Copper is one of the most valuable non-ferrous metals arriving at scrap buying, but "copper" is not a single material — it is a family of grades of differing purity and differing value. Correct grading determines the price: we pay for exactly the grade you have, not for an averaged rate. This guide sorts through the most common copper grades encountered in scrap buying.

Why grading determines the price

Smelters and foundries buy material of predictable composition. The purer and better-sorted the copper, the higher the metal yield per tonne and the higher the rate. Mixed material has to be re-sorted or priced more cautiously — which is why separating grades before delivery genuinely raises the price you receive.

We grade over 400 material items, and any atypical grade we check with a handheld spectrometer on site. The grades below are the most common points of reference.

The most common copper grades

Millberry copper (bright)

The purest and most highly priced grade — bright bare copper wire and conductors without insulation, with a bright, shiny surface, free of lacquer, tin or oxidation. It is the material closest to the reference commodity, which is why the rate for Millberry is the highest.

Copper heavy

Thicker solid-copper items: pipes, sheet, installation components, busbars. Clean material, but in a form other than wire. What counts is the absence of contaminants — residues of solder, brass or steel lower the grade.

Unsorted copper (Cu III)

Mixed or soiled copper — painted, lightly oxidised, with minor admixtures. Convenient, because it does not require precise sorting, but priced lower than Millberry or copper heavy, because the smelter has to clean it up.

Copper granules

Copper recovered from cables through a granulation process, in the form of fine grains. Its value depends on the purity of the granules — the proportion of pure copper relative to insulation residue.

Copper from cables and wires

Cables are a separate matter: what counts is the copper yield, meaning how much pure metal is hidden beneath the insulation. Thin strand in thick insulation has a lower yield than a heavy power cable. Cables usually do not need to be stripped yourself — we price them as cables and wires based on their type and estimated yield.

How to prepare copper for a quote

  • Separate Millberry and copper heavy from contaminated material — cleaner grades mean a higher rate.
  • Do not mix copper with brass or bronze; these are separate groups with different pricing.
  • You do not need to know the material by name — its type and approximate quantity are enough. Photos are quickest to send via WhatsApp.

Not sure which grade you are holding? That is normal — grading is our job. Send photos and we will price the material by its actual composition.