Used 20-ton (metric) excavator prices at auction, sale by sale
20-ton excavator auction prices by sale: a 2012 Case CX210C at 7,555 hours brought $59,400, and a salvage 2024 Deere 210 P-Tier brought $68,200.
Table of Contents
Rates and sources checked on November 2, 2026.
Crawler excavators in the 20-tonne (metric) class, built from 2012 to 2015, sold for $59,400 to $111,100 at Purple Wave’s no-reserve US auctions between February and October 2026, buyer’s premium included. Model year alone didn’t decide those prices: a 2024 Deere 210 P-Tier sold as insurance salvage went for less than a 2013 Cat 320E L.
| Closed | Machine | Location | Price paid, USD, incl. 10% premium (US, Feb–Oct 2026) | Hammer bid, USD (price ÷ 1.10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 2026 | 2013 Cat 320E L | Wichita, KS | $73,700 | $67,000 |
| Mar 26, 2026 | 2024 Deere 210 P-Tier, insurance salvage | Tifton, GA | $68,200 | $62,000 |
| Jul 2, 2026 | 2015 Deere 210G LC | El Dorado Springs, MO | $111,100 | $101,000 |
| Jul 30, 2026 | 2012 Case CX210C, 7,555 hours on meter | Sioux Falls, SD | $59,400 | $54,000 |
| Oct 8, 2026 | 1995 Cat 320L, 18,888 hours on meter | New Ulm, MN | $18,700 | $17,000 |
Sold results from Purple Wave: the February 12 sale, the March 26 sale, the July 2 sale, the Case CX210C sold list and the Cat 320L sold list. Hammer bids are worked back from the 10% premium the auction adds to every winning bid.
A 20-tonne class works out to about 22 US short tons nominal (20 × 1.1023). Operating weight in pounds differs by maker, arm and counterweight; the excavator size guide lists the class by model. All five sales were in the central and southern states. None came from the West Coast or the Northeast.
Hours sit in the table only for the two units whose meter readings appear on the public results pages. Open the other item pages before you use those sales as hour comparisons.
Note: Purple Wave’s auction terms describe listed hours as what the meter showed, and the auction does not check them or whether the meter works.
Do hours explain the gap?
Two 2012 machines with nearly the same meter reading sold within a few thousand dollars of each other. The Case CX210C above showed 7,555 hours. A 2012 Deere 210G with 7,785 hours on its meter sold for $63,800 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in March 2024. The two readings are 230 hours apart, the sales 28 months apart, and the prices $4,400 apart.
Divide each meter reading by the machine’s age at sale:
- The Case comes to about 540 hours a year (7,555 ÷ 14).
- The Deere comes to about 649 (7,785 ÷ 12).
- The 1995 Cat 320L, the cheapest machine in the table, comes to about 609 (18,888 ÷ 31).
On these three units, hours rose roughly in step with age, and the oldest, highest-hour machine brought the least.
Hours say nothing about the salvage row. The 2024 Deere 210 P-Tier is the newest machine in the table, yet it sold for $42,900 less than the 2015 210G LC. Its listing carried an insurance salvage tag. Read what that tag covers on the item page before you treat a salvage sale as a comparable.
Where hours start to cost you in repairs is a separate question, covered in how many hours is too many on an excavator.
Hammer bid, price paid and the dealer’s sticker
A $67,000 winning bid on the 2013 Cat 320E L became $73,700 paid once the 10% premium went on. Work your top bid backward from what you can spend. With an all-in budget of $80,000, the highest bid that fits is $80,000 ÷ 1.10, about $72,727. Trucking, an independent inspection and repairs come out of the budget before you divide.
The terms on each Purple Wave sale page put inspection on the buyer, and they say the auction is not responsible for what the seller states about the machine. No refund for a surprise is built into the price paid.
Rouse retail data in the Ritchie Bros. July 2026 Market Trends Report puts US used construction equipment prices about level in Q2 2026 compared with Q1, and still above 2019 levels.
Whether owning a 20-tonne machine pays at your yearly hours is worked out in rent vs buy an excavator by the hours you pay for.
Excavators with no EPA label on the engine
On August 26, 2026, EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board issued a final order against Yoder & Frey Auctioneers LLC, an Ohio equipment auction house. The order concerned excavators imported with nonroad diesel engines that lacked an EPA certificate of conformity. It cites the federal rule that uncertified imported engines and equipment, used ones included, are generally treated as new.
A 20-tonne machine listed far below the prices above, with no emission label on the engine, may be one of those imports. EPA keeps certification data for nonroad engines from model year 1998 on, and the engine family printed on the label is what you match against it. Whether a particular machine complies is for EPA to decide. Questions go to its Imports Hotline at Imports@epa.gov.
Before you sign: ask the seller for a photo of the engine’s emission label, and find its engine family in EPA’s certification data before you bid or send a deposit.
Pull three sold comps before you bid
Start with the auctioneer’s own sold results for your model, then open each sale.
- Find the model’s sold list on the auction site, such as Purple Wave’s Case CX210C results.
- On each item page, write down the meter reading, closing date, location and any salvage or damage note.
- Divide each price paid by 1.10, so you compare bids with bids.
- Set your top bid at your all-in budget, minus trucking and expected repairs, divided by 1.10.
Then go through the machine itself with the used excavator inspection checks before the auction closes.
