# The benchmark for residual value in real markets

Residual value is one of the most material inputs in capital, risk, and recovery decisions. Yet for most asset classes, it is still estimated using outdated studies, one-off opinions, or assumptions that are difficult to defend.

_Buckstop Residual Value Indexes exist to fix that._

## Residual Value Index: The Data Behind Asset Exit Value

Buckstop Residual Value Index tracks observed market outcomes for assets as they age, degrade, and exit service.

_Built on real market signals_

- What assets resell for in secondary markets
- Raw materials and critical minerals can be recovered from recycling
- What scrap pathways realistically return
- How value changes by age, condition, and location

_The result is a market-anchored reference point teams can use consistently across underwriting, financing, recovery, and portfolio decisions._

### Residual value index explained

Without a benchmark, residual value becomes subjective, and it leads to conservative pricing, capital lock-up, and avoidable losses.

Our proprietary indexes ground residual values in the market reality.

- Replace one-off opinions with a shared reference
- Price risk and recovery using defensible ranges
- Align decisions across internal teams and counterparties
- Defend assumptions under audit, syndicate, or regulator review

### Built on a global database of real transactions

Buckstop Indexes are constructed from

-  Real resale and liquidation transactions
-  Recycling and scrap pricing outcomes
-  Asset-level attributes such as manufacturer, age, and configuration
-  Geographic and regulatory context where value changes materially

They are updated continuously as markets move, not published once and forgotten. This makes the index usable for live decisions, not just retrospective analysis.

## One index for each asset class. Multiple decision contexts.

The core residual value index supports different decisions across an ecosystem.

#### Insurers & risk teams

- Size bonds, limits, and premiums with defensible benchmarks
- Reduce over-bonding and unnecessary capital lock-up
- Support claims recovery and subrogation with transaction-backed pricing

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#### Lenders & structured finance teams

- Stress-test downside exposure across exit and default scenarios
- Validate recovery assumptions used in financing models
- Protect IRR from mispriced end-of-life and decommissioning risk

#### Recyclers & resellers operators

#### Asset management teams

- Offset decommissioning costs through recoverable value
- Plan upgrades and retirements with timing and pricing clarity
- Understand recovery potential before capital or operational decisions are locked

## Indexes power reporting, not the other way around

The index is the foundation.

Buckstop layers automated reporting, scenario analysis, and workflow on top of it so teams can apply the same benchmark across portfolios, policies, and decisions generating decision-grade outputs without rebuilding analysis each time.

## Available and upcoming indexes

- Solar Residual Value Index (live)
- Battery and energy storage systems (live)
- Data center _(In Development)_

Residual value should not depend on who you ask. It should depend on what the market shows.

## Why teams trust Buckstop indexes

Residual value should not depend on who you ask. It should depend on what the market shows.

- Grounded in real transactions, not surveys
- Updated as markets change
- [Transparent methodology](/content/residual-value-index-methodology/index.html)
- Defensible under scrutiny
- Confidence scoring
- Designed for repeat use, not one-off answers

## Frequently Asked Questions

- What is a residual value index?
- How is Buckstop different from published studies or reports?
- Are Buckstop indexes asset-specific?
- Can the same index be used across different teams?
- Is Buckstop a marketplace?