What Drives the Number
Used switchgear pricing starts with four data points: manufacturer, voltage class, amperage, and completeness. A 480V Square D lineup with all breakers installed prices completely differently from an empty structure. Medium voltage metal-clad gear — 5kV and 15kV — typically brings the strongest per-section money because replacement lead times on new MV gear run a year or more, making working takeouts extremely valuable to plants that cannot wait.
Why Obsolete Beats Shiny
Counterintuitively, a 1970s Westinghouse DS lineup can out-price newer commodity gear. Thousands of facilities still run DS breakers, Westinghouse is long gone, and the only source of replacements is the secondary market. The same logic applies to ITE, Allis-Chalmers, and Federal Pacific. If your gear is old, do not assume it is worthless — assume the opposite and send photos.
Complete Lineups Win
Breakers, buckets, doors, and bus all count. A complete MCC section with buckets intact is worth several times a stripped structure. Before any demo crew starts pulling buckets or cutting bus, get an offer on the complete lineup — carefully removed gear pays for the extra rigging many times over.
Getting a Real Number
Skip the online calculators — none exist that work. Text nameplate photos and overall shots to a direct buyer and you will have a firm number the same day. We pay upfront, require zero testing, and handle all freight, so the number you hear is the number you keep.
