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Copper wire scrap calculator
A 1000 ft roll of 12/2 Romex with ground holds about 59.4 lb of copper, 72 percent of its weight, computed from the maker's published weights. Pick your wire, enter feet or pounds and the prices your yard pays, and see the copper inside, what it is worth stripped and what a fair insulated price would be.
Enter the insulated price your yard pays to compare. At this recovery the copper alone is worth $2.17 for every pound of wire. Source of the recovery figure, Southwire NM-B weight, three 12 AWG conductors. The bare price is an example, enter what your yard pays today.
How the copper weight is worked out
Copper weight is exact physics. A wire's cross section in circular mils times the density of copper, 8.89 grams per cubic centimeter, gives 0.00303 lb per 1000 ft for every circular mil. 12 AWG has 6,530 circular mils, so it carries 19.8 lb of copper per 1000 ft. Divide the copper by the total weight of the jacketed wire, from the maker's spec sheet, and you have the recovery.
Stranded conductors weigh a little more than solid ones of the same gauge, because the strands are twisted. Southwire lists 12 AWG THHN at 19 lb of copper per 1000 ft solid and 20 lb stranded.
Copper weight by wire size
| Size | Circular mils | Copper, lb per 1000 ft | Copper, lb per 100 ft | Feet per lb of copper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 AWG | 4,110 | 12.4 | 1.24 | 80.6 |
| 12 AWG | 6,530 | 19.8 | 1.98 | 50.5 |
| 10 AWG | 10,380 | 31.5 | 3.15 | 31.7 |
| 8 AWG | 16,500 | 49.6 | 4.96 | 20.2 |
| 6 AWG | 26,300 | 79.4 | 7.94 | 12.6 |
| 4 AWG | 41,700 | 126 | 12.6 | 7.94 |
| 3 AWG | 52,600 | 159 | 15.9 | 6.29 |
| 2 AWG | 66,400 | 200 | 20.0 | 5.00 |
| 1 AWG | 83,700 | 256 | 25.6 | 3.91 |
| 1/0 AWG | 106,000 | 318 | 31.8 | 3.14 |
| 2/0 AWG | 133,000 | 403 | 40.3 | 2.48 |
| 3/0 AWG | 168,000 | 509 | 50.9 | 1.96 |
| 4/0 AWG | 212,000 | 640 | 64.0 | 1.56 |
| 250 kcmil | 250,000 | 757 | 75.7 | 1.32 |
| 300 kcmil | 300,000 | 908 | 90.8 | 1.10 |
| 350 kcmil | 350,000 | 1,059 | 105.9 | 0.94 |
| 400 kcmil | 400,000 | 1,211 | 121.1 | 0.83 |
| 500 kcmil | 500,000 | 1,514 | 151.4 | 0.66 |
| 600 kcmil | 600,000 | 1,816 | 181.6 | 0.55 |
| 750 kcmil | 750,000 | 2,270 | 227.0 | 0.44 |
| 1000 kcmil | 1,000,000 | 3,027 | 302.7 | 0.33 |
Free to cite with a link to this page. AWG sizes from the Ness Engineering bare copper table, kcmil sizes computed at 8.89 g per cubic cm. Solid conductor, multiply by the number of conductors in a cable.
Recovery of common building wire
The share of copper by weight, from the copper and total weights each maker publishes. The fair insulated price is the share of the bare copper price that the copper inside is worth, so at a bare price of $3.00 a pound, 12/2 Romex is worth $2.17 a pound before the yard takes its margin.
| Wire | Copper, lb per 1000 ft | Total, lb per 1000 ft | Copper share |
|---|---|---|---|
| THHN 14 AWG solid | 12.0 | 16 | 75 percent |
| THHN 14 AWG stranded | 12.0 | 18 | 67 percent |
| THHN 12 AWG solid | 19.0 | 23 | 83 percent |
| THHN 12 AWG stranded | 20.0 | 25 | 80 percent |
| THHN 10 AWG solid | 30.0 | 36 | 83 percent |
| THHN 10 AWG stranded | 32.0 | 39 | 82 percent |
| Romex NM-B 14/2 with ground | 37.2 | 57 | 65 percent |
| Romex NM-B 12/2 with ground | 59.4 | 82 | 72 percent |
| Romex NM-B 10/2 with ground | 94.5 | 124 | 76 percent |
Free to cite with a link to this page. THHN weights from Southwire SPEC 10003. NM-B totals are Southwire's SIMpull NM-B weights, and the copper assumes two insulated conductors and a bare ground of the same gauge.
How yards grade insulated wire
A yard does not weigh the copper in your load, it grades the load by type and pays a price for that grade. The figures below are what named yards publish. They sit below the computed figures above. The gap covers the yard's margin and the cost of removing the plastic, and it is why stripping a large lot can pay.
| Grade | Recovery used | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| Insulated copper wire #1, 90 percent grade | 90 percent | Sahd Metal Recycling grade |
| Insulated copper wire #1, 85 percent grade | 85 percent | Sahd Metal Recycling grade |
| Heavy insulated cable, pinky size or bigger, about 80 percent | 80 percent | Rockaway Recycling |
| THHN as yards grade it, 70 to 77 percent | 74 percent | Rockaway Recycling |
| Romex as yards grade it, 62 to 66 percent | 64 percent | Rockaway Recycling |
| Appliance and extension cords, 40 to 48 percent | 44 percent | Rockaway Recycling |
| Computer and power supply wire, 30 to 37 percent | 34 percent | Rockaway Recycling |
| Romex #1 grade | 65 percent | Sahd Metal Recycling |
| Tin plated double wrapped wire, #2 | 75 percent | Sahd Metal Recycling |
| Wire from AC units, tin plated, double insulated, #2 | 55 percent | Sahd Metal Recycling |
Ranges are shown at their midpoint in the calculator. Ask your yard which grade it will call your wire before you sort it.
Stripped or insulated, the break even
Stripping turns insulated wire into bare copper, which yards buy at the top copper price. The extra you earn on each pound of wire is the recovery times the bare price, less the insulated price. If your yard pays $3.00 for bare copper, every pound of 12/2 Romex holds $2.17 of copper. Whatever the yard offers below that for the insulated wire is what stripping can earn you, before any copper lost on the way.
Then divide the hourly rate you want by that extra per pound. That is how many pounds of wire you must strip each hour to make it worth the time. iScrap's rule of thumb is that stripping is worth it if it adds about $15 to $20 an hour. Thick wire strips fast and pays, thin cords and electronics wire rarely do.
The ISRI grade names
Yards and brokers trade copper under code names from the ISRI Scrap Specifications Circular, now published by ReMA. The ones for wire are below.
| Code | Grade |
|---|---|
| Barley | No. 1 copper wire |
| Berry | No. 1 copper wire, clean, untinned, uncoated and unalloyed, not smaller than No. 16 gauge, free of burnt brittle wire |
| Birch | No. 2 copper wire |
| Candy | No. 1 heavy copper solids and tubing |
| Druid | Insulated copper wire scrap |
| Zeyda | Shredded insulated copper wire |
| Twang | Insulated aluminum wire scrap |
ISRI defines insulated copper wire scrap as No. 1 bare, uncoated, unalloyed copper wire, not smaller than No. 16 gauge unless agreed otherwise, with various types of insulation, sold on a sample or recovery basis. That last part is why two yards can pay different prices for the same load.
What lowers the grade
- Tin plating, silver colored copper, which moves the wire from #1 to #2
- Burnt or brittle wire, which the No. 1 wire definition excludes
- Plugs, ends, connectors and attachments left on
- Thin wire, cords and electronics wire with a lot of plastic for the copper
- Mixed loads, since sorting bare bright from #2 matters to the price
Copper in transformers and heavy cable
The same arithmetic applies to the windings of a decommissioned transformer, but there the copper is a small share of the total weight. The transformer scrap value calculator works that out, and the transformer copper content guide explains why. If a used transformer still works it is usually worth far more than its metal, see sell us your transformer. Small transformers from appliances and control panels are covered in the small transformer scrap value guide. For sizing new wire rather than scrapping old, use the wire size by amps chart and the wire ampacity chart.
Common questions
How much copper is in Romex
Computed from Southwire's published weight, 12/2 NM-B with ground weighs 82 lb per 1000 ft and carries three 12 AWG conductors, 59.4 lb of copper, so it is 72 percent copper by weight. 14/2 works out at 65 percent and 10/2 at 76 percent. Yards usually grade Romex lower, at 62 to 66 percent, and pay on their grade, not on this figure.
What is the copper recovery of THHN wire
From Southwire's weights, 12 AWG stranded THHN is 80 percent copper and 14 AWG stranded is 67 percent. The thicker the conductor, the higher the share, because the insulation thickness hardly changes with size. One yard grades THHN at 70 to 77 percent, another calls coded THHN 80 percent plus.
How much does copper wire weigh per foot
Bare 12 AWG weighs 19.8 lb per 1000 ft, so about 0.02 lb a foot. 10 AWG is 31.5 lb per 1000 ft, 4/0 is 640 lb per 1000 ft, and 500 kcmil works out at about 1,514 lb per 1000 ft.
Is it worth stripping copper wire
Only when the insulated price is well below the value of the copper inside and you can strip fast. The calculator gives the extra you earn for each pound of wire stripped and how many pounds an hour you must strip to beat the hourly rate you set. iScrap suggests stripping is worth it if it adds about $15 to $20 an hour. Thin, low recovery wire is rarely worth stripping.
Why do scrap yards pay less for insulated wire
Because they are buying the copper and the plastic has to be removed and disposed of, by machine, before the copper can be sold. The ISRI definition says insulated copper wire is sold on a sample or recovery basis, which means the yard pays for the copper it expects to recover, less its margin and processing cost.
What grade is tinned copper wire
Tin plated wire, silver colored inside, is graded as #2 copper rather than #1, which pays less. Sahd Metal Recycling lists tinned insulated wire grades at 75, 65 and 55 percent recovery.
How do I find the recovery of my own wire
Weigh a sample, strip every bit of insulation off it, weigh the copper and divide the copper weight by the first weight. Rockaway Recycling gives the example of 5 ounces of copper from a 10 ounce piece, which is 50 percent recovery.
Sources
- Ness Engineering, Bare copper wire data
- Southwire, SPEC 10003 THHN or THWN copper, weights and measurements
- Southwire, SPEC 10028 Romex SIMpull NM-B cable
- Sahd Metal Recycling, The ultimate guide to recycling wire
- Rockaway Recycling, Various types of scrap copper wire we buy
- Recycling Today, Nonferrous scrap terminology, from the ISRI circular
- ReMA, Proposed specification changes for nonferrous scrap metal
- iScrap App, Types of copper wire for scrap and when to strip
Prices in the calculator are inputs, and the bare price shown is an example, not a market quote. Clearing a site with transformers or switchgear on it, ask us for an offer.