Number 1 Copper Price Today: Clean Pipe, Bus Bar and Heavy Wire

Number 1 copper is clean, unalloyed, uncoated copper that is free of solder, paint and fittings. Clean pipe, bus bar and heavy wire all qualify. It sits two to five points below bare bright on a typical board and is the grade most household plumbing reaches once the fittings are cut off.

What number 1 covers

Where bare bright is wire only, number 1 is a broader grade for clean heavy copper in any form.

The ReMA specifications split it into two codes. Candy is number 1 heavy copper: clean, unalloyed, uncoated clippings, punchings, bus bar, commutator segments and wire of 16 gauge or heavier, free of burnt wire. Berry is number 1 copper wire specifically. Both pay the same at most yards, and the distinction matters mainly on export contracts.

The practical definition is simpler: copper with nothing on it and nothing in it. No solder, no paint, no plating, no steel, no brass fittings.

Where number 1 comes from

Plumbing pipe is the largest source by far. Household water pipe, once the soldered fittings are cut off, is number 1. The house copper page works through how much a typical home holds.

Bus bar from electrical panels and switchgear qualifies if it is bare rather than tin-plated. Much of it is plated, which drops it a grade.

Heavy wire that has lost its shine lands here rather than at bare bright. Tarnished stripped cable is number 1, not number 2, provided it is still 16 gauge or heavier.

Clippings and punchings from fabrication shops, which arrive already clean.

What drops number 1 to number 2

Three things, all of which are visible.

Solder. A soldered joint left on a length of pipe is the most common downgrade. The solder is a lead or tin alloy, and the yard grades the whole piece as number 2 rather than cut it out. Cut the joints off yourself, an inch either side, and the pipe stays number 1.

Paint and coatings. Painted pipe, lacquered decorative copper and anything plated is number 2 at best.

Fittings still attached. Brass valves, steel brackets and threaded fittings all pull the piece down. The cleaning guide covers which removals pay and which do not.

The grades guide puts number 2 at 94 to 96 percent copper by content. The discount is about refining cost, not how much metal is there.

Number 1 against bare bright

The two grades are close in price and far apart in strictness.

Bare bright is wire only, uncoated, bright and heavy. Number 1 accepts pipe and bar, tolerates tarnish, and covers any form of clean heavy copper. So the same stripped cable can be bare bright when fresh and number 1 six months later, with no change to the metal.

For most sellers the practical question is not how to reach bare bright but how to stay at number 1. That means cutting fittings off, keeping solder out and not mixing in thin wire.

Getting the number 1 price

Cut every fitting off. Elbows, tees, valves and threaded ends. Cut an inch into clean pipe on each side of a soldered joint.

Separate brass. Fittings are brass, and brass is a different metal at a different price. The brass grades page explains why red brass fittings are worth separating from yellow.

Keep thin wire out. Anything under 16 gauge is number 2 and drags a mixed bucket down with it.

Ask for number 1 by name. Clean cut pipe presented as a sorted lot should be graded as number 1. If a yard offers number 2 for it, ask why, and be ready to go elsewhere.

Number 1 Copper prices around the world

Where number 1 copper comes from, market by market

Questions people actually ask

What is the number 1 copper price today?

The live figure is at the top of this page, derived from the exchange settlement. It sits two to five points below bare bright on a typical yard board.

Is copper pipe number 1 or number 2?

Number 1 if the fittings and soldered joints are cut off and it is unpainted. Number 2 if solder, paint or fittings remain.

What is the difference between Candy and Berry copper?

Both are ReMA codes for number 1. Candy is number 1 heavy copper in any form, including bar and clippings. Berry is number 1 copper wire. Most yards pay them the same.

Does tarnish drop copper to number 2?

No. Tarnish drops wire from bare bright to number 1, but number 1 tolerates it. Oxidation heavy enough to flake or pit is a different matter and can reach number 2.

Can I leave a small soldered joint on?

Not without losing the grade. Yards do not cut solder out; they grade the piece as number 2. An inch of pipe either side of the joint is a cheap sacrifice.

Is bus bar number 1?

Only if it is bare copper. Most bus bar is tin-plated for corrosion resistance, and plated bar is a lower grade regardless of how clean it looks.

How much more is number 1 than number 2?

Five to ten percent on a typical board. The comparison table above shows today's spread.

Do I need ID to sell number 1 copper?

In most jurisdictions yes, with a transaction record and often a photograph or holding period. Plumbing pipe attracts scrutiny because it is frequently stolen from vacant buildings.

Frequently asked questions