MRI Equipment Financing:
1.5T, 3T, Wide Bore and Extremity.

iLease Capital finances new, used and refurbished MRI systems, from compact extremity units to full-body 1.5T and 3T scanners across every major platform. MRI is the high end of imaging finance and the modality where the asset most clearly is the deal, because the spread from an older refurbished 1.5T that can start near $150,000 to a late-model 3T that can run past $2,000,000 new is enormous, and the site work to install either one can rival the cost of a lower-end magnet on its own. That range is exactly why an MRI deserves a lender who understands the collateral rather than one who treats a magnet like a generic piece of machinery. If you are pricing a system, new or used, you can talk it through with a specialist at (866) 545-3273.

iLease Capital finances MRI for imaging centers, orthopedic and multi-specialty clinics, mobile operators and hospitals, and financing may be available for transactions up to $5 million plus with no minimum floor. As a broker with more than 50 lender relationships rather than a single direct lender, iLease can match a specific field strength, platform and site to a funding partner that understands MRI collateral, which matters because the magnet condition, the coil set, the software license and the buildout all move the value in ways a generalist will miss. This guide covers field strength, bore size and the extremity market, the major GE, Siemens and Philips platforms, real used and refurbished price ranges, the large site prep cost and what lenders evaluate. For the broader modality picture, see our medical imaging financing guide.

Field Strength: 1.5T Versus 3T

Field strength is the first thing that defines an MRI and the first thing that defines its price. The 1.5 Tesla system remains the workhorse of both the new and the refurbished market, covering the broad majority of clinical imaging with the deepest resale pool and the most serviceable installed base. The 3 Tesla system delivers roughly double the field strength and higher resolution for neurological, musculoskeletal and research work, and it commands a meaningful premium at every stage, with a used 3T generally costing more to acquire, more to shield and more to service than a comparable 1.5T. New 1.5T systems commonly run about $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 and new 3T systems $2,000,000 or more, while the refurbished market compresses that gap without erasing it. From a financing standpoint the practical difference is the size of the transaction and the size of the buyer pool. A 1.5T is often the easier asset to finance because so many exist and so many parties can use one, while a 3T is a larger commitment usually justified by a specific clinical need for the higher field. Choosing between them is a clinical and a capital decision at once, and the right structure follows the field strength rather than fighting it.

Wide Bore Versus Standard Bore

Bore size is the second lever on both capability and price. A standard bore of about 60 centimeters is the traditional configuration and the lower-cost option, while a wide bore of about 70 centimeters accommodates larger and claustrophobic patients, bariatric imaging and certain interventional work, and it typically carries a real premium over a standard bore of the same field strength. In the pre-owned market a used wide bore system commonly runs higher than a comparable closed standard bore unit, and a new wide bore can run upward of a million dollars before any site work. The wider bore is a genuine clinical and marketing advantage for many centers, since patient comfort drives referral volume, so it often pays for itself in throughput. For financing purposes the point is simply that bore size, like field strength, is a value driver a lender needs to see specified, because two systems of the same Tesla can be very different assets depending on the bore. Putting the exact configuration on the quote lets the deal be sized against what the specific magnet is worth.

Extremity and Compact MRI

Not every MRI is a room-filling superconducting magnet. Extremity and compact systems image a knee, a wrist, an ankle or an elbow at a fraction of the size, cost and site burden of a full-body scanner, which makes them a natural fit for orthopedic and sports-medicine practices that want musculoskeletal imaging in-house without building an entire suite. Refurbished extremity systems commonly sit at the bottom of the MRI price range, well under the six-figure territory of a full-body 1.5T, and their lighter siting requirements can shorten the whole project. That smaller footprint changes the financing too, because an extremity unit behaves more like a standard equipment purchase than a major capital project and on qualifying transactions it may be a candidate for application-only financing. For a practice testing whether in-house MRI pencils out, an extremity system is often the low-risk entry point before a later step up to a full-body magnet.

Platforms: GE, Siemens and Philips

The MRI market is dominated by three manufacturers, and knowing the platform helps place a system on the value curve. GE builds the Signa line, with names such as the Signa Artist at 1.5T and the Signa Architect and Signa Pioneer at 3T representing its current premium wide bore generation, alongside a deep installed base of earlier Optima and Excite systems that fill the affordable end of the refurbished market. Siemens builds the Magnetom line, where the Magnetom Aera at 1.5T and the Magnetom Skyra at 3T are mainstays of the used market and the newer Magnetom Sola at 1.5T and Magnetom Vida at 3T sit at the current-generation top, with older Symphony and Avanto systems anchoring the entry tier. Philips builds the Ingenia line, including the helium-light Ingenia Ambition at 1.5T and the Ingenia Elition at 3T, above a base of earlier Achieva and Intera systems. Across all three, the model name sets a rough expectation, but the age, the coil set, the software version and the service history decide what a specific unit is actually worth. A late-model premium platform in poor condition can underwrite worse than a well-kept prior-generation workhorse.

Used and Refurbished Price Ranges

MRI has one of the deepest refurbished markets in all of medical equipment, and the internal spread is where the whole financing conversation lives. Refurbished 1.5T systems commonly start near $150,000 for an older platform such as an earlier GE Excite or Siemens Symphony, move through the $150,000 to $300,000 band for mid-range systems, reach $250,000 to $400,000 for advanced units like a GE Optima MR450W or a Philips Ingenia and run $400,000 and up for premium and wide bore configurations such as a Siemens Aera. Refurbished 3T systems generally begin around $400,000 for prior-generation premium units and climb well past $1,000,000 for late-model systems, with certain current wide bore 3T platforms priced close to new. Against those figures a new 1.5T at roughly $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 and a new 3T at $2,000,000 or more show why the refurbished market is so active. The lesson for a buyer is that field strength alone tells you almost nothing about price. A certified-refurbished system from an established remarketer, with a warranty and documented refurbishment, both performs and finances far better than an undocumented gray-market unit of the same model.

Coils and Software Licensing

Two components can quietly make or break the value of a used MRI, and both are easy to overlook on a quote. The first is the coil inventory. Coils are what actually acquire the image for a given anatomy, and a magnet delivered without a full coil set is a far weaker asset, with refurbished coils commonly running $8,000 to $25,000 each and high-channel coils reaching $40,000 to $120,000 new. A system sold with a rich, high-channel coil inventory is worth substantially more than the same magnet stripped of its coils, so the coil list belongs on every quote. The second is the software platform and its version. Imaging systems can be limited by an outdated or non-transferable software license even when the hardware is sound, and advanced sequences or channel unlocks are frequently license-gated, so a current and transferable software version protects both functionality and resale value. Lenders read both factors closely, because a fully coiled, current-software system holds value while a bare magnet on obsolete software does not.

Magnet Condition, Cold Head and Cryogen

A superconducting MRI magnet only works because it is kept at cryogenic temperature by liquid helium, and the cold head is the component that keeps the helium cold and the boil-off low. Because of that, magnet condition on a used system is really a story about cryogen and cold head history. A magnet that has stayed energized and well maintained is a durable, long-lived asset, while one that has been ramped down, has a tired cold head or has suffered a quench can require an expensive re-cooling, a costly helium fill or worse. Lenders and appraisers treat documented cold head status and cryogen history as core to how a magnet is valued, alongside the coil set and the software license, because these are the components that decide whether the system is a serviceable asset or a liability. For a buyer the practical step is simple, which is to gather the service records and the cryogen and cold head history before financing, since a clean, documented magnet underwrites cleanly and an undocumented one raises questions that slow a deal down.

Site Preparation: The Second Budget

The single most underestimated part of an MRI project is the site work, and it is large enough to be a second budget of its own. Installing a superconducting magnet requires RF shielding to keep electromagnetic interference out of the images, a cryogen quench vent to carry helium safely outside if the magnet ever dumps its cryogen, structural reinforcement to carry the weight and the magnetic field, a dedicated chiller and HVAC and heavy electrical service. Taken together, site preparation on an MRI commonly adds $300,000 to $600,000 to the project, and in complex builds involving major construction it has run past $1,000,000, with the RF shielding enclosure alone typically representing a meaningful share of the total. Rigging the magnet into place is its own specialized job, and de-installing and re-siting an existing magnet carries removal and transport costs that also factor into value and recovery. These site costs are largely not recoverable collateral, which is precisely why they need to be surfaced early. A magnet is only an earning asset once the room around it is complete, so the buildout is part of the real cost of the project, not a footnote to it.

Service Contracts and Ongoing Cost

Ongoing service is central to both the economics and the financeability of an MRI. Annual manufacturer service on a magnet can run a significant sum, often in the tens of thousands to well over a hundred thousand dollars a year depending on the platform, and that figure typically covers preventative maintenance, cryogen replenishment, coils and labor. A lapsed or non-transferable service agreement sharply reduces what a system is worth to the next owner, because a serviceable magnet holds value and an unsupported one is difficult to insure, operate and eventually resell. Lenders frequently want evidence of an active or assumable service arrangement before funding a high-value system, so confirming the service status is part of preparing any used MRI purchase. Building the expected service cost into the operating plan from the start also keeps the payment and the running cost aligned, which matters for a modality where the equipment and its upkeep are both substantial.

What Lenders Evaluate on an MRI

Pulling the threads together, a handful of asset factors carry outsized weight on any MRI deal. Field strength and bore set the base value and the buyer pool. Magnet condition, cold head status and cryogen history determine whether the core asset is durable or at risk. The coil inventory is a large share of the system value and needs to be complete and documented. The software platform and version can either preserve or strand the hardware depending on whether the license is current and transferable. Service contract status decides whether the system stays serviceable and resaleable. Finally the site preparation, rigging and eventual de-install cost shape loan-to-value and recovery economics, since so much of an MRI project is soft cost that cannot be repossessed. Certified-refurbished equipment from an established remarketer, with a warranty and documented refurbishment, supports far better terms than an as-is gray-market unit. The more completely the magnet and its support are documented, the smoother the financing runs.

How MRI Deals Are Structured

Because an extremity system and a wide bore 3T with a full buildout sit at opposite ends of the same modality, MRI finance is rarely one-size-fits-all. A compact extremity unit often qualifies for application-only financing on qualifying transactions, where a short application stands in for full statements and an approval can come back quickly. A full-body 1.5T or 3T is usually structured with additional documentation, a term matched to the long useful life of a well-maintained magnet and the site work folded into the same schedule where it is part of the acquisition. Matching the term to how long the asset will actually earn is central, because a durable magnet supports a longer schedule than a fast-moving analyzer that gets replaced as technology advances. Many centers also benefit from a payment that ramps with revenue, since a new modality takes time to build referral volume, so a lighter early payment stepping up as the schedule fills keeps cash flow sensible. For an imaging center or a multi-site group adding systems over time, a master lease line lets each new magnet come on as its own schedule rather than reopening a fresh application each time, which keeps the buildout predictable. The right structure comes from looking at the specific magnet, the site and the practice together.

Wrapping Site Prep Into the Financing

One of the most useful things an MRI buyer can do is treat the project as a whole rather than as a bare magnet purchase. On few modalities does this matter more, because the shielding, the quench vent, the chiller, the structural work, the power, the rigging and the installation can approach or exceed the cost of a lower-end system. Many of these costs can be included in the financing where they are part of putting the magnet into service, so presenting the complete turnkey cost, meaning the system, the coils, the shielding, the cryogen and chiller work, the power and HVAC, the rigging and the installation, lets the financing reflect the real project. That keeps the practice from funding a very large site bill out of pocket and it keeps the payment aligned with the whole investment rather than just the visible equipment line. Structuring the magnet and the buildout together is usually the difference between a project that pencils and one that stalls on the site budget.

Getting Started

Start your application at ileasecapital.com/apply, it takes about three minutes and there is no hard credit pull. The most useful details to have ready are the field strength and bore, the platform and model, whether the system is new, used or refurbished, the age and software version, the full coil inventory, the cold head and cryogen and service history, the vendor or remarketer, the purchase price and any shielding, rigging or site work. An extremity or compact system may qualify for application-only financing, while a full-body 1.5T or 3T is typically structured with additional documentation and can be presented together with its site costs as a single project.

Financing an MRI Through iLease Capital

iLease Capital works with imaging centers, orthopedic and multi-specialty clinics, mobile operators and hospitals acquiring new, used and refurbished MRI systems across every field strength and platform. As a broker with more than 50 lender relationships, iLease can match a specific magnet to a funding partner that understands MRI collateral and financing may be available for transactions up to $5 million plus. Whether you are financing a refurbished 1.5T, a late-model 3T wide bore or an extremity system, and whether or not the project includes a full site buildout, send the configuration, the coil list and the site costs, or call us at (866) 545-3273. For the full range of imaging modalities, see our medical imaging financing guide.

Frequently asked questions