Estimate Your Pounds
Step on a bathroom scale holding your bucket, then step on without it. The difference is your lot weight. That number is the start of every real quote.
THE MONEY QUESTION • REAL LOT SIZES • POUNDS, NOT PROMISES
WHAT IS YOUR JOB-SITE SCRAP WORTH?
Every trade worker with a bucket of cutoffs asks the same question. Here is the honest way to think about it: scrap sells by the pound, so your lot is worth its weight times its grade times the day's market. No buyer can give you a real number without seeing the material. But you can learn to estimate the pounds in your bucket, your box, or your truck bed — and that is exactly where this page starts.
No MinimumsPounds Not PromisesAll Trades WelcomeFast Quotes
THE HONEST ANSWER
Your scrap is worth its weight. Here is how to estimate it.
- Scrap buyers pay by the pound, by material grade. That is the whole game: weight times grade times the day's market.
- A 5-gallon bucket of wire cutoffs typically runs 30 to 50 lbs. Copper packs weight fast, so a full bucket is heavier than it looks.
- Stripped, clean copper wire weighs more per bucket than insulated wire, because the plastic jacket is gone.
- Copper pipe cutoffs stack even heavier: a bucket of short pipe pieces can hit 40 to 60 lbs.
- Brass fittings are lighter per piece, but they add up quickly. Keep them in their own bucket so they are never lost in the mix.
- A pulled-out repipe — all the copper from a whole house — can run 100 to 200 lbs of pipe and fittings.
- A residential HVAC changeout typically leaves 40 to 150 lbs of copper line sets, coils, and brass fittings.
- A demo gut can produce 100 to 500 lbs of wire, pipe, and fixtures, depending on the building's age and size.
BUCKET30–60 lbs
A full 5-gallon bucket of cutoffs or short pipe pieces.
JOB LOT100–300 lbs
A repipe, a changeout, or a service upgrade.
TRUCKLOAD500+ lbs
A gut, a cleanout, or a month of saving.
WHAT MOVES THE NUMBER
Weight is step one. Grade is step two.
Two buckets that weigh the same can pay differently. Here is what moves the number once the weight is set.
- CLEAN VS INSULATED — Bare copper wire and clean pipe grade higher than insulated wire and painted pipe.
- COPPER VS BRASS — Copper and brass are different grades with different markets. Separate them and both pay better.
- STEEL AND TRASH — Screws, brackets, and drywall chunks mixed in drag a lot down. A clean lot settles faster.
- MARKET MOVES — Copper markets move daily. Your quote reflects the market on the day you sell.
KNOW YOUR LOT SIZE
Bucket, job lot, or truckload — all welcome.
There are no minimums at Ironcrest. Every bucket counts, whether you are holding one bucket of cutoffs or a truck bed full of pulls.
ONE BUCKET30–60 lbs
A week of cutoffs. Worth a quote on its own — no minimums.
ONE JOB100–300 lbs
A repipe, a changeout, a service upgrade. A serious lot.
ONE TRUCKLOAD500+ lbs
A gut or a month of saving. Call and we will talk pickup.
FROM BUCKET TO CASH
Four steps. No yard line.
Text Photos to Sonny
Send a photo of your material and your estimated weight to 312-880-8174. You will get a fast quote based on what is actually there.
Drop Off or Call About Pickup
Bring the lot by, or call to talk pickup on bigger loads. Every bucket counts — there is no minimum.
Watch the Scale, Get Paid
Your material is weighed in the open, graded, and settled. Payment by check, wire, or cash.
WHY IRONCREST
Why workers sell their buckets to Ironcrest
- No minimums — every bucket counts. One bucket of cutoffs gets the same welcome as a truckload.
- Fast quotes from a photo: text what you have, get a real number back.
- Weighed in the open on a digital scale. You see every pound.
- Quick payment by check, wire, or cash once your lot settles.
- One direct contact: Sonny Johns at 312-880-8174 — not a yard window, not a phone tree.
- Your material never leaves the United States.
ONE DIRECT CONTACT
Talk to Sonny, not a department
Every quote runs through one person who answers the phone: Sonny Johns at 312-880-8174. No portals, no ticket queues, no yard line.
- NO MINIMUMS — Every bucket counts. One bucket of cutoffs gets the same welcome as a truckload.
- FAST QUOTES — Send photos of your material and get a real number back fast.
- QUICK PAYMENT — Check, wire, or cash once your lot settles.
- US ONLY — Your material never leaves the United States.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Asked by workers holding this material.
How much is a 5-gallon bucket of copper wire cutoffs worth?
It depends on the weight and the grade, which is exactly why a real quote beats any guess. A full bucket typically holds 30 to 50 lbs of cutoffs, and clean copper grades higher than insulated wire. Text a photo and your estimated weight to 312-880-8174 and you will get a fast quote on your actual material.
Should I strip my wire before selling it?
For small lots, most workers sell insulated wire as-is. Short THHN and Romex cutoffs take longer to strip than the upgrade is worth, and your time is better spent on the trade. Long runs of thick wire can be worth stripping — ask when you call and you will get an honest answer for your specific pile.
Is brass worth separating from copper?
Yes. Brass is its own grade with its own market. Mixed into copper, it drags the lot down. In its own bucket, it pays as brass. Toss fittings, valves, and faucet bodies in a separate bucket and thank yourself later.
Do I need a huge pile for anyone to care?
No. Ironcrest buys single buckets — no minimums, every bucket counts. Plenty of sellers start with one bucket and come back every few weeks with the next one.
How do I know I am getting a fair price?
Your material is weighed in the open on a digital scale, graded in front of you, and you get a number before you commit to anything. One direct contact — Sonny Johns at 312-880-8174 — means the person quoting you is the person paying you.
I also have old carbide tooling. Is that worth anything?
Often yes. Tungsten carbide — worn inserts, end mills, drill bits — is a high-value stream that many workers throw away without knowing. Mention it when you call and it will be evaluated separately from your copper.
POUNDS, NOT PROMISES
Find out what your bucket is really holding.
Text a photo of your material and your estimated weight to 312-880-8174. You will get a fast quote based on what is actually in the bucket — no minimums, no yard lines.