How much is copper wire worth, stripped or not?
Insulated wire is paid on the copper inside. Weigh it or measure it, enter your yard's bare bright and insulated prices, and see whether stripping pays, per load and per hour.
Copper wire calculator
Work out how much copper is in your wire and whether stripping it pays at your yard's prices, per load and per hour.
Estimates. Copper shares vary by brand and age of the wire; your yard grades what you bring.
The short answer
Wire is worth what's inside it. Copper pounds = wire pounds × copper share. At the market price that copper is worth copper pounds × market price. That's the ceiling. A yard pays you less: its bare bright price if you strip it yourself, or its insulated-wire price if you don't.
How much copper is in common wire
| Wire | Copper by weight |
|---|---|
| THHN / THWN single-conductor building wire | about 75–85% |
| Romex-style NM-B house cable (2 or 3 wires + ground) | about 60–70% |
| Extension and appliance cords | about 35–50% |
Shares come from standard copper weights per gauge against typical cable weights. Coax often has a copper-plated steel center and very little copper; network and phone cable vary a lot. For anything not listed, measure.
Copper weight by wire gauge
If you know the gauge and length, you can skip the scale. These are the weights of one solid copper wire of each size, worked out from the gauge's diameter and copper's density. Stranded wire weighs about 2–3% more.
| Gauge | Per 1,000 ft | Per 100 ft |
|---|---|---|
| 14 AWG | 12.4 lb | 1.24 lb |
| 12 AWG | 19.8 lb | 1.98 lb |
| 10 AWG | 31.4 lb | 3.14 lb |
| 8 AWG | 50.0 lb | 5.00 lb |
| 6 AWG | 79.5 lb | 7.95 lb |
| 4 AWG | 126.4 lb | 12.64 lb |
| 2 AWG | 200.9 lb | 20.09 lb |
For a cable, multiply by the number of copper wires in it, ground included. A 12/2 cable with ground has three 12-gauge copper wires.
The 1-foot test
- Cut exactly one foot from a typical piece of your wire.
- Weigh it, in grams if you can.
- Strip it and weigh only the copper.
- Copper weight ÷ total weight = your copper share. Pick "Other: I measured it" in the calculator and enter it.
Your yard's real prices, on your iPhone
Log each batch of wire in Scrap Metal Intel, save your yard's insulated and bare bright prices, and see the payout before you drive.
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Questions people ask
How much is copper wire worth not stripped?
Unstripped wire is paid by the pound at your yard's insulated-wire price, which depends on how much copper is inside. Its ceiling is wire weight × copper share × copper price. For example, 100 lb of building wire that is 80% copper holds about 80 lb of copper, and a yard pays well under the market value of those 80 lb because it still has to strip and process it. Ask your yard for its insulated-wire price for your type of wire and use the calculator above.
Is it worth stripping copper wire?
Work it out per hour. Stripped value is copper pounds × your yard's bare bright price; unstripped value is wire pounds × its insulated price. The difference, divided by the hours stripping takes, is what you earn per hour. Thick single wire often pays; thin cords and Christmas lights usually don't. The calculator does this sum when you enter your yard's two prices and your time.
How do I find out how much copper is in my wire?
Do the 1-foot test: cut a 1-foot piece, weigh it, strip it, and weigh the copper. Copper weight ÷ wire weight is your copper share. Use a kitchen or postal scale that reads in grams for accuracy.
Can I burn the insulation off?
No. Burning wire is illegal in many places, the smoke is toxic, and yards pay less for burnt wire because the copper is oxidized. Use a hand or bench stripper.