Copper is the most valuable metal by weight at most scrap yards — including ours here in Ardmore, Oklahoma. But the price you walk out with depends heavily on what you bring in, how it is sorted, and whether you know how your specific material grades. Getting those three things right does not take long, and the payoff on a decent load is worth the extra 20 minutes of preparation.
This guide covers everything from understanding copper grades to the specific steps that move a load from the lower end of the price range to the higher end.
Copper is not priced as a single category. Every scrap yard — including Texoma Recycling — prices copper across multiple grades based on the purity and condition of the material. The two primary grades you will encounter are #1 copper and #2 copper, with insulated wire graded separately on its own three-tier scale.
| Grade | What It Includes | Relative Value |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Copper (Bare Bright) | Clean, uncoated, unsoldered wire or pipe 16 gauge or heavier | Highest |
| #2 Copper | Pipe with fittings, oxidized copper, soldered joints, painted copper | Lower than #1 |
| Ins. Wire #1 | Romex, THHN, clean building wire with intact insulation | High for wire |
| Ins. Wire #2 | Mixed or lower-grade insulated wire, varied recovery | Medium |
| Ins. Wire #3 | Extension cords, Christmas lights, thin gauge | Lowest wire rate |
The price difference between #1 and #2 copper changes with the market, but it is consistently meaningful on any load over 20 or 30 pounds. On a 100-pound load of mixed copper, the difference between arriving pre-sorted versus arriving with everything jumbled together can be the difference between being paid at the lower rate versus the correct rate for each component.
Insulated copper wire is priced based on the estimated copper recovery — how much of the wire's weight is actually recoverable copper versus insulation. #1 bare bright wire, stripped of all insulation, pays the full copper rate. The same wire with its insulation intact grades as insulated wire, which pays less because the yard has to account for the insulation weight and processing cost.
Stripping is worth your time on thick wire — 10 gauge and heavier. Thin gauge wire (14 gauge and smaller) takes a long time to strip for relatively little additional copper, and most yards' #1 insulated wire rate is already reasonable for that material. Focus your stripping effort on the heavy stuff: 6 gauge, 8 gauge, 10 gauge THHN or Romex.
You do not need special equipment. A wire stripper or a sharp utility knife pulls insulation off cleanly on straight runs. For longer pieces, score the insulation lengthwise with a knife and peel. The stripped wire then grades as #1 copper or bare bright depending on the gauge and condition.
Copper pipe from a plumbing job is worth good money. But the fittings — elbows, tees, couplings — are typically brass or copper-with-solder, which grades the pipe as #2 instead of #1. Removing the fittings with a pipe cutter or hacksaw upgrades the pipe sections to #1 copper. The fittings themselves grade as brass or #2 copper and get weighed separately.
The same logic applies to any copper that has been soldered. Solder joints contaminate the purity of the copper. Cutting away the soldered sections isolates the clean pipe and improves the overall grade of your load.
The most consistent way to maximize your payout is to arrive pre-sorted. Keep categories physically separate on your truck or trailer:
When everything arrives in one mixed pile, the yard grades the entire load at the lowest applicable category. Pre-sorting takes 10 minutes at home and consistently results in more money at the scale.
Copper prices move with the London Metal Exchange and can shift noticeably week to week. Before you make a significant trip, check the Texoma Recycling price calculator to see today's rate. If you have a large load and prices have been declining, it might be worth waiting a few days. If prices are climbing, getting in sooner makes sense.
For exact rates on your specific material, call us at (580) 490-2096 before you leave — especially if you have an unusual grade or a large volume load where the per-pound difference adds up significantly.
If you are a contractor or electrician who accumulates copper over multiple jobs, consolidating smaller loads into one larger trip to the yard is almost always more efficient than multiple small trips. The drive time cost is the same either way, but a larger load gives you more weight behind every dollar-per-pound shift in the market. Some yards also offer volume pricing on very large loads — call ahead on anything over 500 pounds to ask.
Following this process consistently — even partially — adds real money over time. If you are dropping off copper regularly as part of a contracting or electrical business, the difference between sorted and unsorted loads can easily add up to hundreds of dollars per month.
971 Bussell Ridge Rd, Ardmore OK - Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-2pm - no appointment needed.