How to Identify This Grade
Wire with plastic coating. Recovery percentage matters — romex house wiring is typically 60-70% copper by weight.
Common Sources
House wiring (Romex), extension cords, appliance cords, electronics cables
What Lowers the Value
Thin wire (phone, data cable) has a lower copper recovery percentage and pays much less. Water or contamination in the insulation also reduces value.
Common downgrade mistakes:
How This Compares to Other Copper Grades
All grades of Copper — ranked by typical payout. Click any grade to see details.
| Grade | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Insulated Copper Wire current | $3.50/kg – $5.50/kg |
| Bare Bright Copper The highest grade of copper scrap — clean, uncoated, unalloyed copper wire at least 1.5mm diameter with no solder or insulation. | $9.00/kg – $9.60/kg |
| No.1 Copper Clean, uncoated copper pipe and wire with light oxidation allowed. No major paint, coatings, or solder. | $8.20/kg – $8.80/kg |
| No.2 Copper Copper with solder, paint, light coatings, or oxidation. Mixed copper objects that don't meet No.1 standard. | $7.20/kg – $7.80/kg |
Price ranges are estimates. Actual yard payouts depend on grade purity, condition, and quantity.
Check City Prices
Local rates for Copper — click a city to see yard-by-yard breakdown.