The scrapyard pays for what you bring, but the real game is deciding what to bring in the first place. Every run you make dozens of small value judgments, and the players who earn the most aren't the ones who drive the most — they're the ones who fill a limited bed with the best possible load, again and again.
The three variables that decide every load
Three things determine whether a piece of scrap is worth taking:
- Value — what the scrapyard pays for that material.
- Space — how much of your bed it occupies.
- Weight — how it affects handling, and how hard it is to move and place.
The best haul maximizes value per unit of bed space while keeping the load safe to drive. A bed of dense, high-value material almost always beats a bed of bulky, low-value junk — even if the junk technically weighs more.
Scrap value tiers
Salvage County includes several material types, each sitting in a different value band. Exact numbers are tuned during beta, but the relative ranking is what you plan around:
| Scrap type | Value per space | Rarity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | High | Uncommon | Compact and valuable — prioritize when you find it. |
| Aluminum | Medium–High | Common | Light and easy to pack; good filler around heavy pieces. |
| E-waste | Medium–High | Uncommon | Electronics and boards; small footprint, solid payout. |
| Appliances | Medium | Common | Bulky — worth it only when space allows. |
| Steel | Low–Medium | Very common | Reliable baseline income; heavy and space-hungry. |
| Mixed piles | Variable | Common | Random contents; sometimes hides a valuable piece. |
Weight vs. space: the core trade-off
New players often grab the biggest, heaviest thing they see because it feels valuable. It usually isn't the best choice. A single appliance can eat half your bed for a medium payout, while the same space filled with copper and e-waste pays far more. Ask one question at every pickup: "Is this the best use of the space it will cost me?"
Route efficiency
Income is value-per-run divided by time-per-run. You improve the top of that fraction by loading smarter, and the bottom by driving smarter:
- Loop, don't zigzag. Plan a circuit that ends near the scrapyard so your full-bed drive is short.
- Cluster your pickups. Learn which districts spawn dense material and work them thoroughly before moving on.
- Sell before you're forced to. A near-full bed you deliver safely beats a perfectly full one you spill.
- Protect the load. Every dropped item is value and time lost. Smooth driving is money.
Turning income into progress
Early money is best spent on things that increase future income — more hauling capacity and better tools as they become available — rather than pure cosmetics. As the economy grows during beta, expect more ways to reinvest your Salvage County Dollars. Whatever you earn stays inside the game.
Next steps
Loading and handling deserve their own deep dive — read the Vehicle Guide to protect the hauls this guide helps you plan. New here? Back up to the Beginner Guide.