How to Sell Scrap Copper Wire

Type of copper wire to sellHow to sell scrap copper wire? It could be said that Copper is a scrapping mans gold. While effectively much cheaper than gold, copper is most certainly in more abundance.

When it comes to scrapping metal, there is very little that is more profitable than to sell scrap copper.

Considering the recent boom in the scrap metal industry, it’s important to know how to sell scrap copper wire and how to get into contact with copper scrap dealers.

Although copper pipe and copper wire are made of the same material, wire scrapping is a little more detailed because the wire is often covered with insulation.

Now that you have made the decision to learn how to sell scrap copper wire, there are a few fundamentals that you should remember or write down.

What condition your copper is in plays a large role in just how much you can expect to be paid upon sale.

Clean copper wire that has been stripped of all impurities will bring the highest value along with certain copper pipes which are broken down into a diverse grading system based on the pipes thickness and reusable qualities.





A large number of people will simply burn the rubber insulation off of their copper wire because of the difficulty involved in removing it by hand. Don’t do this!

Burning rubber is bad for the environment and in some places illegal.

Not to mention, burning off the rubber insulation will place your wire in the lowest value category, meaning less profit for your time and effort.

Now that you have your scrap copper, it’s time to weed out the copper scrap dealers.

There are a variety of people who are willing to pay to take your scrap copper off your hands.





Scrap yards are the primary funders of most scrap metal entrepreneurs offering up reasonable prices based on the day to day market.

Call around and check on prices before loading up and heading to the yard.

Recycling centers are also good vendors to sell to as they also pay well with the intent to reuse any metal sold to them.

payout for scrap copper
To sell scrap copper to copper scrap dealers is a rewarding experience in recycling that also happens to be very profitable.

The best thing that you can do to make more money selling scrap is to do your research.

Always know what current prices are before you sell because some days are better than others are to sell your copper wire.

It is not required but scrap buyers do appreciate it when scrappers bring their metals in bundled.

There is always a line, I am sure that you know but bundling helps move the line quickly along. The Kato operator will appreciate your extra effort as well.

As always, keep it safe, legal and if it isn’t free don’t take it. Always check with your city or state to see if you may have any metals on your truck that require a license to scrap. Scrap yards often have this information available as well.