Copper cable currently (April 2011) sells for 70p per pound. The prices for metals such as these are usually estimated by the ton and insulated copper cable is currently £1400 per ton. That, divided by 2000 (the amount of pounds in a ton) is 0.70 which is 70p.
Copper is a non-ferrous metal, which means it does not have a significant amount of iron in it to qualify as ferrous. The word ferrous is metallurgy jargon for ‘possesses an abundance of iron’. Brass and copper are non-ferrous metals as they have little to no iron in them. Steel, for example is a ferrous metal as it is a compound mostly comprised of iron and carbon.
Fortunately non-ferrous metals are worth more, considerably more in fact. Non-ferrous metals can bring anything from £1,000-£5,000 per ton whereas a ton of ferrous metal is lucky to be worth over £200 in today’s scrap metal marketplace. Although copper cable is the lower end of the non-ferrous metals spectrum, it’s still worth many times more than that of say, steel or iron.
There are several websites dedicated to monitoring the fast-fluctuating prices of metals. Www.letsrecycle.com has a comprehensive list of many substances, including both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Of course each seller will have a different price for your copper. It all depends on the economy and the demand. If the trader already has an abundance of copper cable, they will likely not offer as much for it.
The prices for metals change so frequently, but tend to be an average price across the whole board of the UK. For metal in the US, prices will likely vary in every state.
For more information on metallurgy and prices of scrap metal, see www.metalprices.com/
Copper is a non-ferrous metal, which means it does not have a significant amount of iron in it to qualify as ferrous. The word ferrous is metallurgy jargon for ‘possesses an abundance of iron’. Brass and copper are non-ferrous metals as they have little to no iron in them. Steel, for example is a ferrous metal as it is a compound mostly comprised of iron and carbon.
Fortunately non-ferrous metals are worth more, considerably more in fact. Non-ferrous metals can bring anything from £1,000-£5,000 per ton whereas a ton of ferrous metal is lucky to be worth over £200 in today’s scrap metal marketplace. Although copper cable is the lower end of the non-ferrous metals spectrum, it’s still worth many times more than that of say, steel or iron.
There are several websites dedicated to monitoring the fast-fluctuating prices of metals. Www.letsrecycle.com has a comprehensive list of many substances, including both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Of course each seller will have a different price for your copper. It all depends on the economy and the demand. If the trader already has an abundance of copper cable, they will likely not offer as much for it.
The prices for metals change so frequently, but tend to be an average price across the whole board of the UK. For metal in the US, prices will likely vary in every state.
For more information on metallurgy and prices of scrap metal, see www.metalprices.com/
