The global aircraft recycling market is projected to reach approximately $5.06 billion by 2025 and is expected to grow to $7.78 billion by 2031, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.43%. Based on DONGSHENG Precious Metals Recycling’s 20 years of experience in aircraft recycling, it has been proven that the core economic benefit of aircraft recycling lies in the fact that “selling parts is far more profitable than selling the entire aircraft.” The acquisition cost of a single scrapped Boeing 747 ranges from $1 million to $10 million, but the total revenue from selling individual components and materials after dismantling far exceeds this figure (the recycling price for a single turbine blade from a Boeing aircraft engine can reach $300,000, and this does not even represent the recycling price for an entire aircraft engine). Take narrow-body aircraft as an example: a retired Airbus A320 (excluding engines) sold for approximately $500,000 a decade ago, whereas today the same airframe fetches over $1.2 million. Data from Air Salvage International (ASI) shows that approximately 600 to 700 aircraft are retired globally each year, with ASI alone handling the dismantling of about 8% of them. ASI CEO Mark Gregory clearly states that the current market is a “seller’s market”—if you have an aircraft to dismantle, you can practically ask for any price. Of course, the profit model for aircraft recycling does not rely solely on scrap metal. The value of aviation aluminum alloy scrap alone is insufficient to cover dismantling costs; pure scrap aluminum must fetch over $4,200 per ton to break even; What truly makes aircraft recycling profitable are ancillary revenue streams such as the resale of components and carbon credits; under a comprehensive model, each aircraft can generate over $59,000 in net profit. Aircraft recycling has evolved from a simple disposal process into a sophisticated asset management industry.
A commercial aircraft contains approximately 800 to 1,000 recyclable components, the vast majority of which are made of metal alloys and composite materials. Specific recyclable materials include: aluminum alloy fuselage (accounting for approximately 50% to 80% of the aircraft’s total weight), which is recycled for industrial remelting; titanium alloy structural components, which retain about 70% of their original value after recycling; carbon fiber composites, from which recycled carbon fiber (rCF) can be extracted through chemical recycling processes with only about a 10% loss in mechanical properties; landing gear, with a set of used 747 landing gear fetching up to $300,000; avionics systems and instruments, with cockpit displays selling for approximately $30,000 each; auxiliary power units (APUs) at about $25,000; engine integrated drive generators (IDGs) at approximately $120,000; and brake units at about $36,000; DONGSHENG quotes up to $300,000 for the recycling of engine turbine blades; Seats, interior components, plastics, and rubber: some can be refurbished for the secondary market, while the remainder is sorted and processed as scrap. In the aircraft recycling process, high-value components are prioritized for removal, inspection, and certification before entering the USM (Used Serviceable Material) distribution system; the remaining fuselage sections are then cut, shredded, and sorted as metal scrap. In the revenue structure of aircraft recycling, the value derived from the remanufacturing and reuse of components accounts for approximately 70% to 80% of the total aircraft recycling value, with the remaining 20% to 30% coming from raw material recovery. Currently, in the aircraft recycling sector, a retired narrow-body aircraft can generate a recycling value of $2.5 million to $8 million.
Among all types of scrap generated by aircraft recycling, aircraft engines represent the single most valuable asset. Engines typically account for 70% to 85% of the residual value of an entire retired aircraft, and these assets are often snapped up quickly before the aircraft enters the dismantling process. A complete used turbofan engine is worth approximately $2 million, while a brand-new engine costs roughly twice that amount. The value distribution within an engine is similarly highly concentrated: individual engine control components can be worth up to $1.5 million, while a single turbine blade is valued at approximately $6,000 (the weight and precious metal content of turbine blades vary by aircraft model, resulting in different recycling prices. For a more accurate valuation, please contact a DONGSHENG purchasing representative). Aircraft turbine blade recycling is one of the fastest-growing segments in recent years. The global market for aircraft engine turbine blade recycling services is projected to reach $746 million in 2025 and is expected to grow to $1.189 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 7.0%. The core value of aircraft turbine blade recycling stems from the strategic metals contained in nickel-based superalloys—particularly rhenium. Turbine blade materials contain 3% to 6% rhenium. Over 80% of the global rhenium supply is used in the aerospace sector, primarily in hot-section components such as turbine blades, guide vanes, and nozzles. The service system for aircraft turbine blade recycling has evolved from simple scrap metal recovery to “component-level remanufacturing” or “material-level recycling.” Aircraft recycling companies use high-temperature alloy refining processes to extract metals such as nickel, cobalt, rhenium, platinum, ruthenium, and palladium, and then return the recycled materials to the aircraft turbine blade manufacturing supply chain. In 2025, the total global sales of aircraft engine blade materials reached $3.264 billion, with a total volume of approximately 97,000 metric tons and an average price of $32,000 per metric ton.
The recycling value of a blade depends on two key factors: alloy composition and blade type. High-pressure turbine blades containing precious metals such as rhenium, platinum, and palladium are the most valuable category for recycling. The unit price of rhenium is approximately $10 per gram, and that of platinum is approximately $72 per gram. and palladium at approximately $53 per gram (for more real-time precious metal prices, please visit the Precious Metals Prices page). A single engine contains hundreds of blades, and the recycling value of the precious metals alone can exceed one million dollars. However, for ordinary high-temperature alloy blades that do not contain precious metals, the recycling value is significantly lower. After a decade of market research, DONGSHENG officially launched its scrap material recycling program in 2014. Customers sell their nickel-based superalloy high-pressure turbine blade scrap containing precious metals to DONGSHENG at premium prices. DONGSHENG then cleans and remelts the material for reuse in the manufacture of aircraft turbine blades. While this recycling pathway is profitable for turbine blades containing precious metals, low-pressure turbine blades or fan blades are typically processed at market prices for ordinary titanium or nickel scrap during recycling, unable to benefit from the high premiums associated with precious metal recovery. Another practical constraint on aircraft turbine blade recycling stems from the blades’ service condition: only blades that have reached the end of their service life and cannot be refurbished enter the material recycling stream. If a blade still retains airworthiness value, component-level remanufacturing is the preferred option—repairing, recoating, and recertifying the blade for reinstallation—which yields economic value several times higher than direct smelting for metal recovery.
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