters yourself may put you into recycler territory under the Second-Hand Goods Act, which carries its own registration requirement on top of the dealer licence. Decanning is our job, not yours.
