Recycling Old Copper Wire Remnants And How To Make The Best Profit On Them
Copper is highly sought after for wire, plumbing pipes and fittings, and other uses by recyclers and scrap yards. Depending on the market price at the time of the sale, collecting and recycling copper can be lucrative, but some details affect the price when you are copper wire recycling.
Copper Grading
Copper is a non-ferrous metal and a good conductor, so it is often used to make wiring in several different forms. Copper wire recycling can take some work, and you need to know the standards that the recycler will grade the copper by. However, in general, almost any copper product has some value to it.
Copper wire recycling pays more when the wire is properly prepared and graded as clean or grade one copper. Removing the insulation from the wire is essential if you want to get the top grade and the highest price for the wire.
Copper wire with the insulation in place is considered dirty copper or class two. The price drops significantly from class one to class two because when the insulation is still on the wire, the copper wiring recycling business will have to remove it. It takes some time to get the insulation off, but the price difference can make it worth the effort once it is stripped.
Solid Copper Wire
The copper wire used in construction is typically solid wire inside the jacket and is easier to recycle. The wire weighs more in this form and is easier for copper wire recycling centers to handle than stranded wire.
In most cases, the wire will have three pieces of wire inside the casing that are easily removed by cutting the outer casing along its length. Once the casing is cut, pull the wire out and discard the casing. One of the wires inside the casing will already be bare, and you can remove the insulation off the other two to end up with three solid wires that you can recycle.
Price For Copper Wire Recycling
When you collect copper wire scraps to recycle, it is a good idea to regularly monitor the price of copper at the scrap yard. The price can change significantly with the supply that the copper wire recycling yard has on hand. If you take copper to the recycler daily, you won't get the highest price, but storing it until the price is higher is often better.
As you get to know the recycler, you may be able to work with them to get a better price. In addition, as long as you are taking the time to clean the copper wire before you take it in, it is not hard to get a fair price for the copper. Contact a copper wire recycling company for more information.