Copper is one of the most common metals that we make use of. It is a fantastic conductor, which means that it can hold heat and electricity well so it is often used in construction and industrial machinery. For this reason, you can frequently find copper available for scrap and recycling. However, not all scrap is made equal, and you need to make sure that you understand not just the types of copper scrap, but the grade of copper in them too.
About Copper
Copper is one of the Earth’s naturally occurring elements – coming in at 29 on the periodic table, and is a soft and malleable metal that has a number of useful characteristics. It has been used by humanity for thousands of years and was the first metal to be alloyed with another.
In particular, it is very good at conducting heat and electricity. This makes it the ideal choice for building materials and is often used for wire. It has also been used for jewelry, thermocouples and more. It is a very versatile material, and it means that it is used in multiple places.
However, you can’t just take any copper to a scrap buyer and expect the same price for everything. There are many different types of copper scrap, and within that, there are also several grades of copper. These all need to be considered to determine a fair price for the scrap. Let’s take a look at the grades of copper scrap that you can find, and the types of scrap we usually see made from them.
#1 Copper
This is one of the most profitable types of copper that you can find among scrap. It should be clean in appearance and free from coatings or alloys. This type of copper is usually found in bus bars, wires, and commutator segments. For wire, it should measure at least 1/16th of an inch in diameter.
Another common option that you will find for #1 copper is copper piping. If you are able to recover a lot of this from copper pipes, especially if they have been used extensively within a property. If you do decide to strip a property of copper piping, it would be worth seeing if this can be graded as #1 copper. To count, it would have to be free from all fittings and insulation, and it could not have any paint or solder too. Though it might have traces of oxidation, thus making it not completely pure, it will still be in fantastic condition.
You could also find some good quality #1 copper in copper wiring. Many older properties might still have copper wiring in place, and this could be an excellent example of #1 copper if it is free from insulation and impurities.
#2 Copper
Of course, not every type of copper is going to perfectly clean and free from impurities. If you have found copper wires or pipes that are in good condition but are contaminated in some way, it will be considered to be #2 copper. You can also occasionally find copper bars or other bits of metal that might fit into this bracket. However, to be able to qualify as #2 copper, the material in question has to be between 94-96% pure copper.
#2 copper will be slightly dirty in some way. It will need to be unalloyed, but it will typically have some type of solder, coating, or paint – or possibly some other type of tarnish that will prevent it from being classed as #1 copper.
Scrap wire can only be accepted as #2 copper if it is less than 1/16th of an inch in diameter. You might also be able to trade in the ends and fittings. Not every scrap dealer will accept them, but if they are in particularly good condition then you might be able to get a good deal if they are not overly damaged.
Bare Bright Copper
The best quality of copper – and the one that scrap dealers will always be interested in purchasing – will be bare bright copper. It is the most valuable by far. It only applies to bare, unalloyed and uncoated wire or cable that is at least 1/16th of an inch in diameter, similar to #1 copper. Copper piping cannot be counted as bare bright copper.
It cannot have any insulation or materials attached to it and it must be completely free from paint and other impurities. If there are any signs of tarnishing, including patina and other visible oxidation, then there is a strong chance that this is not going to be counted as bare bright copper.
This is so valuable as it is easiest to recycle. Bare bright copper is as pure as possible, and this makes it very easy to turn into another material. Though #1 and #2 coppers are both able to be recycled, they are not as pure as bare bright copper, and so it will take more processing to turn them into new material. Scrap dealers will pay more for this type of copper as it is the best by far.
#1 Insulated Wire
Bare bright and #1 and #2 are the best types of copper, but you can also find some use for some types of wire that have been insulated. Some dealers will accept this type of wiring, as well as #2, though it is a little more difficult to recycle compared to purer copper.
The copper wire and cable here should be clean, plus unalloyed and uncoated. The insulation should always be made of plastic, while the wire or cable should be 1/16th of an inch or wider. The ends should also be cut off.
You can hand over the wire with the insulation intact for this grade of copper scrap. Should you decide to strip the insolation, you might get something closer to bare bright copper. However, you may wish to refrain from doing so as there is no guarantee that the copper inside will reach this high standard. It will always be a better idea for you to consider turning over the wire with its insulation still intact.
#2 Insulated Wire
#2 insulated wire is also unalloyed wire and is typically less than 1/16th of an inch in diameter. It will also have double, heavy, or plastic insulation so it might be more difficult for you to get to the actual copper wiring instead. This type of wiring will typically come with electronics such as extension cords. If you are going to be disposing of a lot of electronics, it might be worth checking out the wiring or cords to see if they could count as #2 insulated wire.
When the wire is stripped, it should be closer to #2 copper in appearance. This does mean that there might be some impurities in the metal. It is not uncommon to see tin and nickel corrupting the scrap here and it might also have some sort of corrosion. However, this is most likely to still be in a good condition, and you should be able to find a scrap dealer who will agree that it meets the right classification.
Why Recycle Copper Scrap?
It might seem slightly odd to recycle copper scrap, but it is actually a really good metal for the processes. Some metals will lose some of their properties during the recycling process so the reusable material you get out the other side might not be as pure as the original. This is not the case with copper. It is very easy to keep using the same material over and over. There is actually a really good chance that the copper you will be taking, or have taken, to a scrap metal specialist will already have been recycled at least once.
We have mined so little of the Earth’s copper, even though it has been used in so many items already, and it means that we have managed to put in place an effective system for recycling this metal. Though it might have some corrosion or impurities, there is a good chance that we will be able to get a lot of use out of the copper that is already in circulation.
Though you might not have bare bright copper, you should still take it to a metal specialist to see what price you might be able to get for it. If you have some pretty good copper on your hands then you should be able to get a good price for it.
Of course, you need to make sure that you are headed to a specialist who is able to identify your copper accurately. This is where we at Langley Recycling come in. We are able to quickly and accurately weigh your scrap materials and then will pay you based on the current price of copper. Remember, we also handle other metals too beyond copper. If you want to recycle your scrap metal, get in touch with us about it today. We will make sure your metals are recycled as safely and as responsibly as possible.
