What is scrap copper?
Among the most valuable recycled materials is copper scrap. They can be obtained from fans that are not for further use, electrical wires, radio tapes, laptops, computers, and other forms of waste too. The interesting thing is that 80 percent of copper is now recycled because copper extraction is costly and requires an industrialized process. Copper scrap can be divided into two categories: copper metal and copper cable. Let us know ‘Prices For Scrap Copper’.
The most common kinds of scrap copper that can be found are:
- Bright, dry copper
- Bright copper greasy
- Burnt Copper Wire No. 1
- Burnt Copper Wire No. 2
- Heavy Copper
- Copper Tube
- Braziery Co Copper Turnings, Radiators, Rads
- Electric Motors
Some of the different scrap copper cables can be:
- Low-Grade Armoured Cable
- Household cables
- Single-core
- Vulcanized India Rubber
- The household cable is used for various purposes.
- Clean MICC cable.
- MICC
Scrap copper pricing depends on several factors:
They are first and most dependent on the grade of copper. The copper that is bare and bright has the highest value. This is copper that has not been coated or alloyed in any way. The copper is 99% pure. The copper appears to be oxidised. Copper is obtained from industrial manufacturing processes.
The other type of copper is known as #1 copper, which is similar to bare copper but contains traces of oxidation which includes bus bars, copper tubes, paint, and soldering appliances. There is no sign of soldering.
The scrap copper, which is dull in appearance, comes under this category, # 2 copper. The copper content of this grade is around 94-96%. This category includes unalloyed wire with a solder or paint coating. “Light copper” is another name for it.
Copper is also available in insulated wires like # 1 and # 2.
The current market price of scrap copper :
As they are based on their qualities the current prices might differ in market scenarios. Below are the prices of different scrap copper :
1. Shredded scrap-650$ per ton
2. Copper NO.1-4.2$ per pound
3. Copper No.2-3.7$ per pound
3. copper sheet scrap-3.4$ per pound
4. brass-As it is an alloy of copper and zinc has a price-2.3$ per pound
Do scrap copper prices vary by region and industry?
Selling scraps in different countries or regions is quite different, so it mostly depends on it. As we have researched and seen, the buying and selling of scrap metal in Colorado are much more relaxed than in other states. The government is providing a relaxation here on selling metal-related scraps.
Copper is used in every industry that requires metal materials. As the demand for metals increases, the prices of copper and scrap copper will also increase. As there is such high demand, it is always a precious metal for scrap yards. But any scrap yard owner will also want to buy the copper at a cheap rate from us as well. So, getting a good price for copper is not an easy job.
Copper’s price per pound can vary greatly depending on its many characteristics. The metal grade, the type of copper, and several other critical factors such as
The most exciting thing about copper prices is that they vary depending on which appliances they are used.
- It is common for copper wires contained within electric motors to have a copper content of between 20 and 30% per pound.
- The wires used within transformers are priced between 25 and 50 cents per pound.
- Aluminum-based copper radiators are pretty expensive and cost around 1.70 per pound.
- Mixed copper brass costs about $2.80 per pound.
All of the copper prices are based on market demand. Which kind of copper is used in which industry?
Like copper, brass is expensive as it is used in cars and radiators many times.
We can do the following to get the best scrap copper prices:
- Sort out the type of copper that you have. This can be the best way to get the actual price of your copper. Let’s assume we have 100 pounds of scrap copper, which contains 10 pounds of low-grade copper and 90 pounds of high-grade copper. We will get paid for low-grade copper for the entire 100 pounds.
- If you want to buy huge amounts of copper scrap from contractors with whom you will deal in the future, this will help you to get accurate prices. Protect you from fraudulent activity.
- The most common professionals that want recycled copper are plumbing contractors, electrical contractors, and manufacturing-based contractors.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, we can note that copper prices can depend on a lot of factors and how they are affected. The current price of copper is around 4.26 per pound, which is in the USA. It can be different in different parts of the world. Here we are not considering all the types of copper prices but averaging out the copper prices. Sometimes, negotiating with the dealers can be a good option to sell or buy your copper at good rates. Getting excellent prices without hassle or headache is possible when you recycle all your copper. The technicians at scrap yards sometimes offer you a higher price for higher quality scrap, or may simply push your scrap through the machine without grading it. Knowing what grade your copper falls into will allow you to negotiate better prices.
