A
wrecking yard,
Auto Recycling yard,
auto salvage yard,
wrecker's yard or
breakers yard, (sometimes also known as a
junkyard or a
scrapheap), is the location of an auto dismantling business where wrecked or decommissioned
vehicles (most commonly
automobiles, but junkyards for
motorcycles,
bicycles, small
planes and
boats exist too) are brought, their usable parts are sold for use in operating vehicles, while the unusable metal parts, known as
scrap metal parts, are sold to metal-
recycling companies.
In the United Kingdom, car salvage yards are known as car breakers, while motorcycle salvage yards are known as bike breakers.
Many salvage yards operate on a local level—when an automobile is severely damaged, is malfunctioning beyond repair, or not worth the repair, the owner may sell it to a junkyard; in some cases—as when the car has become disabled in a place where derelict cars are not allowed to be left—the car owner will pay the wrecker to haul the car away. The salvage yard will usually tow the vehicle from its location to the yard. At the salvage yard the automobiles are typically arranged in rows, often stacked on top of one another. Inventories are kept in the office, as to the usable parts in each car, as well as the car's location in the yard. Most yards have computerized inventory systems.
In recent years it has become more common for people to use satellite part finder services to contact multiple salvage yards from a single source. In the early days these were call centres that charge a premium rate for calls and compiled a facsimile that was sent to the various salvage yards so they could respond directly if the part was in stock. Many of these are now Web-based with requests for parts being e-mailed instantly.
