Copper Price Per Pound: Current Rate & Scrap Value Guide

If you’ve ever looked at a pile of old wiring, copper pipes, or appliance motors and wondered whether they’re worth pulling out of the trash, you’re not alone. Copper scrap prices vary widely by quality, with bare bright copper fetching over $5.00 per pound while thin insulated wire brings in less than $3.00, according to recent yard rates.

Bare bright copper (scrap): $5.00/lb ·
#1 Copper: $4.00/lb ·
#2 Copper: $3.90/lb ·
Insulated wire (14 AWG): $2.70/lb

How much is 1 lb of copper worth?

Current scrap copper price per pound

• Bare bright copper: $5.00 – $5.05 per pound (Reliable Recycling Center, Rockaway Recycling)
• #1 copper (clean tube/bus bar): $4.75 – $4.90 per pound (Rockaway Recycling, Reliable Recycling Center)
• #2 copper (painted, soldered, burnt): $4.80 per pound (Reliable Recycling Center)
• Insulated wire (14 AWG THHN): $2.70 – $3.10 per pound (Scrap Stop)
• Insulated wire (4 AWG and larger): $3.10 – $3.30 per pound (Scrap Stop)

One clear pattern: the cleaner the copper, the higher the payout. Scrap yards pay a premium for bare bright because it requires almost no processing beyond weighing.Okon Recycling (scrap processor) emphasizes that bare bright copper has a “premium price” because it is high grade and requires minimal processing.

How to read live copper prices

• Spot copper (CME futures) is the benchmark, but scrap yards set their own buy prices based on local supply, volume, and quality.
• Greener Recycling in Los Angeles posts rates that vary by quality, quantity, and commodity market volatility (Greener Recycling / ForScrap)
• Check multiple local yards: price differences of $0.20–$0.50 per pound are common.

The spread between clean and dirty copper is the key factor for sellers.

What does “dirty copper” mean?

Types of dirty copper: insulated, painted, soldered

• Insulated copper – wire covered in plastic or rubber coating. The insulation reduces copper content and requires processing.
• Painted copper – tubing or sheets with paint on the surface. Rejected from #1 grade.
• Soldered copper – joints with lead or tin solder. Also downgraded to #2.
• Rockaway Recycling defines #1 Bare Bright Wire as “stripped bare bright copper with no paint and heavy corrosion” (Rockaway Recycling). Anything less falls into #2 or light copper.

Why dirty copper is less valuable

Dirty copper contains non-copper materials that the recycler must remove. Reliable Recycling Center lists #2 tubing (painted, soldered, or burnt) at just $4.80 per pound, compared to $5.00 for clean bare bright (Reliable Recycling Center). That 4% discount may seem small, but on 100 pounds it’s $20 less. The gap widens for heavily insulated wire, where copper content drops below 50%.

How to clean copper to get a better price

• Strip thick wire (10 AWG and above) with a manual or powered stripper.
• Remove paint and solder mechanically or chemically – but check if the cost of cleaning outweighs the price bump.
• Sort by grade before visiting the yard.

Understanding the grading system is the first step to maximizing profit.

Is stripping wire for copper worth it?

Time and effort to strip wire

• Stripping 100 feet of 14 AWG THHN yields roughly 0.8 pounds of copper but takes 10–15 minutes by hand.
• Thick wire (6 AWG or larger) yields far more copper per minute of stripping.

Calculating profit: stripped vs unstripped price

Using Scrap Stop rates: insulated 14 AWG THHN pays $2.70/lb. Stripped bare bright pays $4.00/lb. On a 10-pound lot of insulated wire (containing ~5 pounds of copper), you’d earn $27.00 unstripped. Stripped, you’d earn $20.00 for the copper alone – but lose the insulation weight. Gross difference: roughly $7.00 less for stripping if you factor in weight loss. However, many yards charge a “dirty copper” handling fee, narrowing the gap. The catch: stripping thick wire (4 AWG and larger) is clearly profitable because the insulation is a smaller percentage of total weight.

Scrap Stop lists 4 AWG THHN at $3.10/lb unstripped, while bare bright is $4.00/lb. At 80% copper content, stripping nets $3.20/lb after weight loss – a small gain. For thicker wire, the math improves.

Tools and tips for stripping

• Manual stripper (e.g., Klein Tools) for short runs.
• Powered wire strippers for large volumes.
• Always check with your local yard: some accept insulated wire at a fair rate and don’t penalize heavily.

The decision to strip depends on wire gauge and your local yard’s rates.

Is copper worth more, clean or dirty?

Price comparison: clean vs dirty copper

Three grades, one pattern: clean copper commands a 5–15% premium over dirty copper, depending on the yard.

Grades of clean copper: #1 and #2

• #1 copper – clean, uncoated, unalloyed copper with no attachments. Includes bare bright wire, clean tubing, bus bar.
• #1 tubing – clean tube, no solder, no paint.
• #2 copper – copper with paint, solder, or light corrosion. Also includes burnt copper wire.

The pattern across yards: bare bright always tops the list, followed by #1, then #2, and finally insulated wire. The spread between bare bright and #2 is typically $0.10–$0.25 per pound.

For sellers with mixed scrap, sorting pays off.

Will copper hit $15,000?

Analyst forecasts

Goldman Sachs maintains a year-end copper price forecast, while Traxys sees a range of possibilities (industry commentary cited by Okon Recycling).

Factors driving copper prices

• Electric vehicle production demands huge quantities of copper wiring.
• Renewable energy infrastructure (wind, solar, grid upgrades) is a major demand driver.
• Supply constraints from mines and recycling bottlenecks push prices up.
• China’s economic policy remains a wild card.

Historical price context

From 2020 to 2021, copper recovered from $2.60 to $4.50 per pound. By May 2026, prices reached $6.42 per pound on the spot market (up 37.72% year-to-date). Scrap prices have trailed but risen sharply as well. Whether $15,000 per ton ($6.80/lb) is imminent remains uncertain – Goldman’s forecast suggests it could happen within a year if demand holds, but risks from global economic slowdown loom.

Market timing is tricky, but the long-term demand trend favors sellers.

Timeline: Copper price milestones

• 2020–2021: Post-pandemic recovery drives copper from $2.60 to $4.50 per pound. (Okon Recycling)
• 2022–2023: China lockdowns and recession fears cause volatility between $3.30 and $4.20. (Okon Recycling)
• 2024–2025: Green energy demand and supply constraints push prices above $5.00. (Reliable Recycling Center)
• May 2026: Spot copper reaches $6.42/lb, scrap bare bright hits $5.00. (Reliable Recycling Center)

History suggests that when both demand and supply constraints align, prices can move sharply.

What’s certain, what’s not

Confirmed facts

• Current scrap copper prices by grade are well documented by dozens of yards across the US.
• Clean copper consistently brings a premium over dirty/insulated copper.
• Stripping thick wire (10 AWG and larger) is usually worth the effort; thin wire is often not.

What’s unclear

• Exact future copper spot price trajectory – analysts disagree on magnitude and timing.
• China’s economic policy impact on demand.
• Whether scrap prices will fully track spot copper to $15,000 per ton.

“Goldman Sachs maintains its year-end copper price forecast, but risks remain.” – Goldman Sachs commodities team

Goldman Sachs commodities team

“Copper scrap prices have risen significantly in 2026, with bare bright copper now above $5.00 per pound.” – Reliable Recycling Center

Reliable Recycling Center

For the individual seller, the choice is clear: sort your scrap, strip thick wire, and check multiple yard rates before selling. With copper demand from green energy and EVs likely to stay strong, today’s prices – though high – could look like a bargain next year. But timing the market is risky: prices can drop just as fast if the economy slows. If you’re also looking to sell a scrap vehicle, check our guide on Cash for Cars Tauranga for similar tips.

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Frequently asked questions