What is copper?
Element 29, the metal of electrification: conductivity, ductility, history from the Copper Age to the data center, and why nothing replaces it where electricity flows.
Related: fiber vs. copper networking.
IRONCREST COPPER RESOURCE CENTER
The Copper Resource Center.
Everything worth knowing about copper — what it is, how scrap grades work, who uses it and why, where the metal comes from, what moves prices, and how to identify, sort, and sell your copper. Built for electricians, plumbers, contractors, demolition crews, manufacturers, and anyone sitting on copper.
START HERE
What this resource center is
Copper is the most recycled, most argued-over, and most widely handled metal in the scrap world — and most of what is written about it is either a yard's price sheet or a commodities desk note. This resource center is neither. It is a working reference for the people who actually handle the metal: electricians pulling wire, plumbers cutting out old pipe, demolition crews stripping buildings, contractors managing renovation offcuts, manufacturers with production scrap, and homeowners who inherited a garage full of the stuff. The articles explain what copper is and why the world cannot do without it, how the scrap grades work and what separates bare bright from #2, who consumes copper and where the demand growth is coming from, how the metal travels from mine to smelter to cathode, what moves prices on the COMEX and LME exchanges, and how to identify, sort, and sell scrap the way experienced sellers do. The interactive tools let you profile a lot or narrow down a grade family yourself. Every page ends the same way: with an invitation to send photos for today's price, because published numbers go stale and your lot deserves a quote against the current market.
LEARN
Understand the metal
Copper grades, explained
Bare bright, #1, #2, light copper, #1 and #2 insulated wire, plus brass and bronze: what defines each grade and what moves a load up or down the ladder.
Who uses copper
Construction, the grid, EVs, data centers, plumbing and HVAC, electronics — where copper goes and which sectors are driving demand growth.
THE MARKET
Follow the metal
Copper scrap value starts thousands of miles upstream, in mines and smelters. These articles trace the supply chain and explain — in plain words, no price sheets — why copper is worth what it is.
Related: copper's record prices in 2026.
The copper supply chain
Where copper is mined, who refines it, how concentrate becomes 99.99% cathode, and what the COMEX and LME benchmarks actually measure.
Why copper prices move
Electrification demand, mine disruptions, declining ore grades, tariffs, inventories, currency, and speculation — the forces behind the value in your wire pile.
Copper market trends
What has happened in 2025 and 2026: record prices, the tariff shock, the record US import wave, inventory extremes, and what to watch next.
IN YOUR HANDS
Identify, sort, and sell
Field guides for the workbench: telling copper from brass and bronze, sorting a mixed load for maximum value, and the selling process with Ironcrest step by step.
Related: who buys copper wire near me, burnt copper wire.
How to identify copper
The full test sequence: color, the magnet test, weight and heft, sound, the file test, and XRF — plus the look-alikes that fool people.
Sorting copper scrap
How to sort a mixed load the way buyers think: grade classes, why mixed loads price at the lowest grade, and the contamination that costs you.
How to sell copper scrap
The selling process with Ironcrest: what photos to take, what details to include, how the review works, and how offers and logistics are handled.
How much copper is in a commercial demolition?
Building-type estimates, where the copper hides, what to pull first, and the strip-or-sell math for demo wire.
Where to find copper scrap
Copper hides in motors, transformers, appliances, and wire most people walk past — plus the simple formula that tells you whether to strip it or sell it as-is.
Pre-demolition scrap walkthrough checklist
What to photograph, what to separate, who owns the scrap, and how to set up containers before the first wall comes down.
Metals you should be saving
The community-ranked save list — copper, brass, aluminum, stainless, and more — plus how scrap yards pay and the sorting rules that protect your payout.
WIRE TYPE GUIDES
Know your wire, get the right price
Twelve buyer-written guides to the wire types sellers actually hold: how to identify each one, what it typically grades as, and whether to strip it or sell it insulated. Start with what type of copper wire do I have, or jump straight to your wire.
Related: sell industrial cable, sell insulated copper wire, tinned copper wire.
What Type of Copper Wire
Holding copper wire and not sure what it is? A scrap buyer’s walkthrough: read the jacket, run three quick tests, and match your wire to its type.
Wire Markings & AWG
THHN, NM-B, 12 AWG, 600V — what the printing on your wire jacket means, and how American Wire Gauge sizes work.
Building Wire Guide
The four building wires electricians scrap most: THHN, NM-B Romex, UF, and service entrance cable. Typical gauges, sources, and strip-or-sell guidance.
Communications Wire Guide
Old phone wire, Cat5, Cat6, alarm and thermostat cable: what communications wire is, why it is lower-recovery, and how to sell it right.
Coaxial Cable Guide
Is coax worth scrapping? RG-6, RG-59, RG-11 and hardline explained — including the copper vs. copper-clad steel trap.
Heavy Flexible Cable Guide
Heavy flexible copper cable from fab shops, mines, and locomotives: welding cable, battery cable, and DLO. High-recovery wire buyers want.
Portable Cord Guide
What SOOW portable cord is, why extension cords are low-recovery, and the honest way to sell them: insulated, not stripped.
Armored Cable Guide
MC and BX armored cable, tray cable, and large MCM feeders: how armor affects grade and why big feeders are premium insulated copper.
Specialty Conductors Guide
Silver-looking wire that is still copper: tinned copper, silver-plated conductors, and enamel magnet wire — how to identify each.
Copper vs. Look-Alikes
The four copper look-alikes — CCA, copper-clad steel, tinned copper, aluminum — and the cut, scrape, magnet, and weight tests that tell them apart.
Should I Strip This Wire?
Strip it or sell it insulated? An honest walkthrough: which wires are worth stripping, which never are, and why burning is never the answer.
Sell Your Copper Wire
Sell copper wire to Ironcrest Industrial Surplus: partial reels, contractor leftovers, demolition and plant-closure wire. Straightforward quotes, nationwide.
INTERACTIVE TOOLS
Do it yourself, then send photos
Two tools that run entirely in your browser — no account, no data leaves your device.
Related: copper wire weight chart.
Copper value estimator
Pick your material type, enter the weight, choose the condition — get a lot profile with its likely value tier, what helps and what hurts the offer, and next steps. Includes an optional do-the-math box using your own numbers.
Copper grade quiz
Six questions about color, magnetism, insulation, heft, and source — get a likely grade-family suggestion (bare bright through bronze) with an honest disclaimer.
COPPER PRICE ALERTS
Get copper market alerts by email
Copper markets have been moving fast. Leave your name and email and Ironcrest will send occasional updates when copper market conditions shift in a way sellers should know about — no spam, no daily noise, and no published price lists.
SELLING PAGES
Ready to sell? Start here
Sell copper wire, cable, and scrap →
Related: sell scrap copper wire in Chicago, sell scrap brass and bronze in Chicago.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Copper questions, answered.
Is the Copper Resource Center free to use?
Yes. Every guide and both interactive tools are free, run in your browser, and require no account. The price-alert signup only asks for your name and email.
Do the interactive tools give me a price?
No — and that is deliberate. The value estimator profiles your lot into a value tier and explains what moves the offer; the grade quiz suggests a likely grade family. Ironcrest does not publish per-pound prices. Send photos for today's price.
How often do copper market alerts go out?
Only when market conditions shift in a way sellers should know about. This is an occasional update list, not a newsletter.
Send photos, estimated weight, material type, and location for today’s price. Email [email protected] or call 312-880-8174.
SEND PHOTOS FIRST
Send photos for today's price.
Every copper lot is different — grade, form, quantity, and sorting all move the offer. Clear photos and an honest description are all it takes to get today's price, quoted against current copper markets.
New: Copper Market Briefs — record prices, tariff news, and what each move means for sellers.
HOW SELLING WORKS
Three steps to an offer.
Send photos
Photograph the material, nameplates and quantity, then send them through the quote form, by email or by phone.
Material review
We review what the material is, its condition and quantity, and whether it fits a direct purchase.
Receive an offer
For qualifying material, we discuss a direct purchase offer and the next steps.
How much copper is in a house?
Wiring, plumbing, and HVAC: where a home’s copper hides and what it takes to recover it.
Copper scrap grades, explained by a buyer
Bare bright, #1, #2, and insulated — how buyers grade your copper and how sorting raises your price.
What ID do you need to sell copper scrap?
State rules, California’s new AB 476 seller license, and why documented sellers win.
Is it legal to sell copper from a job site?
Ownership, documentation, and red flags — how legitimate sellers stay on the right side.