Sell Your Low Voltage Breakers
Low voltage breakers — everything at 600 volts and under — are the highest-volume category in the surplus electrical world, and the core of our business. Molded case bricks by the pallet, insulated case frames by the piece, and drawout air breakers by the lineup.
Every one has a label, and every label is a quote. Text yours to (951) 903-9804.
The three families
Molded case breakers (MCCBs) run from 15 amp branch breakers to 2,500 amp frames — Square D FA/KA/LA/MA and PowerPact, Eaton Series C, GE Spectra, Siemens Sentron. Insulated case breakers (ICCBs) bridge into switchgear territory. Drawout air power breakers (LVPCBs) — Square D DS, GE AK/WavePro, Westinghouse DB — are the crown jewels; a lineup of drawouts is a serious payday.
Trip units matter on the bigger frames: solid-state units (Digitrip, MicroLogic, RMS-9) add real value, so photograph the trip unit face along with the label on large breakers.
- Molded case breakers, 15A–2,500A, all brands
- Insulated case breakers, fixed and drawout
- Air power breakers — DS, AK, DB, WavePro, Magnum
- Solid-state trip units and rating plugs
- New surplus, clean pulls, and obsolete frames
Obsolete is our favorite word
The breaker families nobody makes anymore — FPE, Zinsco, old ITE, early Westinghouse — are exactly what thousands of aging panels still need for replacements. Supply shrinks every year; demand doesn't. That's why the dusty box in your shop often out-prices the shiny new stock, and why our first advice is always: never scrap breakers before texting us a photo.
What drives a breaker's price
Breaker value is replacement demand, not weight. The question we are answering when we price your lot is how many facilities still need that exact frame and rating, and how easily they can get one new. When the answer is 'many facilities, and they cannot buy new,' the price goes up sharply.
Completeness is the second lever. A breaker with its trip unit, rating plug, and mounting hardware present is worth substantially more than a bare frame, because the buyer does not have to source parts. Sorting is the third: forty like breakers on a pallet price better than the same forty in a barrel, because we can grade them accurately instead of conservatively.
| Molded case, 15–1,200A | Highest volume; sell in sorted lots |
|---|---|
| Molded case, 1,600–2,500A frames | Strong individual value |
| Insulated case breakers | High value, especially complete |
| LV air power breakers (drawout) | Industrial demand; worth removing carefully |
| MV vacuum and air breakers | Heaviest value; we handle removal |
| Obsolete lines (FPE, Zinsco, old Westinghouse, early Square D) | Frequently out-price new equivalents |
| Trip units, rating plugs, accessories | Bought separately — do not discard |
How to prepare a breaker lot for the best number
Sort by manufacturer first, then amperage. Stack on pallets rather than loose in drums — loose handling chips cases and bends lugs, and damaged units price lower. Keep trip units and rating plugs with their breakers rather than in a separate bucket.
For photos, one clear label shot per distinct type plus a count is enough. You do not need forty pictures of forty identical breakers. Anything unusual, old, or large deserves its own photo from a couple of angles. Daylight, label facing the camera, no flash glare across the print.
If the breakers are still in panels, leave them there. We would rather buy a loaded panelboard intact than a bin of breakers that were pried out, and you save yourself the labor.
- Sort by manufacturer and amperage
- Palletize; avoid loose drums and barrels
- Keep trip units, plugs, and hardware attached
- One legible label photo per type, plus a count
- Leave loaded panels intact — we remove them
Before you scrap anything, send one photo
Scrap is priced by weight. Used electrical equipment is priced by what the next facility needs, and those two numbers are rarely close. A scrapyard has no reason to tell you that the item in your hand keeps a plant running somewhere.
There is no cost to finding out. Text photos to (951) 903-9804 — labels and nameplates if you can get them, wide shots if you cannot — and you will have a real number, usually the same day. If the honest answer is that your lot is only worth scrap, we will tell you that too, and you have lost nothing but a text message.
Common questions
Do you buy single-pole residential breakers?
In bulk, yes — a contractor's bucket of QO or Homeline breakers sells fine. Individually, the money is in commercial frames 100A and up.
What's a drawout air breaker worth?
From several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on frame, trip unit, and condition. Never scrap one — the label photo takes ten seconds.
Do cracked or tripped breakers have value?
Cracked cases kill resale but big frames still carry parts value. Tripped just means tripped — reset it and it's a used breaker like any other.
Do you buy breakers that were never installed?
New-in-box overage is the best material in this category and earns close to wholesale pricing. Contractors who over-order routinely sell us the balance of a job.
Will you buy a mixed pallet I have not sorted?
Yes. Sorting improves the number because it lets us price precisely, but unsorted lots are normal and we buy them constantly. Send wide shots plus close-ups of anything that looks unusual.
Related pages
Ready to sell? Call or text (951) 903-9804 or email photos to sellelectricalequipment@gmail.com.
Got equipment to sell?
Call or text us photos. We'll give you a price and take it from there.