Identifying Copper Grades: Bare Bright vs. #1 vs. #2 (Your Key to Max Payouts!)
Welcome back to The Scrap Master's Knowledge Base! You already know copper is gold in the scrap world. But did you know that not all copper is created equal? Understanding the different grades of copper is absolutely essential for maximizing your payout at the scrap yard.
This guide will teach you how to identify Bare Bright, #1, and #2 copper, ensuring you get every dollar your valuable finds are worth.
Why Copper Grading Matters for Your Profit
Scrap yards pay significantly different prices for different grades of copper. The cleaner and purer the copper, the higher the price per pound. Misidentifying or mixing grades can cost you hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on a large haul.
General Copper Characteristics (The Basics)
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Color: Reddish-brown (when clean/new) to darker brown, green, or black (when oxidized/tarnished).
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Non-Magnetic: A magnet will NOT stick to pure copper.
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Malleable: It's relatively soft and can be bent without breaking.
The Copper Grades: What to Look For
1. Bare Bright Copper (The King of Copper! 👑)
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Characteristics:
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Appearance: Clean, shiny, bright, and typically reddish-orange. It looks like brand new copper wire.
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Condition: Must be bare (no insulation, no paint, no solder, no corrosion, no fittings, no contaminants whatsoever).
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Size: Usually 16 gauge wire or thicker.
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Common Sources:
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Clean electrical wiring stripped of insulation (especially from industrial settings).
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Bus bars (thick, rectangular copper conductors).
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New production scrap.
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Value: This fetches the absolute highest price per pound – significantly more than #1 or #2 copper.
2. #1 Copper (The Prince of Copper! 🤴)
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Characteristics:
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Appearance: Clean, unalloyed (not mixed with other metals), and generally free of heavy corrosion, paint, or excessive tarnishing. It doesn't have the "bright" shine of Bare Bright.
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Condition: Must be free of insulation, solder, paint, and fittings. It can have some minor tarnishing or oxidation.
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Form: Often includes clean copper pipe, tubing, or wire (usually thicker than 16 gauge) that doesn't quite meet "Bare Bright" standards due to slight tarnish or minimal bending.
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Common Sources:
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Clean copper water pipes (without brass fittings or solder).
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Clean copper tubing from refrigeration lines (without insulation).
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Thicker gauge copper wire (without insulation or heavy corrosion).
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Value: Second highest value, very close behind Bare Bright.
3. #2 Copper (The Workhorse Copper! 👷)
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Characteristics:
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Appearance: Can be tarnished, oxidized, painted, or have some minor contaminants.
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Condition: Contains copper, but has some impurities. This includes copper that has solder on it, brass fittings attached, or is thinner wire.
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Form: Often includes burnt copper wire (where insulation has been burned off), thin-gauge copper wire (without insulation), copper tubing with fittings still attached, or heavily corroded copper.
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Common Sources:
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Most residential copper plumbing (with solder joints and brass fittings).
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Burnt copper wire.
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Thinner gauge copper wire (like from extension cords, once insulation is removed).
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Heavily corroded copper items.
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Value: Less than #1 or Bare Bright, but still a very good payout. This is often the most common type of "clean" copper you'll handle.
Insulated Copper Wire: The Hidden Value
This is a broad category, and its value depends on the "recovery percentage" – how much actual copper is in the wire once the insulation is removed.
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How it's Priced: Yards will estimate the percentage of copper by weight (e.g., 70% recovery, 50% recovery). Thicker wires have a higher recovery percentage than thin wires (like communication wire or Christmas lights).
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Common Sources: Household electrical wiring (Romex), extension cords, appliance power cords, communications wire, automotive wiring.
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Value: Significantly less than bare copper, as the yard must pay for the processing. This is why stripping thicker wires can be highly profitable for you!
Common Mistakes That Cost You Money:
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Mixing Grades: Putting #2 copper in with #1 or Bare Bright. The entire lot will be downgraded to the lowest grade.
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Leaving Contaminants: Leaving plastic, rubber, steel, or brass attached to what would otherwise be clean copper.
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Not Stripping Wire (Strategically): For thick-gauge insulated wire, not taking the time to strip it is leaving money on the table.
The Scrap Master's Payoff:
By understanding these distinctions and meticulously sorting your copper, you ensure every pound is paid at its highest possible rate. That little bit of knowledge and effort transforms good payouts into great profits!
Ready to dive deeper into all types of metal identification and master the art of maximizing your scrap profits?
Explore our comprehensive courses at The Scrap Masters University and learn to spot every valuable detail!
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