Primary conductor metal — wiring, tube, busbar and motor windings.
Bare bright
#1 Copper
#2 Copper
Insulated wire
Indicative value
$9.40
per kg
How to identify
- Distinct salmon-pink to reddish colour when freshly cut; darkens to brown then green patina.
- Non-magnetic and noticeably heavy for its size.
- Bare bright is uncoated, unalloyed wire thicker than 1.6 mm with no tarnish, solder or paint.
- #2 shows solder, paint, heavy oxidation or fittings still attached.
Common uses
- Building wire and cable
- Plumbing tube
- Motor windings and busbar
- Roofing and flashing
Recycling information
- Highest-value common non-ferrous metal — always separate it from mixed loads.
- Strip insulation where practical; insulated copper wire is paid on recoverable copper content.
- Never burn insulation; burnt wire is downgraded and is illegal in most jurisdictions.
Market values are indicative and must be professionally verified before trading.