Buying insulated copper wire from scrap yard?

Hi I was wondering if you can buy insulated copper wire from a scrap yard ? Like say big stuff that I wouldn't normally see like 500mcm. I just was wondering if they would do it or not? If it's a waste to even ask???. It would be cool if I could then I could get to run 500mcm or 250 mcm in my stripper haha. I ran plenty of Romex and then and 4/0 is the highest I have ran same with ec wire.

I asked one of the smaller yards a few years ago. The owner explained that he has his guys stripping wire when things are slow in the wintertime. It keeps them busy.

Some of the bigger yards have copper granulating machines that can process more than a ton of insulated wire per hour. They're looking for huge amounts of wire coming in just to keep the machine running and making lots of money for them.

You would probably have more luck with buying wire from the electricians in your area.

Another problem is your profit margin will be low. your ganna have to pay more than their buyer is paying.

Originally Posted by CopperMiner

I tried that once during a winter several years ago when the copper price was sky high. It was from an independent yard and they required me to buy all their inventory at once. I've got some good stuff, but tons of crappy stuff too: tin-plated wires, sh*tty hard to remove insulation, small granulator fodder, you name it. Lots of stuff sellers didn't wanted to waste their time on. If you remove the insulation from the gross weight and calculate your labour time versus the bare bright prices, the margin is indeed low.

Buying from electricians is a good idea, but they generally know what you want has good value too and be prepared to pay the price too.

Medium and large corporations and public authorities often offer their scrap metal in auctions to bid on. If you can get it at good price, it can be a good source. The problem is scrap yards are also probably bidding on these lots too.

Yea I looked at a bare wire chart but it didn't go into mcm sizes it only went up to 4/0 at the highest. 1000ft of 4/0 bare is 640 lbs if it's right. Thats 1200$ some odd dollars at 2.85 a lb. I'd have to get it pretty cheap. Electricians mostly get Romex right? That's 65 lbs bare for 100lbs insulated. Thanks for the help.

Scrap yards have quotas to meet.

Originally Posted by greytruck

Pretty cool you had the opportunity to do this.... i was wondering last nite about this. i was wondering about how much of the actual wire would be bare bright considering some wire i stripped in the past was shorted / burnt out. you know how it turns brown or green and is all slimy, sticky, ect. i stop stripping it if i find that. i just sell it as #1 ins wire. But considering that electricians remove alot of wire, i would think a descent amount of replaced wire would be shorted out like that. Idk just a thought.

I seem to be running about 50% bare bright and about 50% tarnished lately. Got about 50 lbs each put up so far. Bare bright is about 3.20 and #2 is around 2.80 so it's not a terribly big difference.

The electricians in this area don't seem to tear out all that much. (Too much like work.) They usually cut an obsolete wire back about a foot from the breaker panel and call it good. Most of what copper i do get from them is just short pieces or part of a roll.

It's funny ... the insulation around a wire really isn't air tight or water tight. It can look perfectly good from the outside but be green or brown on the inside. It just tarnished over the years. Even brand new wire just off the roll won't quite pass for bare bright sometimes.

Originally Posted by hills

I seem to be running about 50% bare bright and about 50% tarnished lately. Got about 50 lbs each put up so far. Bare bright is about 3.20 and #2 is around 2.80 so it's not a terribly big difference.

The electricians in this area don't seem to tear out all that much. (Too much like work.) They usually cut an obsolete wire back about a foot from the breaker panel and call it good. Most of what copper i do get from them is just short pieces or part of a roll.

It's funny ... the insulation around a wire really isn't air tight or water tight. It can look perfectly good from the outside but be green or brown on the inside. It just tarnished over the years. Even brand new wire just off the roll won't quite pass for bare bright sometimes.

I did a hoarder garage clean out a few years ago. there were box's and box's of used wire rolled up in there. i was like OMG $$$$$. but it was all brown and green inside so i said forget it and sold it as is. Could have been from sitting in there for who knows how many years, or decades for that matter. But usually if i ever get wire its from demo company's who throw the conduit in the dumpster with the wires still inside. Most of it is still nice copper color but every now and then when i open a junction box there's burnt out ends on some wires. but that was before the prices went up. now theres only empty conduit. Oh well got to roll with the punches in this game.

I probably shouldn't say anything, but the bulk of what i'm getting these days is well pump wire. Literally getting hundreds of feet come in at a time. It's a lot of work to process the stuff but it keeps my hands busy when things are slow. Copper seldom comes easy anyway. It's something you have to work for. All part of the game.

It seems like everyone is trying to scratch out some extra bucks these days. Cost of living is going up and the weekly paycheck doesn't to go as far as it used to. Copper is up so the electricians take the wire home instead of pitching it in the dumpster. That will get old after awhile.

The big thing in this area now is telephone wire. They're going from DSL to high speed fiber internet so there's literally hundreds of miles of copper telephone wire coming out of service these days. It would be nearly impossible to strip but you would be sitting pretty of you had a granulator or just sold it to the yard "as is". It's a good opportunity for someone in the right place at the right time.

Originally Posted by hills

I probably shouldn't say anything, but the bulk of what i'm getting these days is well pump wire. Literally getting hundreds of feet come in at a time. It's a lot of work to process the stuff but it keeps my hands busy when things are slow. Copper seldom comes easy anyway. It's something you have to work for. All part of the game.

It seems like everyone is trying to scratch out some extra bucks these days. Cost of living is going up and the weekly paycheck doesn't to go as far as it used to. Copper is up so the electricians take the wire home instead of pitching it in the dumpster. That will get old after awhile.

The big thing in this area now is telephone wire. They're going from DSL to high speed fiber internet so there's literally hundreds of miles of copper telephone wire coming out of service these days. It would be nearly impossible to strip but you would be sitting pretty of you had a granulator or just sold it to the yard "as is". It's a good opportunity for someone in the right place at the right time.

True last I knew num 3 was 75$ for 100lbs. Insulation on it adds up fast extension cords are now num 2 here where I go so I get 1$ a pound for em yay. If it's 10gauge I'll probably strip it I have never got one though haha.